Filed: May 09, 2007
Latest Update: Feb. 12, 2020
Summary: UNPUBLISHED UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE FOURTH CIRCUIT No. 06-4107 UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, Plaintiff - Appellee, versus MARK JAMES KONSAVICH, Defendant - Appellant. Appeal from the United States District Court for the Western District of Virginia, at Harrisonburg. Glen E. Conrad, District Judge. (5:05-cr-00019-gec) Submitted: April 5, 2007 Decided: May 9, 2007 Before TRAXLER, KING, and GREGORY, Circuit Judges. Affirmed by unpublished per curiam opinion. Aaron L. Cook, Harrisonburg,
Summary: UNPUBLISHED UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE FOURTH CIRCUIT No. 06-4107 UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, Plaintiff - Appellee, versus MARK JAMES KONSAVICH, Defendant - Appellant. Appeal from the United States District Court for the Western District of Virginia, at Harrisonburg. Glen E. Conrad, District Judge. (5:05-cr-00019-gec) Submitted: April 5, 2007 Decided: May 9, 2007 Before TRAXLER, KING, and GREGORY, Circuit Judges. Affirmed by unpublished per curiam opinion. Aaron L. Cook, Harrisonburg, V..
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UNPUBLISHED
UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS
FOR THE FOURTH CIRCUIT
No. 06-4107
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,
Plaintiff - Appellee,
versus
MARK JAMES KONSAVICH,
Defendant - Appellant.
Appeal from the United States District Court for the Western
District of Virginia, at Harrisonburg. Glen E. Conrad, District
Judge. (5:05-cr-00019-gec)
Submitted: April 5, 2007 Decided: May 9, 2007
Before TRAXLER, KING, and GREGORY, Circuit Judges.
Affirmed by unpublished per curiam opinion.
Aaron L. Cook, Harrisonburg, Virginia, for Appellant. John L.
Brownlee, United States Attorney, Jean B. Hudson, Assistant United
States Attorney, OFFICE OF THE UNITED STATES ATTORNEY,
Charlottesville, Virginia, for Appellee.
Unpublished opinions are not binding precedent in this circuit.
PER CURIAM:
Mark James Konsavich appeals his 235-month prison sentence
resulting from his conviction for conspiracy to manufacture and
distribute methamphetamine in violation of 21 U.S.C. § 846 (2000).
Konsavich contends that the district court erred in applying a six-
level enhancement for creating a substantial risk of harm to the
life of a minor, U.S. Sentencing Guidelines Manual § 2D1.1(b)(6)(C)
(2005); applying a two-level enhancement for an offense involving
knowing importation of illegal chemicals,
id. § 2D1.1(b)(4); and
rejecting a two-level reduction under the “safety valve” provision,
id. § 5C1.2(b). In addition, Konsavich argues that this Court has
made the Sentencing Guidelines effectively mandatory in violation
of the Sixth Amendment.
Between September 2004 and March 2005, Konsavich was involved
in a conspiracy to manufacture and distribute methamphetamine at
various locations in Virginia, Pennsylvania, and the District of
Columbia. From September through early November, Konsavich,
Stephani Dawson, David Vandevander, and Samuel Russo purchased
methamphetamine from a source in Atlanta, Georgia and resold the
drugs in Washington, D.C. In mid-November, Dawson, Russo, and
Konsavich traveled to a Pennsylvania hotel, where Konsavich, who
had worked as a chemist, unsuccessfully attempted to manufacture
methamphetamine. Konsavich attributed his failure to the poor
quality of the red phosphorous used in the attempt.
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On November 27, 2004, Konsavich, Dawson, and Russo moved into
the home of Joseph Leonard, located at 2208 Readus Road in
Edinburgh, Virginia. Leonard lived in the house with his two-year
old daughter. Konsavich lived at the Readus Road house until
Christmas. During that time, Konsavich arranged for a contact in
Canada to ship pharmaceutical-grade red phosphorous to a location
in Niagara Falls, Canada. Konsavich then had David Lounsbury, an
unindicted coconspirator, drive to Canada and pick up the
phosphorous, which Lounsbury gave to Dawson.
During his time at Readus Road, Konsavich attempted to
manufacture methamphetamine between five and eleven separate times,
with an approximate yield of ten to twelve grams of methamphetamine
per attempt. While most of the attempts were conducted in an
outbuilding approximately twenty to thirty yards from the
residence, at least one attempt took place inside the home, when
Leonard’s daughter was not present. The chemicals, including
acetone, denatured alcohol, xylene, and camping fuel, were stored
in the outbuilding. Konsavich disposed of chemicals and washed
glassware and other equipment in the kitchen of the residence.
In reviewing a post-Booker sentence of a district court, the
overall inquiry is whether the sentence is “within the statutorily
prescribed range and is reasonable.” United States v. Hughes,
401
F.3d 540, 547 (4th Cir. 2005). “As always, we review legal
questions, including the interpretation of the guidelines, de novo,
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while factual findings are reviewed for clear error.” United States
v. Moreland,
437 F.3d 424, 433 (4th Cir. 2006). Errors of either
law or fact may render a given sentence unreasonable.
Id.
The Guidelines provide that “[i]f the offense (I) involved the
manufacture of . . . methamphetamine; and (ii) created a
substantial risk of harm to the life of a minor,” there is a six-
level sentencing enhancement. § 2D1.1(b)(6)(C). The commentary to
the Guidelines provides that in determining application of the
enhancement, the court shall consider: (I) the quantity of
chemicals or other hazardous substances and the manner of their
storage; (ii) the manner of disposal of chemicals or other
hazardous substances; (iii) the duration of the offense and the
extent of the manufacturing; and (iv) “[t]he location of the
laboratory (e.g., whether the laboratory is located in a
residential neighborhood or remote area), and the number of human
lives placed at substantial risk of harm.”
Id. cmt. 20(A).
Konsavich argues that there was no evidence that any
methamphetamine was cooked while the minor was present, and that
most of the cooking took place in an outbuilding adjacent to the
minor’s residence, where the chemicals were stored and locked.
Additionally, Konsavich notes that the district court did not
consider any of the application factors cited in the Guidelines.
The record indicates that a minor was living in the Readus
Road residence while Konsavich stayed there. During that time,
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Konsavich participated in cooking methamphetamine in the
outbuilding, approximately twenty to thirty yards from the
residence, as well as at least one time in the residence. There was
testimony that many volatile and toxic chemicals were stored in the
outbuilding, that the cooking process was dangerous, and that on
numerous occasions problems occurred during the cooking process,
including the release of an acidic orange gas and a fire that
burned down the outbuilding. In addition, there was testimony that
Konsavich often cooked the methamphetamine while smoking
cigarettes, despite the flammable nature of the chemicals involved
in the cooking process. Finally, the district court heard testimony
about the effects of the chemicals used in methamphetamine
production on children, including the possibility of chemical burns
and brain swelling.
Given that some manufacture of methamphetamine took place
within a short distance of a house where a minor resided, and that
manufacture occurred at least once in the house, the district court
did not err in applying the enhancement. See, e.g., United States
v. Frost, No. 05-5112,
2006 WL 2433961, at *2 (4th Cir. Aug 23,
2006) (unpublished) (noting danger of methamphetamine cooking and
applying enhancement where methamphetamine was cooked in
outbuilding and possibly in residence); United States v. Bivens,
129 Fed. App’x 159, 165 (6th Cir. 2005) (noting likelihood that
chemical odors from methamphetamine production could reach house
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from shed fifty yards away). Even assuming that the minor was not
present during the methamphetamine production, Konsavich does not
claim that he was unaware that a minor resided at Readus Road. Cf.
United States v. Simpson,
334 F.3d 453, 454 (5th Cir. 2003)
(requiring presence of minor during defendant’s participation in
the conspiracy or evidence indicating that danger to minor was
reasonably foreseeable to defendant for six-level enhancement).
Konsavich’s claim that the enhancement should not apply because the
chemicals were all kept in the locked outbuilding is unavailing due
to the risk of explosion and the evidence that some manufacturing
materials were stored and disposed of in the residence. See Bivens,
129 Fed. App’x at 165 (“The[] [defendants’] claims [that they]
restricted the manufacturing process to the locked barn is also
belied by the presence in the house of lab components, such as
pill-grinders, scales, and baggies, and of firearms and finished
methamphetamine.”).
Although the district court did not explicitly discuss the
application factors, those factors support the enhancement. For
example, the district court discussed the outbuilding and its
proximity to the residence where a minor resided during at least
some of the manufacturing at issue in this case. This discussion
supports the conclusion that the location of the laboratory placed
a minor at risk. Moreover, there was testimony that numerous
caustic, volatile, and flammable chemicals were stored in the
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outbuilding thirty yards from the residence; that at times
chemicals were disposed of in the residence’s kitchen; that the
manufacturing was a hit-or-miss process, involving impure
chemicals; and that Konsavich smoked cigarettes during the cooking
of the methamphetamine, cf.
id. (noting poor judgment shown by
using blowtorch to cook methamphetamine inside home). Thus, all
four of the application factors support the enhancement, and we
affirm the application of the six-level enhancement under
§ 2D1.1(b)(6)(C).
Konsavich objects to the application of the two-level
enhancement under § 2D1.1(b)(4) for manufacture of methamphetamine
from chemicals that the defendant knew were imported unlawfully.
Konsavich argues that there is no evidence in the record that he
knew that the red phosphorus used in production of the
methamphetamine during the conspiracy was imported unlawfully. This
argument fails. The record demonstrates that Konsavich wanted to
obtain pharmaceutical-grade red phosphorous and arranged for a
contact in Canada to mail the phosphorous to a location in Canada,
where a coconspirator drove to pick up the phosphorous. Konsavich
suggested this arrangement to avoid the scrutiny arising from a
direct shipment of red phosphorous from Canada into the United
States. Accordingly, the district court did not clearly err in
concluding that Konsavich manufactured methamphetamine using
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phosphorus that he knew had been imported unlawfully. We thus
affirm the two-level enhancement under § 2D1.1(b)(4).
Though the district court did not rule on Konsavich’s request
for the application of the “safety valve” under § 5C1.2(b), this
failure did not prejudice Konsavich because he does not meet the
criteria for the application of the reduction. Under 18 U.S.C.
§ 3553(f) (2000), a court can only apply the safety-valve reduction
where a defendant, not later than the sentencing hearing, “has
truthfully provided to the Government all information and evidence
the defendant has concerning the offense.” There is no dispute that
Konsavich provided the Government with information relating to the
charged conspiracy. At trial, however, Konsavich continued to
maintain that he was an undercover Drug Enforcement Agent and that
he was manufacturing fake methamphetamine.
To meet the truthful disclosure requirement, a defendant must
disclose truthfully “all he knows concerning both his involvement
and that of any co-conspirators.” United States v. Ivester,
75 F.3d
182, 184 (4th Cir. 1996). Because Konsavich was not truthful about
his own involvement in the charged conspiracy, he does not meet the
criteria for the safety valve reduction under § 5C1.2(b) of the
Guidelines and 18 U.S.C. § 3553(f). Any failure of the district
court to address this issue was harmless because Konsavich does not
meet the criteria for a safety-valve reduction.
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Finally, Konsavich argues that despite United States v.
Booker,
543 U.S. 220 (2005), this Court has imposed the Guidelines
as effectively mandatory in violation of the Sixth Amendment. In
Moreland, however, this Court held that a sentence that is outside
the Guidelines range will be affirmed so long as it is reasonable.
See 437 F.3d at 433-34. Thus, the Guidelines are not effectively
mandatory in this Circuit and Konsavich’s argument fails.
Accordingly, we affirm Konsavich’s sentence. We dispense with
oral argument because the facts and legal contentions are
adequately presented in the materials before the court and argument
would not aid the decisional process.
AFFIRMED
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