United States v. Lynch

UNPUBLISHED UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE FOURTH CIRCUIT UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,  Plaintiff-Appellee, v.  No. 01-5022 ANTHONY MAURICE LYNCH, a/k/a ANT, Defendant-Appellant.  Appeal from the United States District Court for the Northern District of West Virginia, at Elkins. Frederick P. Stamp, Jr., District Judge. (CR-00-7) Submitted: July 18, 2002 Decided: August 21, 2002 Before WILKINS and WILLIAMS, Circuit Judges, and HAMILTON, Senior Circuit Judge. Affirmed by unpublished per curiam opinion. COUNSEL Richard W. Shryock, Jr., R. MIKE MULLENS & ASSOCIATES, Elkins, West Virginia, for Appellant. Thomas E. Johnston, United States Attorney, Sherry L. Muncy, Assistant United States Attorney, Clarksburg, West Virginia, for Appellee. 2 UNITED STATES v. LYNCH Unpublished opinions are not binding precedent in this circuit. See Local Rule 36(c). OPINION PER CURIAM: Anthony Maurice Lynch appeals his 210 month sentence pursuant to his guilty plea to aiding and abetting crack cocaine distribution, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 2 (1994), and distribution of crack cocaine, in violation of 21 U.S.C.A. § 841(a) (West 1999 & Supp. 2002). After pleading guilty, while released on bond, Lynch committed two crimi- nal offenses in Florida, driving under the influence and petit retail theft, pleading guilty to both crimes. The district court denied Lynch an adjustment for acceptance of responsibility, and sentenced him to 210 months incarceration and three years of supervised release. Lynch appeals. On appeal, Lynch asserts the district court erred in denying him an adjustment for acceptance of responsibility based on his unrelated criminal conduct. The district court’s determination regarding accep- tance of responsibility is factual, and we review it with great defer- ence for clear error. U.S. Sentencing Guidelines Manual § 3E1.1, comment. (n.5) (2000); United States v. Ruhe, 191 F.3d 376, 388 (4th Cir. 1999). Lynch’s claim is meritless; his failure to voluntarily with- draw from criminal conduct establishes the district court did not err in denying him an adjustment for acceptance of responsibility. USSG § 3E1.1, comment. (n.1(b)). Accordingly, we affirm Lynch’s sentence. We dispense with oral argument because the facts and legal contentions are adequately pre- sented in the materials before the court and argument would not sig- nificantly aid the decisional process. AFFIRMED