Nonprecedential Disposition

United States Court of Appeals
FortheSeventhCircuit
Chicago,Illinois60604
October16,2009
Before
FRANKH.EASTERBROOK,ChiefJudge
RICHARDD.CUDAHY,CircuitJudge
ANNCLAIREWILLIAMS,CircuitJudge
No.041953
UNITEDSTATESOFAMERICA,
PlaintiffAppellee,
v.
MAURICEHARRISON,
DefendantAppellant.
AppealfromtheUnitedStatesDistrict
CourtfortheNorthernDistrictof
Illinois,EasternDivision.
No.03CR1101
SuzanneB.Conlon,Judge.
ORDER
AjuryconvictedMauriceHarrisonofdistributingmorethan50gramsofcocaine
baseinviolationof21U.S.C.§841(a)(1).Atsentencing,thedistrictcourtcalculatedthe
applicablerangeundertheUnitedStatesSentencingGuidelines.Thedistrictcourt
concludedthatbasedon63gramsofcocainebase(crackcocaine),Harrison’sbaseoffense
levelwas32.Harrisonreceivedatwolevelenhancementforobstructionofjusticewhich
resultedinanadjustedoffenselevelof34.Harrison’scriminalhistorycategoryofI
producedarangeundertheguidelinesof151to188months’imprisonment.Thedistrict
courtsentencedHarrisonto151monthsinprison.
Harrisonappealedhisconvictionandsentence.Weaffirmedhisconvictionand
concludedthedistrictcourthadproperlycalculatedtheguidelinesrange.UnitedStatesv.
Harrison,431F.3d1007(7thCir.2007).BecauseHarrisonhadbeensentencedbeforethe
NONPRECEDENTIAL DISPOSITION
To be cited only in accordance with
Fed. R. App. P. 32.1

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No.041953 Page2
SupremeCourt’sdecisioninUnitedStatesv.Booker,543U.S.220(2005),weissuedalimited
remandinaccordancewiththeproceduresetforthinUnitedStatesv.Paladino,401F.3d471
(7thCir.2005).Ourlimitedremandaskedthedistrictcourtwhetheritwouldhaveimposed
thesamesentencehaditknowntheguidelineswereadvisory.Harrison,431F.3dat1014.
Thedistrictcourtrespondedthathadthesentencingguidelinesbeenadvisorywhen
itoriginallysentencedHarrison,itwouldhaveimposedthesamesentenceof151months.
Thedistrictcourtalsostatedthatithadgiventhepartiesanopportunitytosubmittheir
viewsinwriting.ThedistrictcourtnotedthatHarrisonhadsubmittedhisviewsinaprose
motionforappointmentofcounsel(heaskedthathereceiveasentenceof121months),and
itlaterstruckhisprosemotiontoreconsider.
WedeclineHarrison’srequesttoremandthiscasetoadifferentjudgewith
instructionsforresentencing.Harrison’scaseisonplainerrorreview.SeeHarrison,431
F.3dat1014;Paladino,401F.3dat48384.Thedistrictcourt’sdecisiononremandreflects
thatBookerdidnotaffectthesentenceHarrisonreceived.Inparticular,thedistrictcourt
statedthatunder18U.S.C.§3553(a),itwouldstillimposeasentenceatthelowendofthe
nowadvisoryguidelinesrangegiventhecircumstancesofHarrison’sconduct,hiscriminal
history,hislackofremorseandlackofrecidivism,andthenecessityofpublicprotection.
ThedistrictcourtnotedfurtherthatHarrisonhadperjuredhimselfduringtrialandalsothat
credibleevidencehadbeenpresentedthatHarrisonhadsoldcrackinthepast.Becausethe
outcomewouldhavebeenthesamehadtheguidelinesbeenadvisory,therecanbeno
“plainerror.”SeeUnitedStatesv.Olano,507U.S.725,734(1993)(towarrantreversalonplain
errorreview,errormusthaveaffectedtheappellant’ssubstantialrights,whichinthe
ordinarycasemeanstheappellantmustdemonstratethatit“affectedtheoutcomeofthe
districtcourtproceedings,”andappellatecourthasdiscretiontoremedytheerrorifit
seriouslyaffectsthefairness,integrity,orpublicreputationofjudicialproceedings).We
alsonotethatalthoughHarrisonmaintainsthatneitherhenorhisappellatecounsel
receivedthedistrictcourt’sorderinvitingthepartiestosubmittheirviewsuponremandby
January9,2006,Harrison’sappellatecounselacknowledgesthatthegovernmentservedits
December19,2005submissionregardingthePaladinoremanduponappellatecounsel,
whichwaswellinadvanceofthesubmissiondeadline.Finally,thedecisiontosentence
Harrisontothelowendoftheguidelinesrangewasreasonableunderthecircumstances.
Wethereforeaffirmthejudgmentofthedistrictcourt.
Anotherdevelopmenthasalsotakenplace.Althoughastatutorymandatory
minimumsentenceof10yearsstillapplies,see21U.S.C.§841(b)(1)(A),theUnitedStates
SentencingCommissionhasissuednewguidelinesthatretroactivelyreducedthe100:1ratio
betweencrackcocaineandpowdercocaineguidelinerangesthatappliedwhenHarrison
wassentenced.SeeU.S.S.G.Supp.toApp.C.,pp.22631(2007)(Amendment706);U.S.S.G.
Supp.toApp.C.,p.253(Amendment713).Thenewguidelinerangeforapersonheld

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No.041953 Page3
responsiblefor63gramsofcrackcocainewithatwolevelenhancementandacriminal
historycategoryofIis121to151months.ThismeansthatHarrisoncannowfileamotion
forareductioninhissentencepursuantto18U.S.C.§3582(c)(2).(Thedistrictcourtmay
alsoreducethesentenceonitsowninitiative,orthedirectorofthebureauofprisonsmay
fileamotioninsteadofthedefendant.18U.S.C.3582(c)(2).).

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