Opinions of the United
2004 Decisions States Court of Appeals
for the Third Circuit
9-30-2004
USA v. Clarke
Precedential or Non-Precedential: Non-Precedential
Docket No. 03-1223
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"USA v. Clarke" (2004). 2004 Decisions. Paper 318.
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NOT PRECEDENTIAL
UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS
FOR THE THIRD CIRCUIT
No. 03-1223
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
v.
MERVILLE ADOLPHY CLARKE,
Appellant
Appeal from the United States District Court
for the District of New Jersey
(D.C. Criminal No. 02-cr-00633)
District Judge: Honorable Joseph E. Irenas
Submitted Under Third Circuit LAR 34.1(a)
September 27, 2004
Before: RENDELL, FUENTES and SMITH, Circuit Judges.
(Filed: September 30, 2004)
OPINION OF THE COURT
RENDELL, Circuit Judge.
Merville Adolphy Clarke was charged with conspiracy to distribute and to possess
with intent to distribute more than 500 grams of cocaine in violation of 21 U.S.C. § 846.
He pled guilty on October 8, 2002. Subsequently, he was sentenced to 78 months
imprisonment to be followed by four years of supervised release. Counsel has filed a
brief pursuant to Anders v. California, 386 U.S. 738 (1967), requesting permission to
withdraw because after a conscientious review of the record he is unable to find any non-
frivolous issues for appeal. Clarke was given notice of his counsel’s intent to withdraw
and has not filed a pro se brief. We have jurisdiction under 28 U.S.C. § 1291 and 18
U.S.C. § 3742(a). For the reasons stated below, we will grant counsel’s motion to
withdraw and affirm the District Court’s judgment of sentence.
Evaluation of an Anders brief requires a two-fold inquiry: (1) whether counsel has
thoroughly examined the record for appealable issues and has explained why any such
issues are frivolous; and (2) whether an independent review of the record presents any
nonfrivolous issues. United States v. Youla, 241 F.3d 296, 300 (3d Cir. 2001). Where
the Anders brief appears adequate on its face, our review is limited to the portions of the
record identified in the brief, along with any issues raised by an appellant in a pro se brief.
See id. at 301. We conclude that the brief in this case is adequate and, in the absence of a
pro se brief by the appellant, it will guide our independent review of the record.
Pursuant to his obligation under the first prong of our analysis, counsel has
identified a single issue that could arguably support an appeal: whether the District Court
erred in not applying a downward adjustment to Clarke’s 78-month sentence pursuant to
U.S.S.G. § 3B1.2(b) based on his minor role in the offense. Because counsel did not raise
this issue at sentencing, our review is limited to plain error. See Fed. R. Crim. P. 52(b).
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Under § 3B1.2 of the Sentencing Guidelines, a defendant’s offense level may be
decreased by four levels where the defendant is “a minimal participant,” by two levels
where the defendant is a “minor participant,” or by three levels where the defendant’s
participation is somewhere in-between. In determining whether a defendant was a
minimal or minor participant in the offense, a district court must consider the defendant’s
relative culpability as compared with the other participants. United States v. Isaza-
Zapata, 148 F.3d 236, 242 (3d Cir. 1998). According to the comments of the Sentencing
Guidelines, a minor participant is “any participant who is less culpable than most other
participants, but whose role could not be described as minimal.” U.S. Sentencing
Guidelines Manual § 3B1.2, cmt. n.5 (2001). A minimal participant is one “plainly
among the least culpable of those involved in the conduct of a group.” Id. at cmt. n.4
(noting the downward adjustment for a minimal participant is intended to be used
infrequently). Furthermore, under our case law, we consider the following factors in
determining whether the defendant was a minor participant: “(1) the defendant’s
awareness of the nature and scope of the criminal enterprise; (2) the nature of the
defendant’s relationship to the other participants; and (3) the importance of the
defendant’s actions to the success of the venture.” United States v. Brown, 250 F.3d 811,
819 (3d Cir. 2001) (citing United States v. Headley, 923 F.2d 1079, 1084 (3d Cir. 1991)).
Here, for essentially all the reasons counsel points out, we agree that Clarke was
simply not a minor participant. The record clearly shows that Clarke actively recruited
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and engaged another in the conspiracy and that he was fully aware of the nature and scope
of the criminal enterprise insofar as he knew what he was transporting, where the
narcotics had come from, and to whom he was to deliver the package. Further, his role as
a mule was essential to the ultimate success of the conspiracy. For all the above reasons,
failure to apply a downward adjustment under § 3B1.2 of the Sentencing Guidelines was
not plain error and would not support an appeal.
Our independent review of the record yields no other non-frivolous arguments that
could possibly support an appeal and we are satisfied that all the requirements of
Anders have been met. Accordingly, we will AFFIRM the judgment of the District Court
and, in a separate order, GRANT counsel’s motion to withdraw.
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