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[DO NOT PUBLISH]
IN THE UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS
FOR THE ELEVENTH CIRCUIT ________________________
No. 17-11134 Non-Argument Calendar ________________________
D.C. Docket No. 2:16-cr-14002-RLR-3
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,
Plaintiff–Appellee,
versus
VENTERIA LEANET REASON,
Defendant–Appellant.
________________________
Appeal from the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida ________________________
(January 12, 2018)
Before TJOFLAT, JULIE CARNES, and HULL, Circuit Judges.
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Venteria Leanet Reason appeals her 135-month sentence, imposed after her
guilty plea, for conspiracy to import dibutylone HCI (“dibutylone”) into the United
States, in violation of 21 U.S.C. §§ 952(a) and 963. Reason’s sentence is 100
months below the lower end of the Sentencing Guidelines range. 1 She argues that:
(1) the District Court procedurally erred by misapplying U.S.S.G. § 2D1.1 cmt. n.6
(“Application Note 6”) and clearly erred by finding that, for purposes of
calculating her offense level, MDMA and MDEA were the substances “most
clearly related” to dibutylone and ethylone, respectively2; (2) the District Court
erred in applying a three-point enhancement, pursuant to U.S.S.G. § 3B1.1(b),
based on its finding that she was a manager or supervisor of the conspiracy; and
that (3) her sentence is otherwise procedurally and substantively unreasonable
because the District Court relied on a clearly erroneous fact—that a “support
network” would care for her children while she was incarcerated—and because the
Court failed to consider all of her arguments for a downward variance. We
disagree with each of Reason’s arguments and affirm the District Court’s sentence.
1 Based on a total offense level of 38 and a criminal history category of I, Reason’s guidelines range would have been 253 to 293 months. Statutorily, however, she was subject to a maximum penalty of 240 months. Her applicable guidelines range was therefore 235 to 240 months’ imprisonment. 2 Reason’s total offense level reflects that she was held responsible for, among other substances, 10.34 kg of dibutylone and 9.98 kg of ethylone.
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I.
We first address Reason’s arguments that the District Court procedurally
erred by misapplying Application Note 6 and that it clearly erred by concluding
that dibutylone and ethylone were most closely related to MDMA and MDEA.
We review de novo both a district court’s interpretation of the guidelines and
its application of the guidelines to the facts. United States v. Barrington, 648 F.3d
1178, 1194–95 (11th Cir. 2011). Our review, further, gives due regard to the
sentencing court’s opportunity to judge the credibility of witnesses. United States
v. Jenkins, 901 F.2d 1075, 1083 (11th Cir. 1990).
Ethylone and dibutylone are not included in the guidelines’ Drug Quantity
Table. See U.S.S.G. § 2D1.1(c). To determine the base offense level of a
substance not specifically referenced in the guidelines, a court must identify the
substance included in the guidelines that is “most closely related” to the unlisted
substance. U.S.S.G. § 2D1.1 cmt. n.6. Then, using the most closely related
substance’s marijuana-equivalency ratio as set forth in the guidelines’ Drug
Equivalency Tables, the court converts the quantity of the unlisted substance to its
marijuana equivalent. U.S.S.G. § 2D1.1 cmt. n.8(A), (D). To determine the most
closely related substance, the court “shall, to the extent practicable, consider” three
factors:
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(A) Whether the controlled substance not referenced in this guideline has a chemical structure that is substantially similar to a controlled substance referenced in this guideline. (B) Whether the controlled substance not referenced in this guideline has a stimulant, depressant, or hallucinogenic effect on the central nervous system that is substantially similar to the stimulant, depressant, or hallucinogenic effect on the central nervous system of a controlled substance referenced in this guideline. (C) Whether a lesser or greater quantity of the controlled substance not referenced in this guideline is needed to produce a substantially similar effect on the central nervous system as a controlled substance referenced in this guideline.
U.S.S.G. § 2D1.1 cmt. n.6. The guidelines provide that one gram of either MDMA
or MDEA is equivalent to 500 grams of marijuana. U.S.S.G. § 2D1.1 cmt. n.8(D).
They also provide that one gram of methcathinone, the comparator substance urged
by Reason, is equivalent to 380 grams of marijuana. Id.
Reason argues that the District Court procedurally erred in two ways when
determining that dibutylone was most closely related to MDMA and ethylone to
MDEA. First, she contends that because dibutylone and ethylone were discussed
mainly as “stimulants” throughout her sentencing, while the guidelines’ Drug
Equivalency Tables classify MDMA and MDEA as “hallucinogens,” see id., the
Court erred in its “most closely related” determination.3 That is, if the evidence
indicates that the substance at issue has one classification, the court cannot find
that a substance with a different classification in the Drug Equivalency Tables is
3 The Government’s experts, though repeatedly noting the stimulant effects of dibutylone and ethylone, did not necessarily classify them as “stimulants.”
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the most closely related. Second, Reason argues that the District Court misapplied
the guidelines’ three-factor test outlined above.
Reason’s first argument is unpersuasive. The relevant guidelines provision
instructs a court to find the substance most closely related to an unlisted substance
by considering, “to the extent practicable,” similarities in the substances’
structures, effects, and potencies. U.S.S.G. § 2D1.1 cmt. n.6. There is no further
requirement in the text that the comparator substance be within the same Drug
Equivalency Tables classification as the unlisted substance. A number of reasons
guide against reading such a requirement into the provision.
Nothing in Drug Equivalency Tables suggests its classification of substances
has any bearing on a court’s “most closely related” determination. Rather, the
tables assist the court in its second step: converting the unlisted substance to its
marijuana equivalent after identifying the most closely related comparator. And
further, the guidelines do not instruct courts to classify an unlisted substance under
one of the Drug Equivalency Tables classifications in the first instance. Making
courts pick a comparator substance in the same class would, without any textual
support, require courts to classify the unlisted substance, as such would be
necessary in order to find a comparator in the same class. What’s more, even if a
court went ahead and classified the unlisted substance, there may be situations in
which the substance “most closely related” to the unlisted substance under the
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guidelines’ three-factor test is not within the same class. A drug with a
predominantly stimulant effect might be most similar in structure and effect to a
drug pegged as a hallucinogen, more so than any substance classified as a
stimulant. Indeed, as the Government’s experts testified to in this case, substances
can have multiple effects on a user—MDMA and MDEA have not only a
hallucinogenic effect but also a strong stimulant effect, similar to that of dibutylone
and ethylone. Thus, in some circumstances, Reason’s proffered requirement could
negate the guidelines’ three-factor test—a court might be unable to pick the most
closely related comparator under the test because the Drug Equivalency Tables
classify it differently. By implication Reason therefore asks, in this situation, that
we favor a textually nonexistent “requirement” over an expressly set out test. Her
first argument fails.
Reason’s second argument fares no better. She specifically argues that
because the Government’s experts testified that MDMA and MDEA are
“substantially” but not “most” similar in structure to dibutylone and ethylone
respectively, the District Court misapplied Application Note 6 and erred in
choosing MDMA and MDEA as comparators. By crediting this testimony, Reason
posits, the Court could not have properly decided that these substances were the
“most closely related” to the unlisted ones. Reason adds that the Court should
therefore have credited her expert, who testified that dibutylone and ethylone were
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“most” similar in structure to methcathinone, a drug with a lower marijuana-
equivalence ratio. This theory falls short.
The first prong of the three-factor test requires a court to consider whether
“the substance not referenced in this guideline has a chemical structure that is
substantially similar to a controlled substance referenced in this guideline.”
U.S.S.G. § 2D1.1 cmt. n.6(A) (emphasis added). The testimony of the
Government’s experts thus traced the provision. Application Note 6, moreover,
makes clear that finding the “most closely related” comparator substance is
holistic, derived from all three factors.4 Here, the District Court found the
Government’s experts’ testimony more credible than that of Reason’s experts as to
chemical structure. It accordingly concluded that the chemical-structure analysis
favored MDMA and MDEA. See Jenkins, 901 F.2d at 1083. Armed with that
conclusion, the Court went on to complete the analysis in favor of the Government.
There was no misapplication of Application Note 6.
Reason’s argument, at its heart, is really that the Court should have reached
the conclusion she wanted—that dibutylone and ethylone are most closely related
to methcathinone—when employing the three-factor test. She thus argues that the
Court erred factually rather than procedurally. We review a district court’s factual
4 Indeed, under the test, it is of no moment if the substance used as a comparator is not the closest in structure to the unlisted substance, as long as the other factors favor the comparator substance.
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findings under the guidelines for clear error. United States v. Rothenberg, 610
F.3d 621, 624 (11th Cir. 2010). Factual findings are clearly erroneous when, on
the record as a whole, the appellate court “is left with a definite and firm
conviction” that a mistake was made. Barrington, 648 F.3d at 1195. A district
court’s choice between two permissible views of the evidence, though, cannot be
clear error. United States v. Ndiaye, 434 F.3d 1270, 1305 (11th Cir. 2006).
Here, the District Court weighed the testimony of both parties’ experts and,
in a detailed order, explained its finding that dibutylone and ethylone were closer
to MDMA and MDEA in both structure and effect on the user than they were to
methcathinone. It found that the third factor, potency, was neutral. The
voluminous evidence and testimony presented by the Government enabled the
Court to make these findings.5 Accordingly, choosing between two permissible
views of the evidence—the position proffered by each party and its experts—the
Court held that MDMA and MDEA were the proper comparators. This conclusion
was not clearly erroneous. See id.
In sum, the District Court neither procedurally nor clearly erred in applying
Application Note 6 and concluding that dibutylone and ethylone were most closely
5 The Government must prove a contested sentencing fact set forth in the presentence investigation report—here, that MDMA and MDEA were the most closely related substances— by a preponderance of the evidence, using reliable and specific evidence. United States v. Lawrence, 47 F.3d 1559, 1566 (11th Cir. 1995). It undoubtedly met this burden through its experts’ testimony.
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related to MDMA and MDEA, respectively. The Court was therefore correct in
applying a 1-to-500 conversion ratio when calculating Reason’s offense level.
II.
Reason next argues that the District Court erred in applying a three-point
enhancement, pursuant to U.S.S.G. § 3B1.1(b), based on its finding that she was a
manager or supervisor of the conspiracy.
Under § 3B1.1(b) of the guidelines, a court may enhance the defendant’s
offense by three levels “[i]f the defendant was a manager or supervisor (but not an
organizer or leader) and the criminal activity involved five or more participants or
was otherwise extensive.” In assessing the defendant’s role in the offense, the
court should consider
the exercise of decision making authority, the nature of participation in the commission of the offense, the recruitment of accomplices, the claimed right to a larger share of the fruits of the crime, the degree of participation in planning or organizing the offense, the nature and scope of the illegal activity, and the degree of control and authority exercised over others.
See U.S.S.G. § 3B1.1 cmt. n.4; United States v. Njau, 386 F.3d 1039, 1041 (11th
Cir. 2004) (per curiam). There is no requirement that all of these factors be
present; they “are merely considerations for the sentencing judge.” United States
v. Martinez, 584 F.3d 1022, 1026 (11th Cir. 2009). “[T]here must be evidence,”
however, “that the defendant exerted some control, influence, or decision-making
authority over another participant in the criminal activity.” Id. 9 Case: 17-11134 Date Filed: 01/12/2018 Page: 10 of 14
When a defendant challenges one of the factual bases of her sentence, the
government must prove the disputed fact by a preponderance of the evidence.
United States v. Aguilar-Ibarra, 740 F.3d 587, 592 (11th Cir. 2014) (per curiam).
Although not as rigorous as the reasonable-doubt or clear-and-convincing
standards, the preponderance standard is not toothless; it is not a license to
sentence the defendant absent sufficient evidence. United States v. Rodriguez, 398
F.3d 1291, 1296 (11th Cir. 2005); United States v. Lawrence, 47 F.3d 1559, 1566
(11th Cir. 1995).
Reason does not contest that the criminal activity involved five or more
participants or was otherwise extensive. And the Government, through the
testimony of Special Agent McBride and codefendant Natashia Thames, showed
by a preponderance of the evidence that Reason, inter alia, ordered drugs from
China and sent wire transfers there; packaged, sold, and distributed drugs in the
United States; recruited and directed codefendant Thames; and permitted her
husband, codefendant Julius Reason, to use her firearm. This evidence is sufficient
to prove that Reason was a manager or supervisor of the conspiracy. See Aguilar-
Ibarra, 740 F.3d at 592; U.S.S.G. § 3B1.1 cmt. n.4. The District Court thus did
not err in concluding that the § 3B1.1(b) enhancement applied.
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III.
Finally, Reason claims that two additional District Court errors render her
sentence procedurally and substantively unreasonable. She first argues that the
Court relied on a clearly erroneous fact—that a “support network” would care for
her children while she was incarcerated. Second, she contends that the Court failed
to consider all of her arguments for a downward variance. Specifically, it failed to
consider her arguments that a lower equivalence ratio should be used because those
of MDMA and MDEA are unfitting and that she should not receive a two-point
enhancement for being directly involved in importing a controlled substance. 6
We review a sentence’s reasonableness under a deferential abuse-of-
discretion standard. Gall v. United States, 552 U.S. 38, 41, 128 S. Ct. 586, 591
(2007). A two-step process guides our review. Id. at 51, 128 S. Ct. at 597. First,
we confirm that the district court committed no significant procedural error, “such
as failing to calculate (or improperly calculating) the Guidelines range, treating the
Guidelines as mandatory, failing to consider the 18 U.S.C. § 3553(a) factors,
selecting a sentence based on clearly erroneous facts, or failing to adequately
explain the chosen sentence—including an explanation for any deviation from the
Guidelines range.” Id. We then consider the substantive reasonableness of the
sentence given totality of the circumstances. Id. The party challenging the 6 See U.S.S.G. § 2D1.1(b)(15)(C). This enhancement applies only to those who, like Reason, also received a § 3B1.1 Aggravating Role enhancement.
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sentence bears the burden of proving the sentence unreasonable in light of the
record and the § 3553(a) factors. United States v. Tome, 611 F.3d 1371, 1378
(11th Cir. 2010).
A district court’s sentence must be “sufficient, but not greater than
necessary, to comply with the purposes” of § 3553(a). 18 U.S.C. § 3553(a). When
a district court decides that the § 3553(a) factors support a variance, it should
explain “with sufficient justifications” why the variance “is appropriate in a
particular case.” Gall, 552 U.S. at 46, 128 S. Ct. at 594. The court’s justification
must be “compelling enough to support the degree of the variance and complete
enough to allow meaningful appellate review,” but “an extraordinary justification”
is not required. United States v. Shaw, 560 F.3d 1230, 1238 (11th Cir. 2009)
(internal quotation marks omitted).
The District Court did not procedurally err in determining that Reason had a
“support network” to care for her children while she was incarcerated. Reason
herself provided letters of support showing the existence of such a network. And
Reason’s claim that the Court ignored her argument that lower equivalence ratios
should be used than those of MDMA and MDEA is equally unavailing. The Court
explained at length why it chose those two substances as comparators. It did not
need to take the further step of expressly stating why it then chose to use the
equivalency ratios assigned to those substances rather than the reduced ratios
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Reason urged. 7 Reason’s final argument—that the Court erred by not considering
her request to eliminate the two-point enhancement for being directly involved in
importing narcotics—also fails. As described above, the Government put forth
much evidence illustrating Reason’s direct involvement in importing drugs from
China. It is implicit that this evidence informed the Court’s decision to apply the
enhancement. Ultimately, there is enough in the record and in the District Court’s
explanation of Reason’s sentence to satisfy us that the Court “considered the
parties’ arguments and ha[d] a reasoned basis for exercising [its] own legal
decisionmaking authority.” See Rita v United States, 551 U.S. 338, 356, 127 S. Ct.
2456, 2468 (2007).
Lastly, as to its substantive reasonableness, Reason’s 135-month sentence
fairly reflects the Court’s consideration of the sentencing factors. See United
States v. Snipes, 611 F.3d 855, 872 (11th Cir. 2010). The record and the Court’s
lengthy explanation at sentencing justify the 100-month downward variance it
applied. And that Reason’s sentence is well below the relevant statutory maximum
further diminishes her position that it is substantively unreasonable. See United
States v. Gonzalez, 550 F.3d 1319, 1324 (11th Cir. 2008). Accordingly, the
District Court did not err in imposing Reason’s 135-month sentence.
7 Reason did not request that the 1-to-380 ratio of methcathinone, the comparator substance for which she argued, be used. She instead urged that a 1-to-40 ratio be used for dibutylone and a 1-to-100 ratio be used from ethylone.
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AFFIRMED.