United States v. Ward

22 F. Supp. 3d 858, 2014 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 70137, 2014 WL 2155044
CourtDistrict Court, E.D. Tennessee
DecidedMay 22, 2014
DocketNo. 3:09-CR-38-TAV-CCS-3
StatusPublished

This text of 22 F. Supp. 3d 858 (United States v. Ward) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, E.D. Tennessee primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
United States v. Ward, 22 F. Supp. 3d 858, 2014 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 70137, 2014 WL 2155044 (E.D. Tenn. 2014).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM AND ORDER

THOMAS A. VARLAN, Chief Judge.

This criminal case is before the Court on the defendant’s pro se Motion for Modification of Sentence Pursuant to 18 U.S.C. § 3582 [Doc. 93]. Amendment 750 to the United States Sentencing Guidelines (the “Guidelines”) implemented the Fair Sentencing Act of 2010 (“FSA”) and reduced the base offense level for most offenses involving crack cocaine. The United States filed a response in opposition, asserting that the defendant’s Guidelines range was set by a statutory mandatory minimum, so Amendment 750 does not lower the applicable Guidelines range in this case [Doc. 110].

I. Legal Background

A district court may modify a defendant’s sentence after judgment has been entered only if modification is permitted by statute. United States v. Ross, 245 F.3d 577, 586 (6th Cir.2001). Modification is permitted by § 3582(c)(2) when the sentencing range for the offense for which the defendant was sentenced has been lowered:

[I]n the case of a defendant who has been sentenced to a term of imprisonment based on a sentencing range that has subsequently been lowered by the Sentencing Commission pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 994(o) ... the court may reduce the term of imprisonment, after considering the factors set forth in section 3553(a) to the extent that they are applicable, if such a reduction is consistent with applicable policy statements issued by the Sentencing Commission.

[859]*85918 U.S.C. § 3582(c)(2). The applicable policy statement is section 1B1.10 of the Guidelines Manual, which designates the amendments to the Guidelines that may be applied retroactively. See Dillon v. United States, 560 U.S. 817, 130 S.Ct. 2683, 2691, 177 L.Ed.2d 271 (2010) (“A court’s power under § 3592(c)(2) ... depends in the first instance on the Commission’s decision not just to amend the Guidelines but to make the amendment retroactive.”); see also id. at 2693 (describing the Sentencing Commission’s retroactivity determinations made pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 994(u) as “binding”). In relevant part, section 1B1.10 provides:

(a) Authority.—
(1) In General. — In case in which a defendant is serving a term of imprisonment, and the guideline range applicable to that defendant has subsequently been lowered as result of an amendment to the Guidelines Manual listed in subsection (c) below, the court may reduce the defendant’s term of imprisonment as provided by 18 U.S.C. § 3582(c)(2). As required by 18 U.S.C. § 3582(c)(2), any such reduction in the defendant’s term of imprisonment shall be consistent with this policy statement.
(2) Exclusions. — A reduction in the defendant’s term of imprisonment is not consistent with this policy statement and therefore is not authorized under 18 U.S.C. 3582(c)(2) if—
(B) An amendment listed in subsection (c) does not have the effect of lowering the defendant’s applicable guideline range.

U.S. Sentencing Guidelines Manual § 1B1.10 (revised Nov. 1, 2012). The application notes to section 1B1.10 also provide that, in considering a reduction in a defendant’s term of imprisonment, a court must consider the § 3553 factors and the danger to the public created by any reduction in a defendant’s sentence. Id. § 1B1.10 cmt; n. 1(B). A court may also consider a defendant’s post-sentencing conduct. Id.

The FSA altered the statutory penalties for offenses involving crack cocaine and directed the Sentencing Commission to promulgate emergency amendments that would bring the Guidelines into conformity with its provisions. The result of that directive was Amendment 748, a temporary, emergency amendment, which included a downward adjustment of the base offense levels for possession of crack cocaine. On April 6, 2011, the Sentencing Commission re-promulgated as permanent the provisions of Amendment 748 and on April 28, 2011, submitted the amendment for congressional review. See 76 Fed.Reg. 24960, 24962 (May 3, 2011). On June 30, 2011, the Sentencing Commission voted to give Amendment 748 retroactive effect, to be designated Amendment 750 in Appendix C of the Guidelines. See 76 Fed.Reg. 41332-35 (June 13, 2011). On November I, 2011, Amendment 750 went into effect, thus authorizing retroactive application of the lowered offense levels contained in the FSA for offenses involving possession of crack cocaine. Because Amendment 750 may now be applied retroactively, see U.S. Sentencing Guidelines Manual § 1B1.10(c), if the sentencing range for the defendant’s offense has been lowered by Amendment 750, then the Court has discretion under § 3582(c)(2) to reduce the defendant’s sentence, after first considering the § 3553 factors and whether the reduction is consistent with applicable policy statements issued by the Sentencing Commission.

II. Analysis

The defendant pleaded guilty to and was convicted of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute fifty [860]*860grams or more of crack cocaine, in violation of 21 U.S.C. §§ 846, 841(a)(1), and 841(b)(1)(A) (“Count One”), knowingly maintaining a place for the purpose of manufacturing and distributing crack cocaine, in violation of 21 U.S.C. § 856(a)(1) and 18 U.S.C. § 2 (“Count Two”), and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense, in violation of 18 U.S.C. §§ 924(c)(1)(A) and 2 (“Count Three”) [Doc. 64]. In calculating the applicable Guidelines range, the probation officer found that the defendant had a base offense level of 30 for the conspiracy conviction [Presentence Investigation Report (“PSR”) ¶ 29]. After a three-level reduction for acceptance of responsibility, his total offense level was 27 [Id. ¶¶35, 36]. Given the defendant’s criminal history category of I, the corresponding Guidelines range for Count One was 70 to 87 months’ imprisonment, but this range was restricted by the 120-month statutory mandatory minimum [Id.

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Related

Dillon v. United States
560 U.S. 817 (Supreme Court, 2010)
United States v. Daniel P. Ross
245 F.3d 577 (Sixth Circuit, 2001)
Dorsey v. United States
132 S. Ct. 2321 (Supreme Court, 2012)
United States v. Rojaun Downs
487 F. App'x 286 (Sixth Circuit, 2012)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
22 F. Supp. 3d 858, 2014 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 70137, 2014 WL 2155044, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-ward-tned-2014.