United States Court of Appeals
For the First Circuit
No. 07-2714
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,
Appellee,
v.
NATHAN GARRASTEGUY,
Defendant-Appellant.
No. 07-2715
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,
Appellee,
v.
AMOS CARRASQUILLO,
Defendant, Appellant.
APPEALS FROM THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
FOR THE DISTRICT OF MASSACHUSETTS
[Hon. William G. Young, U.S. District Judge]
Before
Boudin, Stahl and Howard,
Circuit Judges.
Ryan M. Schiff, with whom John Salsberg and Salsberg &
Schneider, were on brief, for appellant Carrasquillo.
Mark W. Shea, with whom Shea and LaRocque, was on brief for
appellant Garrasteguy.
Mark T. Quinlivan, Assistant United States Attorney with whom
Michael J. Sullivan, United States Attorney and John A. Wortmann,
Jr., Assistant United States Attorney, were on brief, for appellee.
March 6, 2009
HOWARD, Circuit Judge. In early 2006, federal and local
authorities commenced Operation Brickhouse to combat drug
trafficking in the Bromley-Heath Housing Project (Bromley-Heath)
located in Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts. The investigation snared
the appellants Amos Carrasquillo and Nathan Garrasteguy through a
series of controlled drug purchases executed by a cooperating
witness. Faced with unshakable evidence of their illicit
activities, the appellants pleaded guilty to several counts of
distributing cocaine base, in violation of 21 U.S.C. § 841, and to
conspiracy to distribute cocaine base, in violation of 21 U.S.C. §
846. The issue of the drug weights involved in the offenses,
however, was reserved and tried to a jury.1
After a six-day trial, at which the appellants presented
no evidence, the jury determined that the conspiracy involved
between five and twenty grams of cocaine base. At sentencing, the
judge accepted the government's sentencing recommendation, declined
to give Carrasquillo any credit for acceptance of responsibility,
and sentenced him to 132 months of imprisonment followed by eight
years of supervised release. Garrasteguy received a sentence of
1
The default statutory maximum in crack cocaine cases where the
jury does not find a quantity of drugs, or in which the drug
quantity is undetectable, is twenty years. 21 U.S.C. §
841(b)(1)(C). But if a defendant is convicted of possessing at
least five grams of cocaine base, the statutory maximum sentence is
enhanced to forty years. 21 U.S.C. § 841(b)(1)(B)(iii).
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ten years followed by twelve years of supervised release.2 As a
special condition of supervised release, the sentencing court
prohibited the appellants from entering Suffolk County,
Massachusetts during the term of his supervised release, without
prejudice to their right to return to the sentencing court to seek
revision or rescission of this special condition. See 18 U.S.C. §
3583(e)(2).
Carrasquillo appeals the denial of his acceptance of
responsibility credit, and both appellants challenge the special
condition of supervised release. We affirm.
I. Acceptance of Responsibility
We begin with Carrasquillo's acceptance of responsibility
argument, which, stripped to its essentials, is a request that he
be permitted to run with the hares and hunt with the hounds. In
concrete terms, Carrasquillo believes that he is entitled to a two
point reduction in his offense level for acceptance of
responsibility pursuant to U.S.S.G. § 3E1.1(a) -- despite having
gone to trial regarding drug weight -- because he pleaded guilty to
the rest of the indictment. This claim fails.
During the Rule 11 plea colloquy, the district court
2
Garrasteguy was also denied credit for acceptance of
responsibility, but he does not appeal that issue, because such
credit cannot reduce his mandatory minimum sentence of 120 months.
Garrasteguy qualifies for a mandatory minimum sentence due to a
previous felony conviction for illegal sales of controlled
substances. See 21 U.S.C. § 851.
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advised both defendants of the possibility that if a jury concluded
that they were responsible for drug weights sufficient to trigger
enhanced penalties, it might not grant either of them any reduction
for acceptance of responsibility. The court stated:
THE COURT: Now, again, I don't mean this in
any way as a threat, you must understand that
if we go to trial . . . and [if] you lose,
it's more than five grams, and the government
is put to the expense and time of the trial,
there are situations, your lawyers will argue
them to me, where I should still give some
discount. And I have no hard and fast rule.
But you understand that I'll be keeping in
mind that we've spent all the time and expense
on a trial and you've been found guilty of
more than five grams. And I will take that
into account. I think under the law I'm
required to.
Both defendants indicated that they understood the court's warning.
Despite the court's statement, the defendants proceeded to try to
a jury the issue of drug weight. During the course of this trial,
the defendants did nothing more than cross-examine witnesses; the
defense rested at the close of the government's case. Within two
hours of receiving the case, the jury returned a verdict finding
the defendants responsible for at least five grams of cocaine base.
After trial, the probation department, in its pre-
sentence report (PSR), included a recommendation that Carrasquillo
be given a two-level reduction in the offense level pursuant to
section 3E1.1(a) of the Sentencing Guidelines, bringing
Carrasquillo's total offense level to 27. The government objected,
arguing that Carrasquillo's demand for a jury trial on drug weight
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not only demonstrated a failure to accept responsibility for the
full extent of his conduct, but also falsely denied the extent and
nature of the relevant conduct.
At the sentencing hearing, Carrasquillo reiterated his
desire for the acceptance of responsibility reduction.3 The
sentencing court considered Carrasquillo's argument, but decided
not to credit Carrasquillo with any reduction of the total offense
level based on acceptance of responsibility. The court rested its
decision primarily on the fact that Carrasquillo did not spare the
government from the time and expense of a trial. In reaching this
conclusion, the district court remarked that the acceptance of
responsibility provision is an "empty sophistry," that should be
viewed as a discretionary reduction in the total offense level to
reward defendants who spare the government the expense of a trial.
("What [the acceptance of responsibility reduction] is is a
discount that is usually granted, it's in my discretion for sparing
the government expense.") Carrasquillo's argument on appeal is
that the sentencing court's comments constitute a misinterpretation
3
At sentencing, counsel for Carrasquillo repeated the arguments in
favor of the acceptance of responsibility credit contained in the
PSR, which he first made in his sentencing memorandum, and
emphasized Carrasquillo's position that he was entitled to the
acceptance of responsibility credit. ("Even if your Honor's not
giving him the acceptance of responsibility, he admitted to
that."). Thus, Carrasquillo's claim is preserved. See United
States v. Gonczy, 357 F.3d 50, 52 (1st Cir. 2004)(where defendant
objects and district court was aware of objection and underlying
reasons, sentencing objection preserved for appellate review).
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of the Sentencing Guidelines, and thus the sentencing court
misapplied the Guidelines.
We review a sentencing court's determination of whether
a defendant accepted responsibility for clear error. United States
v. Glaum, 356 F.3d 169, 180 (1st Cir. 2004); United States v.
Deppe, 509 F.3d 54, 60 (1st Cir. 2007) ("Recognizing the special
difficulty of discerning, on a cold record, whether a defendant's
expressions of remorse were in earnest, we review a sentencing
court's judgment about acceptance of responsibility for clear
error.")(citing United States v. Dethlefs, 123 F.3d 39, 43 (1st
Cir. 1997); United States v. Royer, 895 F.2d 28, 29 (1st Cir.
1990); U.S.S.G. § 3E1.1, cmt. (n.5)). Nevertheless, we continue
to conduct a plenary review of any related legal questions,
including the interpretation of the sentencing guidelines. Deppe,
509 F.3d at 60 (citing United States v. Talladino, 38 F.3d 1255,
1263 (1st Cir. 1994)).
The Sentencing Guidelines recognize the "legitimate
societal interests" in acceptance of responsibility and therefore
allow sentencing judges to provide a measure of leniency to those
defendants who accept responsibility for their actions. U.S.S.G.
§ 3E1.1 cmt. backg'd. The Guidelines therefore dispense credit for
acceptance of responsibility in two flavors: a two-point reduction
at the discretion of the sentencing court if the defendant "clearly
demonstrates acceptance of responsibility for his offense."
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U.S.S.G. § 3E1.1(a). And, if, in a serious offense, a defendant
accepts responsibility at an early stage of the investigation, a
defendant may be eligible for an additional one point reduction in
the offense level. U.S.S.G. § 3E1.1(b). This second reduction is
available only to defendants who accept responsibility early enough
to save the government the time and expense of preparing for trial,
and consequently, this further reduction is only available "upon
motion of the government." Id.
Defendants are not, however, automatically entitled to
even the two-point acceptance of responsibility reduction. United
States v. Franky-Ortiz, 230 F.3d 405, 408 (1st Cir. 2000). The
onus of proving acceptance of responsibility is on the defendant.
Id. (defendant must "demonstrate that he has taken full
responsibility for his actions and he must do so candidly and with
genuine contrition")(quoting United States v. Saxena, 229 F.3d 1,
9 (1st Cir. 2000)). To prove acceptance of responsibility, a
defendant must truthfully admit or not falsely deny the conduct
comprising the conviction, as well as any additional relevant
conduct for which he is accountable. Glaum, 356 F.3d at 180
(citing U.S.S.G. § 3E1.1, cmt. (n. 1(a))).4
4
It should be noted, however that a defendant is not required to
volunteer or affirmatively admit relevant conduct beyond the
offense of conviction to obtain an acceptance of responsibility
reduction. U.S.S.G. § 3E1.1, cmt. (n.1(a)). Similarly, a
defendant "may remain silent in respect to relevant conduct beyond
the offense of conviction without affecting his ability to obtain
a reduction" for acceptance of responsibility. Id.
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We have further held that defendants who proceed to trial
and put the government to its proof normally do not qualify for any
reduction for acceptance of responsibility. Deppe, 509 F.3d at 60;
see also U.S.S.G. § 3E1.1, cmt. (n.2). Proceeding to trial,
however, does not constitute a per se bar to credit for acceptance
of responsibility. Instead, proceeding to trial creates a
rebuttable presumption that no credit is available. Deppe, 509
F.3d at 60.
Carrasquillo's argument is that his guilty plea -- rather
than the trial -- resulted in his conviction and that his testing
of the government's proof regarding drug weight should not alter
the fact that in his guilty plea, he accepted responsibility for
his actions. Accordingly, he argues that the sentencing court's
description of the acceptance of responsibility credit as "an empty
sophistry" and the court's further characterization of the credit
as an expense calculation demonstrates that the sentencing court
misapplied the guidelines.
The government responds that Carrasquillo's challenge to
the drug weight required it to introduce evidence regarding all of
the elements of the crimes to which Carrasquillo pleaded guilty.
Moreover, the government claims that the defendant's rigorous
challenge to the drug weight does not evince the candid acceptance
of responsibility with "genuine contrition" that is a prerequisite
to receiving a reduction. See Franky-Ortiz, 230 F.3d at 408.
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In the circumstances of this case, we agree with the
government and with the sentencing court's implicit finding that
Carrasquillo failed to demonstrate acceptance of responsibility.
He went to trial, and yet, he has adduced no evidence to rebut the
presumption that his trial with respect to drug weight rendered him
ineligible for any acceptance of responsibility-based reduction,
nor has he so much as argued against the presumption. Furthermore,
his actions in requesting a trial regarding drug weight were not
consistent with acceptance of responsibility for relevant conduct.
See Glaum, 356 F.3d at 180 (sentencing court did not clearly err
where it denied acceptance of responsibility reduction to defendant
who offered to plead guilty to conspiracy involving lesser quantum
of drugs). See also, e.g., United States v. Acosta, 534 F.3d 574,
580 (7th Cir. 2008) (affirming district court denial of acceptance
of responsibility reduction where defendant who pleaded guilty
challenged certain factual assertions in PSR); United States v.
Annis, 446 F.3d 852, 857-58 (8th Cir. 2006) (affirming district
court denial of acceptance of responsibility reduction where
defendant pleaded guilty to offense but refused to admit to any
drug quantity and challenged reliability of prior statement to
authorities).
In a final attempt to gain traction, Carrasquillo argues
that the sentencing court's characterizations of the acceptance of
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responsibility reduction suggest that the court did not properly
apply this provision of the Guidelines.
The acceptance of responsibility reduction acknowledges
legitimate societal interests. U.S.S.G. § 3E1.1 cmt., backg'd.
The provision also recognizes the longstanding judicial practice of
more leniently sentencing defendants who evidence contrition and
cooperate with law enforcement. See United States v. Frazier, 971
F.2d 1076, 1084 (4th Cir. 1992). As has been said, acceptance of
responsibility provisions recognize and support varied societal
interests including the reduction of crime, restitution, early
withdrawal from criminal activity, the increased potential for
rehabilitation among those who feel and show true remorse for their
anti-social act, as well as encouraging judicial and law
enforcement economy. Id. at 1084-85 (citing United States v.
Belgard, 694 F. Supp. 1488, 1497 (D. Or. 1988)). Thus, the
acceptance of responsibility determination does not necessarily
reduce to merely an expense calculation, but rather can serve
several important societal interests.
As we have noted, the sentencing court did consider the
fact that Carrasquillo pleaded guilty, but also balanced that plea
against Carrasquillo's pressing of the drug weight issue at trial,
in which he challenged the evidence against him. Based on this
balancing, the court concluded that Carrasquillo was not entitled
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to any credit for acceptance of responsibility.5 Regardless of
whether the sentencing court acknowledged the all of the varied
interests recognized by the acceptance of responsibility credit,
the court nevertheless properly denied the credit to Carrasquillo.
II. Exclusion From Suffolk County
We now turn to the issue whether the sentencing court
could impose a condition of supervised release that prohibited the
defendants from entering an entire county during the full term of
supervised release. The breadth and duration of this condition
give us pause, but on this record we are unable to conclude that
the district court plainly erred in imposing the special condition.
We review a sentencing court's decision to impose special
conditions of supervised release for abuse of discretion. United
States v. Riccio, 529 F.3d 40, 48 (1st Cir. 2008). If, however, a
defendant has an opportunity to object to a special condition at
sentencing, and stays silent, we review the imposition of a
supervised release condition for plain error only. United States
5
The district court had previously noted that it had "no hard and
fast rule" regarding an acceptance of responsibility reduction if
the defendants contested the drug weight at trial, but cautioned
the defendants that it would "be keeping in mind that we've spent
all the time and expense on a trial and you've been found guilty of
more than five grams. And I will take that into account. I think
under the law, I'm required to." Thus, while it is true that the
district court, in its characterization of the Sentencing
Guidelines overlooked differences between the two sections on
acceptance of responsibility, one for actual acceptance and the
other for early acceptance, nonetheless the basis for denying a
downward departure was sound, and the district court certainly did
not commit clear error in making such a denial.
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v. Padilla, 415 F.3d 211, 219 (1st Cir. 2005) (en banc); United
States v. Perazza-Mercado, 553 F.3d 65, 74 (1st Cir. 2009); Riccio,
529 F.3d at 48.
Carrasquillo claims that he properly preserved his
objection to the special condition of supervised release.6 The
government originally requested, in its sentencing memorandum, a
special condition of supervised release ordering both defendants to
stay outside the City of Boston.7 In his sentencing memorandum,
Carrasquillo objected to the government's proposed condition
primarily on constitutional grounds, claiming that the condition
would impermissibly impinge on (unspecified) rights protected under
the First, Fifth, and Eighth Amendments to the U.S. Constitution,
and that the condition would preclude Carrasquillo from being fully
involved in raising his young son.
At sentencing, however, the district court appeared far
more interested in the special condition of supervised release than
Carrasquillo. The district court sua sponte noted that it was not
6
Appellant Garrasteguy claims that he preserved by relying on co-
defendant Carrasquillo's objection, weak as it may have been.
Given our disposition on the merits, we needn't tarry over
Garrasteguy's dubious contention that his claim has not been
forfeited.
7
When it imposed the condition the district court sua sponte and
without comment expanded the scope of the condition to include all
of Suffolk County, which includes not only the City of Boston, but
also the communities of Chelsea, Revere, and Winthrop. Neither the
government nor the defendants objected to this enlargement of the
scope of the condition.
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familiar with such conditions, and engaged in a dialogue regarding
the condition with not only the prosecutor, but also a
representative of the probation department to satisfy itself that
the condition was reasonable and enforceable.
By contrast, at sentencing, Carrasquillo mentioned the
special condition only in passing, and when he did discuss it he
noted that the condition was unimportant:
The other thing I would just comment on very
briefly is this issue of whether or not to be
in Boston or not be in Boston. Winning that
from our standpoint and not getting what we're
looking for in terms of the length of
incarceration would be a Pyrrhic victory.
It's unimportant compared to the amount of
time --
Carrasquillo's counsel specifically termed the condition
"unimportant" and remained focused on seeking a reduction in his
sentence. This amounted to at least a forfeiture of the objection,
if not an outright abandonment of it. See United States v. Walker,
538 F.3d 21, 23 (1st Cir. 2008) (describing difference between
waiver and forfeiture). Carrasquillo made a strategic decision in
making his presentation to the sentencing judge: he focused his
efforts on obtaining a lower sentence. In so doing, he essentially
left his objections regarding this condition of supervised release
by the wayside.
Moreover, even though the defendants now argue that the
special condition's geographic scope (all of Suffolk County) was
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impermissibly broad, neither of them advanced a narrower area of
exclusion to the sentencing court. Similarly, the defendants were
entirely silent regarding the particulars of this condition,
including the availability of exceptions, as well as the scope and
breadth of the condition. Consequently, the sentencing court did
not have the opportunity to evaluate alternatives that might make
the exclusion more acceptable. It would be both unfair and an
inappropriate deployment of limited judicial resources to permit
the defendants to raise such specific concerns on appeal. Cf.
United States v. Dietz, 950 F.2d 50, 55 (1st Cir. 1991) (holding
that defendant cannot challenge a district court’s ruling at
sentencing with an argument not raised below in the papers or at
sentencing). Consequently, we review the condition for plain error
only.
District courts have significant flexibility to impose
special conditions of supervised release. A district court may
impose as a condition of supervised release most discretionary
conditions identified in 18 U.S.C. § 3563(b),8 or any other
condition the court deems appropriate. All such conditions,
however, must be "reasonably related" to the factors set forth in
§ 3553(a),9 may involve "no greater deprivation of liberty than
8
Specifically, the court can impose any condition set forth in 18
U.S.C. §§ 3563(b)(1) through (b)(10) and (b)(12) through (b)(20).
9
The factors include (1) the nature and circumstances of the
offense and the history and characteristics of the defendant, 18
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reasonably necessary" to achieve the purposes of §§ 3553(a)(2)(c),
(a)(2)(D), (viz. to protect the public and promote the
rehabilitation of the defendant), and must be consistent with any
pertinent policy statement of the United States Sentencing
Commission. 18 U.S.C. § 3583(d); see also United States v. York,
357 F.3d 14, 20 (1st Cir. 2004).
Any conditions of supervised release that a sentencing
court chooses to impose must, of course, be supported by the
record. United States v. Scherrer, 444 F.3d 91, 96 (1st Cir. 2006)
(en banc). But this requirement can be satisfied without a written
or oral explanation of the reasons supporting the condition if we
can infer the court’s reasoning by comparing what was argued by the
parties or contained in the pre-sentence report with what the court
did. United States v. Jiminez-Beltre, 440 F.3d 514, 519 (1st Cir.
2006) (en banc).
The government advanced several reasons for excluding the
defendants from the City of Boston. The government noted that the
Bromley-Heath project is a refuge of affordable housing for
families of modest means, and that it has been beset with an
exceedingly high level of gun and drug crimes. The government
U.S.C. § 3553(a)(1); (2) the need to afford adequate deterrence to
criminal conduct, 18 U.S.C. § 3553(a)(2)(B); (3) the need to
protect the public from future crimes of the defendant, 18 U.S.C.
§ 3553(a)(2)(c); and (4) the need to provide the defendant with
needed educational or vocational training, medical care or other
correctional treatment in the most effective manner, 18 U.S.C. §
3553(a)(2)(D).
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argues that the sentencing court, pursuant to sections 3553(a)(1)
and (a)(2)(C), properly took into account the effects of the
defendants' offenses on the Bromley-Heath community. Furthermore,
the government noted that both defendants had repeatedly
disregarded Boston Housing Authority's (BHA) "no-trespass" orders
denying them permission to enter Bromley-Heath. Finally, the
government noted Carrasquillo ignored a prior state court probation
condition ordering him to stay out of all BHA properties. In the
face of these orders, the defendants sold crack cocaine several
times at or near Bromley-Heath. The government therefore argued
that the defendants had to be excluded from a larger geographic
area. The sentencing court, without objection from the defendants,
appears to have concluded that Suffolk County represents a
sufficient geographic exclusion and is administratively feasible to
enforce, without elaborating on the deprivation of liberty this
exclusion entails.
Although we have never before passed on a special
condition of supervised release that bars an individual from
entering an entire county, two circuits have upheld similar
conditions.10 In United States v. Sicher, the Third Circuit
10
The Sixth Circuit has also upheld a related special condition
requiring a defendant, who had a history of 38 prior criminal
convictions and who repeatedly violated the conditions of his then
pending period of federal supervised release, live in a city away
from his home for a period of one year. United States v.
Alexander, 509 F.3d 253 (6th Cir. 2007).
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approved, on plain error review, a special condition of supervised
release prohibiting the defendant from entering the Allentown, Pa.,
metro area, which consists of two counties, for a period of ten
years.11 239 F.3d 289 (3d Cir. 2000). In reaching this conclusion,
the Sicher court relied on two salient considerations. First, it
noted that the sentencing court had relied on ample record evidence
demonstrating that the defendant's criminal history was uniquely
tied to the mal-influence of her family and associates in
Allentown. Id. at 290. Second, the special condition of
supervised release did not operate as a total banishment because
Sicher was free to request permission from her probation officer to
visit the counties covered in the supervised release condition.
Id. at 292.
Similarly, in United States v. Cothran, the Eleventh
Circuit, on an abuse of discretion review, upheld a special
condition of probation that prohibited a defendant from entering
Fulton County, Georgia during the first two years of probation.
855 F.2d 749, 751 (11th Cir. 1988). In reaching this conclusion,
the Cothran court found several factors persuasive. First, Cothran
could have been sentenced to up to 30 years but received a sixty-
six month sentence, all but six months of which were suspended.
11
This condition of supervised release was imposed as part of the
district court's decision to grant the defendant's motion for a
sentence modification pursuant to 18 U.S.C. § 2255, which reduced
the defendant's six-year sentence to time served (approximately 10
months). Sircher, 239 F.3d at 290.
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Id. at 750. In addition, the Cothran court relied on the district
court's finding that Cothran, a charismatic twenty-six year-old,
was popular with adolescents in his native Fulton County and had
been convicted of willfully distributing cocaine to a minor. Id.
Finally, the probation condition at issue in Cothran permitted
Cothran to enter Fulton County with the permission of his probation
officer, and contemplated the possibility that Cothran could reach
an arrangement with his probation officer to permit repeated entry
into certain portions of the county for educational or employment
purposes. Id. at 752. On those facts, the Cothran court found
that the district court's probation condition was not an abuse of
discretion.
The cases permitting exclusion from a defined
geographical area do not entirely ease our doubts about the breadth
and duration of the supervised release condition imposed here.
Most courts have not authorized a blanket exclusion from a
particular area lasting as long as the exclusions in the present
case (eight and twelve years). Moreover, such conditions have
tended to be imposed after a substantial reduction of a defendant's
sentence, which also did not occur here.
We are even more uneasy over the fact that the condition
in this case is not subject to any qualification. Exclusion
conditions approved elsewhere have permitted defendants to seek
authorization from probation officers for entry into the
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geographical areas from which the defendants are excluded. Here,
however, the sentencing court imposed an unqualified banishment
from Suffolk County for a period of as long as twelve years with
only the possibility of seeking a modification of the condition
from the court itself at some later date, pursuant to section
3583(e).12 Given its importance as a government center where a
citizen may be required to conduct business with government
officials, the defendants could well have significant reasons for
entering Suffolk County. Moreover, at this early juncture, it is
impossible to ascertain the level of either defendant's
rehabilitation, which might impact a decision to permit the
defendants to enter Suffolk County.
Additionally, the evidence justifying the imposition of
the present condition is not as stark as in other cases upholding
exclusions. It is true that Garrasteguy and Carrasquillo had at
the time of their convictions previously violated BHA-imposed "no
12
The showing required for a defendant to obtain a modification of
a condition of supervised release pursuant to section 3583(e)is an
open question in this circuit. Compare United States v. Smith, 445
F.3d 713, 716-17 (3d Cir. 2006) (reviewing district court's
modification of supervised release for abuse of discretion and
leaving open question of whether "significantly changed or
extraordinary" circumstances are prerequisite to modification) with
United States v. Lussier, 104 F.3d 32, 36 (2d Cir. 1997)("Section
3583 provides the district court with retained authority to . . .
modify terms and conditions [of supervised release] . . . in order
to account for new or unforseen circumstances.").
In light of the potential consequences that could flow from a
complete inability to enter Suffolk County, a somewhat relaxed
showing might suffice to obtain a modification of the supervised
release condition here.
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trespass" orders at Bromley-Heath, and that Carrasquillo was
subject to a wider order prohibiting him from entering any public
housing project in Boston. But this case does not include the
fulsome record present Sicher, nor do the appellants' records
evince the same level of criminality that the Sixth Circuit found
sufficient to support a prohibition from entering the defendant's
reservation in Alexander. Thus, exclusion from all of Suffolk
County could be a large leap, if the sentencing court had evidence
regarding the suitability of a more circumscribed geographic
boundary.
But the defendants did not offer any of these arguments
below, nor did they suggest any alternative, more limited,
exclusion boundary to aid the district court in the exercise of its
discretion. Therefore, as we have noted, the condition of
supervised release is subject only to plain error review, and the
condition meets this minimal hurdle. In order to show a district
court committed plain error, a defendant must demonstrate (1) the
existence of an error; (2) that it is plain; (3) that such plain
error affected substantial rights; and (4) that left uncorrected,
such error seriously affects the fairness integrity or public
reputation of judicial proceedings. United States v. Carrasco, 540
F.3d 43, 42 (1st Cir. 2008); see also United States v. Olano, 507
U.S. 725, 732 (1993).
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Although it is axiomatic that the constitutional rights
of supervised releasees and probationers are limited, United States
v. Knights, 534 U.S. 112, 119 (2001), such individuals, by virtue
of their status, do not forfeit all of their constitutional rights.
Yet, even assuming that exclusion from all of Suffolk County for a
lengthy period would unjustifiably impinge the defendants'
fundamental rights, we cannot conclude that leaving the imposed
condition intact would bring judicial proceedings into public
disrepute. The record, which indicates that both defendants have
committed several criminal offenses, including drug offenses at
Bromley-Heath, and further that both defendants have violated prior
"no trespass" orders with respect to Bromley-Heath, provides some
support for the condition of supervised release. Moreover, this
condition expressly preserves the defendants' ability to return to
the district court for modification of the condition. The
condition does not constitute a miscarriage of justice.
Accordingly, we affirm the denial of credit for
acceptance of responsibility with respect to defendant
Carrasquillo, and, noting again that the supervised release
condition is without prejudice to their rights to petition for
modification of the condition, we affirm the condition of
supervised release with respect to both defendants.
It is so ordered.
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