Sentencing Guidelines

By: Derek Hawkins//November 6, 2018//

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7^th Circuit Court of Appeals

Case Name: United States of America v. Marcos Castaneda

Case No.: 18-1541

Officials: BAUER, KANNE, and SCUDDER, Circuit Judges.

Focus: Sentencing Guidelines

Marcos Castaneda pleaded guilty to transporting methamphetamine as part of a 20-person conspiracy. Though the district court sentenced his coconspirators based on findings that they distributed mixtures containing methamphetamine, it sentenced Castaneda based on his handling of a smaller quantity of “Ice,” or especially pure (at least 80%) methamphetamine. Pound for pound, the Sentencing Guidelines recommend punishing Ice-related crimes more severely than crimes involving less-pure methamphetamine. The court also denied Castaneda a Guidelines reduction for acceptance of responsibility, given his unwillingness to admit to the apparent scope of his involvement in the conspiracy. Castaneda challenges both rulings. We affirm his 20- year prison sentence.

Affirmed

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Attorney Derek A. Hawkins is the managing partner at Hawkins Law Offices LLC, where he heads up the firm’s startup law practice. He specializes in business formation, corporate governance, intellectual property protection, private equity and venture capital funding and mergers & acquisitions. Check out the website at www.hawkins-lawoffices.com or contact them at 262-737-8825.

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