Filed: Jun. 16, 2009
Latest Update: Feb. 21, 2020
Summary: [DO NOT PUBLISH] IN THE UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE ELEVENTH CIRCUIT _ FILED U.S. COURT OF APPEALS No. 08-17038 ELEVENTH CIRCUIT JUNE 16, 2009 Non-Argument Calendar THOMAS K. KAHN _ CLERK D. C. Docket No. 04-00006-CR-1-MMP-AK UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, Plaintiff-Appellee, versus STEPHEN DUNLAP, a.k.a. Superintendent Duke, Defendant-Appellant. _ Appeal from the United States District Court for the Northern District of Florida _ (June 16, 2009) Before BLACK, BARKETT and FAY, Circuit Judg
Summary: [DO NOT PUBLISH] IN THE UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE ELEVENTH CIRCUIT _ FILED U.S. COURT OF APPEALS No. 08-17038 ELEVENTH CIRCUIT JUNE 16, 2009 Non-Argument Calendar THOMAS K. KAHN _ CLERK D. C. Docket No. 04-00006-CR-1-MMP-AK UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, Plaintiff-Appellee, versus STEPHEN DUNLAP, a.k.a. Superintendent Duke, Defendant-Appellant. _ Appeal from the United States District Court for the Northern District of Florida _ (June 16, 2009) Before BLACK, BARKETT and FAY, Circuit Judge..
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[DO NOT PUBLISH]
IN THE UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS
FOR THE ELEVENTH CIRCUIT
________________________ FILED
U.S. COURT OF APPEALS
No. 08-17038 ELEVENTH CIRCUIT
JUNE 16, 2009
Non-Argument Calendar
THOMAS K. KAHN
________________________
CLERK
D. C. Docket No. 04-00006-CR-1-MMP-AK
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,
Plaintiff-Appellee,
versus
STEPHEN DUNLAP,
a.k.a. Superintendent Duke,
Defendant-Appellant.
________________________
Appeal from the United States District Court
for the Northern District of Florida
_________________________
(June 16, 2009)
Before BLACK, BARKETT and FAY, Circuit Judges.
PER CURIAM:
Stephen Dunlap, who pled guilty to a crack cocaine offense, appeals pro se
the district court’s denial of his motion for reduction of sentence, pursuant to 18
U.S.C. § 3582(c)(2) and based on Amendment 706, which reduced the base offense
levels applicable to crack cocaine offenses that involved less than 4.5 kilograms of
crack cocaine. The district court denied the motion because Dunlap was held
responsible for 22.25 kilograms of crack cocaine, such that Amendment 706 did
not affect his guideline imprisonment range. Dunlap now argues that the
sentencing court did not specify the amount of crack cocaine for which he was
responsible and failed to resolve his objection to the drug amount used in the
presentence investigation report (“PSI”). Dunlap also argues that the sentencing
court could not hold him accountable for more than 4.5 kilograms of crack cocaine
because the plea agreement specified that he was responsible for only “50 grams or
more of crack cocaine.” For the reasons set forth below, we affirm.
“We review de novo a district court’s conclusions about the scope of its
legal authority under 18 U.S.C. § 3582(c)(2).” United States v. James,
548 F.3d
983, 984 (11th Cir. 2008). A district court may reduce the sentence “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.” 18 U.S.C. § 3582(c)(2). Any reduction, however, must be
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“consistent with applicable policy statements issued by the Sentencing
Commission.”
Id. The applicable policy statements provide that “a reduction in
the defendant’s term of imprisonment is not authorized under 18 U.S.C. 3582(c)(2)
and is not consistent with this policy statement if . . . [a retroactive amendment] is
applicable to the defendant but the amendment does not have the effect of lowering
the defendant’s applicable guideline range.” U.S.S.G. § 1B1.10, comment.
(n.1(A)).
The district court properly denied the motion. See
James, 548 F.3d at 984.
Dunlap was ineligible for a sentence reduction, as Amendment 706 did not lower
his guideline imprisonment range because he was held accountable for more than
4.5 kilograms of crack cocaine and Amendment 706 only lowered the base offense
levels for quantities of crack cocaine less than 4.5 kilograms. See
id. at 986
(holding that the defendant was not entitled to a reduction in sentence because he
had been held accountable for more than 4.5 kilograms of crack cocaine, and
Amendment 706 did not lower his guideline range). Dunlap’s argument that the
district court failed to resolve his objection to the PSI drug-amount finding is
without merit, because the record demonstrates that he withdrew that objection at
sentencing. Dunlap’s argument, that the district court failed to make a finding as to
drug amount, also is without merit. The record demonstrates that the district court
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found that the PSI was “complete, true and accurate” before imposing sentence
and, therefore, adopted the PSI drug-amount finding of 22.25 kilograms. Dunlap’s
argument, that the district court could not hold him accountable for more than 4.5
kilograms of crack cocaine given the drug-amount stipulations of the plea
agreement, likewise is facially without merit. Dunlap acknowledges that the plea
agreement stipulated that he was responsible for 50 grams “or more” of crack
cocaine. Accordingly, we affirm.
AFFIRMED.
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