07-2276 & 07-2353 U.S. v. Panaigua-Verduggo

By: dmc-admin//August 11, 2008//

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Sentencing
Minor participant

A drug courier was properly denied a sentence reduction as a minor participant.
"The fact that Panaigua-Verdugo did not reap substantial pecuniary gains does not automatically render his level of participation minor. See United States v. Brick, 905 F.2d 1092, 1095 (7th Cir. 1990). Panaigua-Verdugo's suggestion that he was just a 'firewall' does not take into account the extent of his role. A more proper characterization would be one of a courier, and we have held that a courier may play an important role in any drug distribution scheme, and therefore is not automatically entitled to a mitigating role reduction. See United States v. Hamzat, 217 F.3d 494, 498 (7th Cir. 2000)."

Affirmed.

07-2276 & 07-2353 U.S. v. Panaigua-Verduggo

Appeals from the United States District Court for the Western District of Wisconsin, Crabb, J., Bauer, J.

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