United States v. Phillips

730 F. Supp. 45, 1990 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 1069, 1990 WL 7345
CourtDistrict Court, N.D. Texas
DecidedFebruary 1, 1990
DocketCrim. No. CR3-89-066-D
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 730 F. Supp. 45 (United States v. Phillips) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, N.D. Texas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
United States v. Phillips, 730 F. Supp. 45, 1990 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 1069, 1990 WL 7345 (N.D. Tex. 1990).

Opinion

FITZWATER, District Judge:

Defendant’s objections to his presentence report present two questions that are basic to proper application of the Sentencing Guidelines. The first is whether the sentencing judge is bound by facts to which the government and defendant have agreed when the facts conflict with the presen-tence report. The second is whether the court may accept a plea agreement that is predicated on facts that do not adequately reflect the severity of the actual offense behavior.

I

Defendant Gary Jim Phillips (“Phillips”) was charged in a two-count indictment with manufacture of phenylacetone and conspiracy to manufacture phenylacetone. He pleaded guilty to the manufacturing count. During the course of the plea proceeding, defendant and the government filed a factual resume that stated Phillips had constructed a clandestine laboratory for the manufacture of phenylacetone. The factual resume provided that the production capacity of the laboratory — -based on the most abundant precursor — was two and one-half pounds of “phenalacetone.” Phillips admitted the accuracy of these facts under oath.

The probation officer subsequently prepared a presentence report (“PSI”). The PSI states that DEA agents raided the laboratory and discovered a 22-liter reaction flask containing 10 liters of a liquid containing traces of phenylacetone, laboratory glassware, precursor chemicals, 5,000 grams of a white powdery substance, 8,000 grams of sodium acetate, four liters of amphetamine HCL, four liters of acetic anhydride, and miscellaneous laboratory equipment. The PSI states that DEA chemists prepared a clandestine laboratory report and concluded the production capability of the laboratory, based on the most abundant precursor, was “two to three pounds” and based on the capacity of the laboratory was “four to five pounds.”

Later addenda to the PSI recognize that the DEA report does not unambiguously reflect the capacity figures reported to refer to amphetamine rather than phenylace-tone. The addenda also state, however, that the probation officer discussed the matter with both the case officer and the DEA chemist, who assured the probation officer that the capacity figures referred to amphetamine rather than phenylacetone. Moreover, the addenda conclude that, if the sentence is to be based on phenylacetone, the correct amount of phenylacetone to use in calculating the guideline sentence is ten liters — the amount seized of a liquid containing traces of phenylacetone. The probation officer bases her offense level calculation on five pounds of amphetamine rather than upon the two and one-half pounds of phenylacetone stipulated in the factual resume or the ten liters of liquid containing traces of phenylacetone seized in the raid.

Phillips objects to the PSI’s calculation of the offense level based on amphetamine rather than phenylacetone. He argues that the DEA report nowhere mentions the capacity of the laboratory to produce amphetamine but refers only to phe-nylacetone. He asserts that the laboratory was not capable of producing any amphetamine because no nitrogen, a necessary ingredient in the conversion of phenylace-[47]*47tone to amphetamine, was found. Moreover, the indictment accuses him only of the manufacture of phenylacetone, not amphetamine. He contends the government assured his attorney during plea negotiations that the DEA report referred only to phenylacetone. Phillips asserts that, in deciding to plead guilty to count 2, he had no notice that he would be sentenced based on amphetamine rather than phenylacetone. This is so, according to the defendant, because the indictment, the DEA report, and the factual resume never referred to any substance other than phenylacetone.1 He argues that the DEA report contained three possible figures for the capacity of the laboratory and the parties agreed to a figure within that range. He thus contends the court is not permitted to ignore the stipulation of the parties and independently determine the capacity of the laboratory.

II

A

The dispute in this case arises because sentences in drug manufacturing cases are tied to the quantity and kind of controlled substance the defendant manufactured. See Sentencing Guidelines § 2D1.1(a)(3). In cases where no drugs are seized, or the quantity of drugs seized does not reflect the scale of the offense, the sentencing judge is required to approximate the quantity of the controlled substance. Sentencing Guidelines § 2D1.1(a)(3), Application Note 12 (cross reference to § 2D1.4, Application Note 2). In making this determination, the sentencing judge may consider the size or capability of any laboratory involved in the manufacture. Sentencing Guidelines § 2D1.4, Application Note 2.

The problem that has arisen in this case is that the parties have stipulated that Phillips’ laboratory was capable of producing two and one-half pounds of phenylacetone. The PSI concludes that Phillips’ laboratory was capable of producing five pounds of amphetamine and that ten liters of phenylacetone were seized.2 Phillips argues that “where the laboratory report contains three possible figures for the capacity, and the parties have agreed on a figure within that range, the court may appropriately follow that stipulation in determining the guideline.” The court disagrees.

In several instances the Sentencing Guidelines mandate consideration of facts in addition to those developed during plea proceedings. See Sentencing Guidelines § lB1.3(a)(2) (providing for aggregation of acts and omissions that are part of same course of conduct in drug offense cases); id. § 2D1.1, Application Note 12 (“[tjypes and quantities of drugs not specified in the count of conviction may be considered in determining the offense level”); id. § lB1.3(a)(l) (requiring consideration of all acts for which defendant would be otherwise accountable). In interpreting these passages, the Fifth Circuit and most other circuits that have addressed the question have concluded that a judge is not limited in imposing sentence to consideration only of charges of which a defendant has been convicted. The judge may also take into account counts dropped as part of a plea agreement, uncharged conduct, and conduct of which the defendant has been ac[48]*48quitted. United States v. Moya, 730 F.Supp. 35, 38-39 (N.D.Tex.1990) (citing cases).3

The approach the Guidelines adopt is a compromise between real offense and charge offense sentencing systems, basing the sentence primarily upon the offense with which the defendant is charged but taking into account a number of real offense elements such as the defendant’s role in the offense, whether he used a firearm, and the seriousness of the offense as determined by the amount of money taken in a theft offense or the kind and amount of controlled substance at issue in a drug offense. Moya, 730 F.Supp. at 40 (citing Sentencing Guidelines Part A — Introduction at 1.5 — 1.6; Breyer, The Federal Sentencing Guidelines and the Key Compromises Upon Which They Rest, 17 Hofstra L.Rev. 1, 8-12, 27 (1988)). This compromise was necessary to prevent count manipulation, that is, the practice of dividing an indictment into multiple counts to increase or decrease the defendant’s punishment. Id.

Phillips also argues that, regardless of the court’s ability to consider facts in addition to those developed during a plea proceeding, the court may not consider evidence that contradicts facts developed at that proceeding.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
730 F. Supp. 45, 1990 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 1069, 1990 WL 7345, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-phillips-txnd-1990.