United States v. Tarpley

295 F. App'x 11
CourtCourt of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit
DecidedSeptember 24, 2008
Docket06-1869
StatusUnpublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 295 F. App'x 11 (United States v. Tarpley) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
United States v. Tarpley, 295 F. App'x 11 (6th Cir. 2008).

Opinion

OPINION

KAREN NELSON MOORE, Circuit Judge.

Robert Tarpley (“Tarpley”), Defendant-Appellant, appeals his sentence of 180 *13 months in prison, resulting from a guilty plea to one count of conspiracy with intent to distribute controlled substances in violation of 21 U.S.C. §§ 841(a)(1) and 846. Tarpley makes four arguments before this court: (1) the district court erred in determining that Tarpley was a “career offender” under U.S. Sentencing Guidelines Manual (“U.S.S.G.”) § 4Bl.l(a) (2005); (2) the district court abused its discretion by denying Tarpley’s request to adjourn his sentencing hearing to review and discuss with counsel the amended Presentence Investigation Report (“PSR”); (3) Tarpley was denied due process when the district court failed to resolve factual disputes resulting in a procedurally unreasonable sentence; and (4) the district court erred when it failed to articulate whether it considered or refused to consider exceptional third-party assistance in its ruling on a motion for downward departure. For the reasons explained below, we AFFIRM Tarpley’s sentence.

I. FACTS AND PROCEDURE

The facts of this case are not in dispute. In February 2004, a federal grand jury indicted Tarpley on one count of conspiracy, two counts of possession with intent to distribute, and one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm. Two superseding indictments were subsequently filed. On the morning of trial, Tarpley initially pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy, but he subsequently moved to withdraw his plea, citing disagreements with the PSR’s determination of several issues, including the amount of drugs assigned to him. The district judge permitted Tarpley to withdraw his guilty plea.

On February 7, 2006, pursuant to a negotiated Rule 11 Plea Agreement, Tarpley pleaded guilty to Count One of the original indictment, conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances (heroin and cocaine) in violation of 21 U.S.C. §§ 841(a)(1), 846. At that time, he made no stipulation to drug quantity, nor did the plea agreement or indictment to which he pleaded stipulate quantity. The plea agreement did provide that the statutory maximum sentence was twenty years of imprisonment.

An updated PSR was prepared, which continued to attribute 2,916 kilograms of marijuana equivalent to Tarpley. This amount gave him a base offense level of 32, with an adjusted offense level of 37. The PSR also assigned Tarpley a criminal history category of VI, based on his sixteen criminal history points. This resulted in a guideline range for imprisonment of 360 months to life. Because the statutory maximum for the crime to which Tarpley pleaded guilty is 240 months, his guideline sentence was 240 months.

The PSR also concluded that Tarpley had at least two prior convictions for crimes of violence, rendering him a “career offender” with a criminal history category of VI. In particular, Tarpley has two pri- or convictions for felonious assault and for third-degree home invasion under Michigan state law. He pleaded guilty and was sentenced for those crimes on the same day, under different docket numbers. The PSR states that the felonious assault occurred on July 14, 2000, while Tarpley was smoking marijuana in his car with an acquaintance. Police arrived and approached the vehicle, instructing Tarpley to keep his hands visible, unlock the doors, and roll down the window. Instead, Tarpley started the vehicle and fled the scene, striking a police officer in the leg with his car.

The home invasion occurred on August 12, 2000, when police came to Tarpley’s home to arrest him for outstanding warrants, including a warrant for the felonious assault charge. Tarpley fled to the attic of *14 his apartment and broke through the crawl space to the adjoining apartment, which was occupied. The police pursued Tarpley into that apartment, at which point Tarpley broke through the attic crawl space into another apartment, unoccupied at the time. Tarpley was then arrested. Tarpley does not dispute these accounts. The PSR determined, based on these two offenses, that Tarpley was a “career offender,” subject to a “career offender” offense level of 32 as calculated under U.S.S.G. § 4Bl.l(b)(C) and a criminal history category of VI. However, because the “career offender” offense level was not greater than the calculated total offense level (level 37, criminal history category VI), the “career offender” offense level was not used to calculate Tarpley’s guideline range. Joint Appendix (“J.A.”) at 276 (PSR at 22); U.S.S.G. § 4Bl.l(b).

On March 28, 2006, Tarpley filed a Second Amended Sentencing Memorandum objecting to two determinations in the PSR: (1) that third-degree home invasion is a “crime of violence” and (2) that he should be denied credit for acceptance of responsibility.

Tarpley’s attorney received an amended version of the PSR one week before sentencing and sent a copy to Tarpley. Tarpley received it on Saturday, May 20, 2006. Tarpley does not contend that the amended PSR was substantially different than the previous version.

On May 23, 2006, at the sentencing hearing, Tarpley’s attorney moved for an adjournment on the grounds that Tarpley had not had an opportunity to review the amended PSR. The district judge denied the motion, stating “No, no, no. We’ve waited long enough.” J.A. at 227 (Sent. Hr’g Tr. at 4). Tarpley’s attorney made no further reference to Tarpley’s inability to review the amended PSR. Tarpley’s attorney then argued the two objections made in his sentencing memorandum. After hearing arguments, the district judge, relying on United States v. Horton, 163 Fed.Appx. 378 (6th Cir.2006) (unpublished opinion), found that third-degree home invasion was a “crime of violence.” J.A. at 228 (Sent. Hr’g Tr. at 5). He awarded a three-level reduction for acceptance of responsibility, contrary to the PSR recommendation.

During a later colloquy with the district judge in allocution, Tarpley, himself, voiced his disagreement with certain facts in the PSR:

[A]s far as the things that the co-defendants said in their proffers and things, I feel as though they were led to say those things, things about me, because they weren’t true, okay.... [M]y co-defendants has [sic] a lot of reason to say the things that they said. They felt the more that they tell, the more time they would get off. So, you know, in adding to that, these monstrous amount [sic] of drugs came into effect, you know, to say, Well [sic], when I get in jail, I can brag about this, I was a big drug dealer, which in actuality they weren’t.

J.A. at 235-36 (Sent. Hr’g Tr. at 12-13). His attorney also asked the court to take into consideration the fact that Tarpley’s wife assisted authorities. The district judge did not directly speak to these matters; however, he did state that he considered “the factual recitations that Mr. Tarpley made both at his guilty plea time and that he has made right now in his eloquent closing argument” when determining the appropriate sentence. J.A. at 247 (Sent. Hr’g Tr. at 24).

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Bluebook (online)
295 F. App'x 11, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-tarpley-ca6-2008.