United States v. M. Hernandez-Parra , 210 F. App'x 551 ( 2006 )


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  •                      United States Court of Appeals
    FOR THE EIGHTH CIRCUIT
    ___________
    No. 05-4149
    ___________
    United States of America,               *
    *
    Appellee,                  *
    * Appeal from the United States
    v.                                * District Court for the
    * District of Minnesota.
    Mario Hernandez-Parra,                  *
    *    [UNPUBLISHED]
    Appellant.                 *
    ___________
    Submitted: December 7, 2006
    Filed: December 21, 2006
    ___________
    Before MURPHY, BYE, and MELLOY, Circuit Judges.
    ___________
    PER CURIAM.
    Mario Hernandez-Parra appeals the sentence the district court1 imposed after
    he pleaded guilty to conspiring to distribute one kilogram or more of a heroin mixture
    or substance and 500 grams or more of a methamphetamine mixture or substance, in
    violation of 21 U.S.C. §§ 841(a)(1), (b)(1)(A), and 846. Parra contends the court
    erred in concluding that he was ineligible for safety-valve relief under U.S.S.G.
    § 5C1.2(a), upon finding that he had not been completely truthful with the government
    regarding his drug-dealing involvement with a co-defendant.
    1
    The Honorable Joan N. Ericksen, United States District Judge for the District
    of Minnesota.
    To receive safety-valve relief, Parra had “to show, through affirmative conduct,
    that he gave the Government truthful information and evidence about the relevant
    crimes before sentencing.” See United States v. Romo, 
    81 F.3d 84
    , 85-86 (8th Cir.
    1996). We review for clear error the district court’s findings as to the completeness
    and truthfulness of Parra’s safety-valve proffer. See United States v. Soto, 
    448 F.3d 993
    , 995 (8th Cir. 2006).
    Upon careful review of the record before us on appeal, we cannot say that the
    district court clearly erred in its findings. The evidence presented to the court
    indicated that Parra was working with the co-defendant in question within the drug
    conspiracy. We also disagree with Parra’s argument that granting an acceptance-of-
    responsibility reduction is inconsistent with denying safety-valve relief. Safety-valve
    relief and an offense-level reduction for accepting responsibility are distinct forms of
    sentencing relief that entail separate requirements. In particular, a defendant who is
    given an acceptance-of-responsibility reduction is not required to admit conduct
    beyond his offense of conviction. See U.S.S.G. § 3E1.1, cmt. n. 1(a). On the other
    hand, safety-valve relief requires the defendant to give a truthful proffer of all the
    information he has regarding “the offense or offenses that were part of the same
    course of conduct or of a common scheme or plan.” See U.S.S.G. § 5C1.2(a)(5);
    
    Romo, 81 F.3d at 85
    (to satisfy safety-valve criteria in 18 U.S.C. § 3553(f)(5),
    defendant was required to disclose all information he possessed about his involvement
    in the crime and his chain of distribution, including identities and participation of
    others); see also United States v. Mashek, 
    406 F.3d 1012
    , 1013 n.1 (8th Cir. 2005)
    (§ 5C1.2(a) is derived from and identical to 18 U.S.C. § 3553(f)).
    Accordingly, we affirm the judgment of the district court. See 8th Cir. R. 47B.
    ______________________________
    -2-
    

Document Info

Docket Number: 05-4149

Citation Numbers: 210 F. App'x 551

Judges: Murphy, Bye, Melloy

Filed Date: 12/21/2006

Precedential Status: Non-Precedential

Modified Date: 11/5/2024