At page 288 Reviewing minor participant reduction and criminal history points27 citing cases“defendant has the burden of proving the applicability of reductions to the offense level”
- United States v. Alberto Alaniz, Jr., Also Known as Betin, United States of Am. v. Alejandro Alaniz, Also Known as Alex, United States of Am. v. Alberto Alaniz, Jr., Also Known as Betin, United States of Am. v. Alberto Reyna Alaniz, Also Known as Beta, Also Known as Beto, United States of Am. v. Lonnie Henry, United States of Am. v. Nick Cuevas, 148 F.3d 929 (8th Cir. 1998).publishedU.S. v. Rayner, 2 F.3d 286, 288 (8th Cir.1993).
- United States v. Alberto Alaniz Jr., 148 F.3d 929 (8th Cir. 1998).publishedU.S. v. Rayner, 2 F.3d 286, 288 (8th Cir.1993).
- United States v. Parrish Love, United States v. Keith Irvan Dougan, 74 F.3d 1244 (8th Cir. 1996).unpublished(defendant has the burden of proving the applicability of reductions to the offense level"; affirming denial of Sec. 3B1.2(b) role reduction)
- United States v. James Ward, 72 F.3d 134 (8th Cir. 1995).unpublishedSee United States v. Richmond, 37 F.3d 418, 419 (8th Cir.1994), cert. denied, 115 S.Ct. 1163 (1995); United States v. Rayner, 2 F.3d 286, 288 (8th Cir.1993).
- United States v. David Beeler, 69 F.3d 542 (8th Cir. 1995).unpublishedWhile we review the denial of a minor-role reduction under the clearly-erroneous standard, United States v. Rayner, 2 F.3d 286, 288 (8th Cir.1993), the interpretation of the scope of a Guideline is a question of law which we review de novo…
- United States v. Johnny Jackson, 68 F.3d 479 (8th Cir. 1995).unpublished(although defendant's involvement in conspiracy was not as great as other participants, it entailed far more than one isolated drug sale and possession of 26 grams of PCP, as defendant asserted)
- United States v. Patrick Thompson, 60 F.3d 514 (8th Cir. 1995).publishedUnited States v. Rayner, 2 F.3d 286, 288 (8th Cir.1993).
- United States v. Raul Hernandez, 53 F.3d 335 (8th Cir. 1995).publishedWe review the denial of a minor-role reduction for clear error, United States v. Rayner, 2 F.3d 286, 288 (8th Cir. 1993), and conclude the District Court did not clearly err in denying Hernandez's request for the reduction.
- United States v. Darrell P. Logan, 49 F.3d 352 (8th Cir. 1995).publishedUnder the guidelines, “[t]he mere fact that the defendant was less culpable than his co-defendant[s] does not entitle the defendant to ‘minor participant’ status as a matter of law.” United States v. Rayner, 2 F.3d 286, 288 (8th Cir.1993)…
- United States v. Vue, 865 F. Supp. 1353 (D. Neb. 1994).publishedUnited States v. Rayner, 2 F.3d 286, 288 (8th Cir.1993).
Show 13 more citing cases
- United States v. Jerome Ray, 35 F.3d 354 (8th Cir. 1994).publishedUnited States v. Rayner, 2 F.3d 286, 288 (8th Cir.1993).
- United States v. Kenneth Gordon Matthew, 27 F.3d 572 (8th Cir. 1994).unpublished United States v. Rayner, 2 F.3d 286, 288 (8th Cir. 1993).
- United States v. Glynn Wyatt, 26 F.3d 863 (8th Cir. 1994).published(standards of review)
- United States v. Jesus Cisneros, No. 00-1186 (8th Cir. Oct. 4, 2000).unpublishedSee United States v. Rayner, 2 F.3d 286, 288 (8th Cir. 1993).
- United States v. Mary Nathell Jones, United States of Am. v. Cheril R. Simpson, Also Known as Cheril Simms, Also Known as Cheryl Simpson, United States of Am. v. Cherie Lynn Stansbury, 89 F.3d 842 (8th Cir. 1996).unpublished(standard of review)
- United States v. Robert J. Smith Jr., No. 95-2910 (8th Cir. Apr. 8, 1996).unpublishedSee United States v. Rayner, 2 F.3d 286, 288 (8th Cir. 1993).
- United States v. Robert J. Smith, Jr., 81 F.3d 166 (8th Cir. 1996).unpublishedSee United States v. Rayner, 2 F.3d 286, 288 (8th Cir.1993). 3 After carefully reviewing the record, we conclude the district court did not clearly err by denying Smith the role reduction.
- United States v. Shawn Burrell, 72 F.3d 134 (8th Cir. 1995).unpublished(standard of review)
- United States v. Anthony C. Molle, 46 F.3d 1137 (8th Cir. 1995).unpublishedSee United States v. Rayner, 2 F.3d 286, 288 (8th Cir. 1993).
- United States v. Eugene McCoy Also Known as Lawrence Palmer, 36 F.3d 740 (8th Cir. 1994).published See United States v. Rayner, 2 F.3d 286, 288 (8th Cir.1993).
- United States v. Pedro Rodriguez, 27 F.3d 572 (8th Cir. 1994).unpublishedSee United States v. Rayner, 2 F.3d 286, 288 (8th Cir. 1993). 3 Rodriguez admitted that he recruited codefendant Fidel Rodriguez to transport marijuana by car from California to Aurora, Illinois.
- United States v. Willie S. Magee, United States of Am. v. Gerry McCrary Also Known as G-Man, United States of Am. v. William Friends, Also Known as Bill, Willie, 19 F.3d 417 (8th Cir. 1994).publishedSee, e.g., United States v. Rayner, 2 F.3d 286, 288 (8th Cir.1993); United States v. Harris, 974 F.2d 84, 86 (8th Cir.1992); United States v. Laird, 948 F.2d 444, 447 (8th Cir.1991); and United States v. Foote, 898 F.2d 659, 668 (8th Cir.1…
- United States v. Magee, 19 F.3d 417 (8th Cir. 1994).publishedSee, e.g., United States v. Rayner, 2 F.3d 286, 288 (8th Cir.1993); United States v. Harris, 974 F.2d 84, 86 (8th Cir.1992); United States v. Laird, 948 F.2d 444, 447 (8th Cir.1991); and United States v. Foote, 898 F.2d 659, 668 (8th Cir.1…
At page 287 Calculating criminal history and offense levels for sentencing10 citing casesapplying U.S.S.G. § 4A1.2(c)(1), which states that one criminal history point shall be added for violations of local ordinances, where a term of probation of at least one year is imposed
- United States v. Moore, 92 F. App'x 46 (4th Cir. 2004).unpublishedUnited States v. Rayner, 2 F.3d 286, 287 (8th Cir.1993).
- United States v. Jerry E. Wells, 127 F.3d 739 (8th Cir. 1997).publishedUnited States v. Ballew, 40 F.3d 936, 943 (8th Cir.1994); United States v. Rayner, 2 F.3d 286, 287 (8th Cir.1993).
- United States v. Ernest Lee Mason, 74 F.3d 890 (8th Cir. 1996).published (applying U.S.S.G. § 4A1.2(c)(1), which states that one criminal history point shall be added for violations of local ordinances, where a term of probation of at least one year is imposed)
- United States v. Cornelius Maxim, Jr., 55 F.3d 394 (8th Cir. 1995).published“Because this argument attacks the district court’s construction of these Guidelines, our standard of review is de novo.” United States v. Rayner, 2 F.3d 286, 287 (8th Cir.1993).
- United States v. Kenneth Gordon Matthew, 27 F.3d 572 (8th Cir. 1994).unpublished United States v. Rayner, 2 F.3d 286, 288 (8th Cir. 1993).
- United States v. Jeffrey Johnson, United States of Am. v. Thomas Ash, Also Known as Rhymale Butler, 12 F.3d 760 (8th Cir. 1994).publishedUnited States v. Rayner, 2 F.3d 286, 287 (8th Cir.1993).
- United States v. Felix Antonio Martinez-Santos, 184 F.3d 196 (2d Cir. 1999).publishedSee United States v. Rayner, 2 F.3d 286, 287 (8th Cir.1993); United States v. Kemp, 938 F.2d 1020, 1023-24 (9th Cir.1991); United States v. Unger, 915 F.2d 759, 762-63 (1st Cir.1990).
- United States v. Mark A. Booker, 71 F.3d 685 (7th Cir. 1995).publishedSee United States v. Kemp, 938 F.2d 1020, 1023-24 (9th Cir.1991) ("Recognizing that the Sentencing Guidelines are used nationally to determine federal sentences for federal crimes, the district court must examine federal law to determine w…
At page 286 McMILLIAN, Circuit Judge. Lee 0. Rayner appeals the 151-month sentence imposed by the District Court 1 following his guilty plea to conspiring to distribute…1 citing case
- United States v. Rios, No. 21-10371 (5th Cir. Sept. 20, 2022).unpublishedSee Cooper, 996 2 F.3d at 286.
At page 298 cited at this page1 citing case
- Jihad Dhiab v. Donald J. Trump, 852 F.3d 1087 (D.C. Cir. 2017).publishedTransit Auth., 684 2 F.3d 286, 298 (2d Cir. 2012); Rushford v. New Yorker Magazine, Inc., 846 F.2d 249 , 253–54 (4th Cir. 1988); Publicker Indus., Inc. v. Cohen, 733 F.2d 1059, 1070 (3d Cir. 1984); In re Cont’l Ill.
v.
Lee O. RAYNER, Appellant
Lee 0. Rayner appeals the 151-month sentence imposed by the District Court [1] following his guilty plea to conspiring to distribute phencyclidine (PCP). For reversal, he argues that the District Court erred in calculating his criminal history score and in denying his request for a two-point minor-participant reduction. For the reasons discussed below, we affirm.
[*287] A grand jury indicted Rayner for conspiring to distribute more than one kilogram of a mixture containing PCP. The indictment alleged that on November 29, 1989, Rayner distributed one PCP-dipped cigarette to an undercover officer and possessed 26.2 grams of PCP with other members of the conspiracy. Rayner pleaded guilty pursuant to a plea agreement. The parties estimated that Ray-ner’s criminal history category was I, agreed that Rayner knew of or reasonably could have foreseen the distribution of at least three but less than ten kilograms of PCP, and calculated his total offense level as 32. The parties also estimated Rayner’s sentencing range as 121 to 151 months, but noted that the final determinations would be made by the court following preparation of a pre-sentence report (PSR).
The PSR characterized Rayner as a member of the “upper hierarchy” of the drug distribution ring. Rayner’s role in the offense was to run drugs and money between the “home base” and the drug houses operated by the ring. He was also involved in at least one drug sale. The PSR further stated that Rayner received a percentage of the proceeds of the conspiracy and was an average participant in the offense. The PSR calculated Rayner’s criminal history score as four, placing him in criminal history category III. Applying U.S.S.G. § 4Al.l(c), the PSR assigned Rayner one point each for 1988 and 1990 Kansas City Municipal Court disturbing-the-peace convictions for which he received separate sentences of two years probation. Then, under U.S.S.G. § 4Al.l(d), the PSR added two more points because Rayner committed the instant offense while on probation. These calculations resulted in a sentencing range of 151 to 188 months.
Rayner filed a number of objections to the PSR. He claimed, inter alia, that he was not in the “upper hierarchy” of the distribution ring; that he was a minor or minimal participant in the conspiracy and entitled to a reduction under U.S.S.G. § 3B1.2; and that the PSR erroneously calculated his criminal history score by assigning him two points for the municipal offenses and another two points for committing the instant offense while on municipal probation. The district court denied the objections. The court determined that the municipal ordinance violations were properly included to calculate Rayner’s criminal history score under § 4A1.2(c), and that the two-point increase under § 4Al.l(d) was proper because Rayner committed the instant offense while on probation for the 1988 violation. The court further determined, based on the information in the PSR and the information developed at the trial of Rayner’s co-conspirators, that Rayner was an average rather than a minor participant.
Rayner first argues that municipal ordinance violations are not criminal under Missouri law, Frech v. City of Columbia, 693 S.W.2d 813, 814 (Mo.1985) (banc) (violation of municipal ordinance is civil proceeding), and thus the sentences he received for the violations cannot constitute prior sentences or “criminal justice sentences” within the meaning of § 4A1.1(c), (d), or § 4A1.2(c). Because this argument attacks the district court’s construction of these Guidelines, our standard of review is de novo. See United States v. West, 942 F.2d 528, 530 (8th Cir.1991).
We reject Rayner’s contention that the court should look to state law to determine whether a prior sentence counts for criminal history purposes. “The classification of an offense as within or without the ambit of section 4A1.2(c) ... is a question of federal law, not state law, notwithstanding that the predicate offense and punishment are defined by state law.” United States v. Unger, 915 F.2d 759, 763 (1st Cir.1990) (footnote omitted), cert. denied, 498 U.S. 1104, 111 S.Ct. 1005, 112 L.Ed.2d 1088 (1991). Any other approach would severely undermine the primary purpose of the Sentencing Reform Act — “to ‘provide certainty and fairness in meeting the purposes of sentencing, avoiding unwarranted sentencing disparities among defendants with similar records.’ ” Id. at 762-63 (quoting 28 U.S.C. § 991(b)(1)(B) (1988)).
We also conclude that the district court correctly assigned Rayner one criminal history point for each of these convictions. Pursuant to § 4A1.2(c), sentences for misdemeanors and petty offenses, including dis[*288] turbing the peace, are counted for criminal history purposes “only if ... the sentence was a term of probation of at least one year or a term of imprisonment of at least thirty days.” Rayner’s 1988 and 1990 disturbing-the-peace convictions, for which he received two separate sentences of two years of probation, fall squarely within this provision. Similarly, the district court correctly imposed the two additional points under § 4Al.l(d) because Rayner committed the instant offense while under a criminal justice sentence. See § 4Al.l(d) (add two points if defendant committed instant offense while under any criminal justice sentence, including probation). Rayner was placed on two years probation on April 27,1988, and he was arrested on November 29, 1989, for selling a PCP-dipped cigarette to an undercover officer.
Rayner also claims that the district court erred by denying his request for a two-point minor participant reduction under U.S.S.G. § 3B1.2(b). We review the denial of such a reduction under the clearly erroneous standard. United States v. Wilson, 955 F.2d 547, 551 (8th Cir.1992). “[T]he mere fact that the defendant was less culpable than his co-defendant[s] does not entitle the defendant to ‘minor participant’ status as a matter of law.” West, 942 F.2d at 531. The defendant has the burden of proving the applicability of reductions to the offense level. United States v. Dinges, 917 F.2d 1133, 1135 (8th Cir.1990). The district court did not clearly err by denying Rayner’s request for the reduction. Though Rayner’s involvement in the conspiracy was not as great as some of the other participants, it entailed far more than one isolated drug sale and possession of twenty-six grams of PCP, as he asserts. See, e.g., United States v. Regan, 940 F.2d 1134, 1136 (8th Cir.1991); United States v. Hutchinson, 926 F.2d 746, 747 (8th Cir.1991) (per curiam). We also reject Rayner’s contention that, by relying on testimony from the trial of his co-conspirators to deny the reduction, the court violated the Confrontation Clause. See United States v. Wise, 976 F.2d 393, 398 (8th Cir.1992) (banc) (holding Confrontation Clause inapplicable at sentencing), ce rt. denied, — U.S. -, 113 S.Ct. 1592, 123 L.Ed.2d 157 (1993).
Accordingly, we affirm the judgment of the district court.
. The Honorable Dean Whipple, United States District Judge for the Western District of Missouri.