Filed: Jul. 30, 2015
Latest Update: Mar. 02, 2020
Summary: Case: 14-15800 Date Filed: 07/30/2015 Page: 1 of 3 [DO NOT PUBLISH] IN THE UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE ELEVENTH CIRCUIT _ No. 14-15800 Non-Argument Calendar _ D.C. Docket No. 0:12-cr-60175-RNS-6 UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, Plaintiff - Appellee, versus DANIEL JOSEPH KING, Defendant - Appellant. _ Appeal from the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida _ (July 30, 2015) Before TJOFLAT, WILSON and BLACK, Circuit Judges. PER CURIAM: Case: 14-15800 Date Filed: 07/
Summary: Case: 14-15800 Date Filed: 07/30/2015 Page: 1 of 3 [DO NOT PUBLISH] IN THE UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE ELEVENTH CIRCUIT _ No. 14-15800 Non-Argument Calendar _ D.C. Docket No. 0:12-cr-60175-RNS-6 UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, Plaintiff - Appellee, versus DANIEL JOSEPH KING, Defendant - Appellant. _ Appeal from the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida _ (July 30, 2015) Before TJOFLAT, WILSON and BLACK, Circuit Judges. PER CURIAM: Case: 14-15800 Date Filed: 07/3..
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Case: 14-15800 Date Filed: 07/30/2015 Page: 1 of 3
[DO NOT PUBLISH]
IN THE UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS
FOR THE ELEVENTH CIRCUIT
________________________
No. 14-15800
Non-Argument Calendar
________________________
D.C. Docket No. 0:12-cr-60175-RNS-6
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,
Plaintiff - Appellee,
versus
DANIEL JOSEPH KING,
Defendant - Appellant.
________________________
Appeal from the United States District Court
for the Southern District of Florida
________________________
(July 30, 2015)
Before TJOFLAT, WILSON and BLACK, Circuit Judges.
PER CURIAM:
Case: 14-15800 Date Filed: 07/30/2015 Page: 2 of 3
Daniel Joseph King, proceeding pro se, appeals the district court’s denial of
his motion for a sentence reduction pursuant to 18 U.S.C. § 3582(c)(2). King
argues the district court erred in denying his motion because his original, below-
guidelines sentence was the result of a U.S.S.G. § 5K1.1 substantial assistance
departure. As the parties are familiar with the facts of this case, we weave them
into the discussion only as necessary. Upon review,1 we affirm.
The district court did not err in denying King’s motion because (1) his
original sentence of 75 months was already below the 168-month minimum of his
amended guideline range, 2 and (2) the Government never moved for a § 5K1.1
downward departure for substantial assistance. When a defendant’s original
sentence is already lower than the minimum of her amended guidelines range, she
is not eligible for a reduction below the amended guidelines range. U.S.S.G.
§ 1B1.10(b)(2)(A); see United States v. Colon,
707 F.3d 1255, 1259 (11th Cir.
2013). That is the precisely the case here. King’s 75-month sentence was well
below the 168-month minimum of his amended guidelines range.
Nonetheless, a defendant is still eligible for a reduction under § 3582(c)(2) if
his original sentence was below the amended guidelines range “because of a
1
We review de novo a district’s court’s legal conclusions as to the scope of its authority
under § 3582(c)(2). United States v. Phillips,
597 F.3d 1190, 1194 n.9 (11th Cir. 2010).
2
We assume, without deciding, that King is eligible pursuant to Amendment 782 of the
Sentencing Guidelines for a 2-level reduction in his original base offense level of 38. Since his
base offense level would be 36 under the amended guidelines, his amended guidelines range—
keeping all of the original sentencing findings intact—would be 168 to 210 months.
2
Case: 14-15800 Date Filed: 07/30/2015 Page: 3 of 3
reduction based upon the defendant’s substantial assistance to authorities [pursuant
to § 5K1.1].”
Colon, 707 F.3d at 1259; § 1B1.10(b)(2)(B). A substantial
assistance departure is available upon a “motion of the government stating that the
defendant has provided substantial assistance in the investigation or prosecution of
another person who has committed an offense.” § 5K1.1. The record belies
King’s assertion that he received a § 5K1.1 substantial assistance departure. The
district court’s comments at the sentencing hearing explicitly indicate King’s
below-guidelines sentence was attributable to a § 3553(a) downward variance, not
a § 5K1.1 motion. We accordingly affirm.
AFFIRMED.
3