SUE E. MYERSCOUGH, District Judge.
This cause is before the Court on Defendant Reco Faine's Motion to Terminate Supervised Release (d/e [35]). Defendant requests that the Court terminate his supervised release one year early. For the reasons stated below, Defendant's motion is DENIED.
On October 11, 2000, a criminal complaint was filed against Defendant charging him with distribution of cocaine base (crack) in violation of 21 U.S.C. § 841(a)(1). On November 2, 2000, a single-count indictment was filed against Defendant charging him with the same offense. On April 9, 2001, Defendant pled guilty to the offense. Defendant was held accountable for 191.1 grams of cocaine base (crack). On October 12, 2001, Defendant was sentenced to 168 months' imprisonment and 8 years of supervised release. On April 2, 2008, the Court granted Defendant's motion to reduce sentence pursuant to 18 U.S.C. § 3582(c)(2). Defendant's sentence was reduced to 135 months' imprisonment. His 8-year term of supervised release remained in effect.
Defendant's term of supervised release began on March 30, 2010. On April 20, 2016, Defendant's Probation Officer filed a Request for Modifying the Conditions or Term of Supervision. (d/e [29]). The petition sought to enroll Defendant in a cognitive based therapy (CBT) program due to Defendant's habitual non-compliance with the terms of his supervision. The petition asserted that since August 2012, Defendant had failed to submit numerous monthly income verification and supervision reports and had been late in submitting others. The petition also stated that Defendant had failed to report as directed for scheduled office visits on four occasions. The Court held three hearings on the request to modify Defendant's conditions. At each hearing, the Court admonished Defendant to submit all required reports including verification of income to his Probation Officer. The Court denied the petition to modify Defendant's conditions upon Defendant's compliance with the Court's oral orders.
On February 6, 2017, Defendant filed a Motion for Early Termination of Supervised Release (d/e [31]). On March 3, 2017, Defendant filed two substantially identical motions to the February request for early termination (d/e [32], [33]). Defendant asserted that he opened a car lot in June 2012 that generates $40,000 per month in Illinois state sales tax, $10,000 per month in Springfield city tax, and $5,000 per month in Secretary of State (SOS) fees. Defendant also stated that he is building a home and plans to open a service facility for his dealership. Defendant claimed that he is unable to obtain life insurance as a result of being on supervised release, and he noted the importance of life insurance to him, his wife, and his three-year-old son.
On April 20, 2017, the Court denied Defendant's motions because they contained no factual support of his assertions regarding his business, home, or denial of life insurance. Nor did the motions contain any other basis on which the Court could consider the relevant § 3553(a) factors. The Court allowed Defendant to refile his motion with evidence of his business's income, inability to obtain life insurance, or other circumstances that Defendant believes justify early termination of his supervised release.
On May 8, 2017, Defendant filed another Motion to Terminate Supervised Release (d/e [35]). Attached to the motion are documents concerning Defendant's life insurance, daily transaction reports for Faines Auto Sales, Faines Auto Sales' April 2017 Business Checking Account Statement, flyers announcing the availability for lease of a plot of land at 1701-1709 Dirksen Parkway, and a job proposal from Moughan Builders Inc. for the construction of a ranch to be built in Prairie Lake Estates.
Pursuant to 18 U.S.C. § 3583, the Court may grant early termination of supervised release at any time after the expiration of one year if, after considering certain factors set forth in 18 U.S.C. § 3553, the court finds that "such action is warranted by the conduct of the defendant released and the interest of justice." 18 U.S.C. § 3583(e)(1). The factors that must be considered are:
The defendant bears the burden of demonstrating that early termination is warranted.
Before modifying the conditions of supervised release, the Court must hold a hearing at which the person has a right to counsel and the opportunity to make a statement and present any information in mitigation. Fed. R. Crim. P. 32.1(c)(1). However, a hearing is not required if the person waives the hearing
Whether to grant a motion for early termination of supervised release is entirely within the discretion of the district court.
In this case, Defendant meets the initial requirement — he has been on supervised release for at least one year. Therefore, the Court must determine whether Defendant's conduct and the interests of justice warrant termination. This determination requires an examination of the relevant § 3553 factors identified in 18 U.S.C. § 3583(e).
The nature and circumstances of the offense demonstrate that Defendant was convicted of distribution of cocaine base (crack). He was responsible for 191.1 grams of crack cocaine.
The history and characteristics of the defendant indicate that since his release from prison, Defendant has opened an automobile dealership, has married and fathered a son, and has planned to have a home built and to open a new facility for his dealership. Defendant states that he completed his GED while in prison, as well as two years of undergraduate studies.
In his motion, Defendant argues that his term of supervised release should be terminated because his business generates tax money and jobs for the State of Illinois and the City of Springfield. In support of these contentions, Defendant attached two Daily Transaction Reports from Faines Auto Sales indicating that on April 21, 2017, the dealership generated $9,173 in taxes and $1,612 in Secretary of State fees and on May 1, 2017, the dealership generated $9,761 in taxes and $904 in Secretary of State fees. Defendant provides no other evidentiary support for his argument that his supervised release should be terminated because his business creates jobs and public funds.
Defendant also seeks early termination because he cannot obtain life insurance to protect his wife and son because he is on supervised release. In support of this assertion, Defendant attached to his motion an April 28, 2017, letter from insurance agent Darrell Lynch summarizing prior conversations with Defendant. Mr. Lynch states "we could not get the [life insurance] policy issued based on the fact you were still on probation, even though you qualified for the policy in every other way." (d/e [35] at 2.) However, also attached to the motion is a letter from Country Life Insurance Co. dated February 20, 2015. In regards to Defendant's application for life insurance, the letter states "[w]e are unable to provide the [life] insurance protection you have requested because of your
Further, neither the Government nor Defendant's Probation Officer support Defendant's request for early termination.
Under the next factor, affording adequate deterrence to criminal conduct, the Court could find that the deterrent value of this case has been fully realized. 18 U.S.C. § 3553(a)(2)(B)). The Court must also consider the need for the sentence imposed to protect the public from further crimes of the defendant (18 U.S.C. § 3553 (a)(2)(C)). Defendant has served his 135-month sentence and completed seven years of supervised release. He has not committed any further crimes nor has he had any serious violations of his conditions of supervised release.
The Court also considers the need to provide the defendant with educational training or other correctional treatment in the most effective manner.
The Court also should consider the sentencing guidelines.
The Court should also consider any pertinent policy statements.
The Court must consider the need to avoid unwarranted sentencing disparities.
Finally, the Court considers the need to provide restitution to any victims of the offense.
Many district courts have held that the conduct of the defendant necessary to justify early termination should include something more than just following the rules of supervision.
Courts have granted early termination where the defendant was very old and in poor health (
In this case, Defendant has not offered exceptional or extraordinary circumstances warranting early termination. While it is commendable that Defendant has largely complied with his conditions of his supervised release, the fact remains that he has been consistently under-compliant with respect to his required reporting to the Probation Office. Defendant also has not provided evidentiary support of his claim that termination of his supervised release would stimulate job opportunities or tax funds nor of his claim that he was denied life insurance because he is on supervised release. The factors on the whole do not warrant termination of supervised release at this time.
For the reasons stated herein, Defendant's Motion to Terminate Supervised Release (d/e [35]) is DENIED.