USCA1 Opinion

UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS

FOR THE FIRST CIRCUIT
___________________

No. 92-2224
UNITED STATES,
Appellee,
v.
JOSE R. GONZALEZ-NEGRON,
Defendant, Appellant.
____________________
No. 93-1201
UNITED STATES,
Plaintiff, Appellee,
v.
JOSE R. GONZALEZ-NEGRON,
Defendant, Appellant.
____________
ERRATA SHEET
The opinion of
amended as follows:

this Court

On cover sheet change the

issued on

August 23,

word "Appeal" to Appeals.

1993, is

August 23, 1993

[NOT FOR PUBLICATION]
UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS
FOR THE FIRST CIRCUIT
___________________
No. 92-2224

UNITED STATES,
Appellee,
v.
JOSE R. GONZALEZ-NEGRON,
Defendant, Appellant.
__________________
No. 93-1201
UNITED STATES,
Plaintiff, Appellee,

v.
JOSE R. GONZALEZ-NEGRON,
Defendant, Appellant.
___________________
APPEALS FROM THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
FOR THE DISTRICT OF PUERTO RICO
[Hon. Hector M. Laffitte, U.S. District Judge]
___________________
___________________
Before
Cyr, Boudin and Stahl,
Circuit Judges.
______________
___________________

Benicio Sanchez Rivera, Federal Public Defendant, and Miguel

______________________
______
A.A. Nogueras-Castor, Assistant Federal Public Defender, on brief
____________________
for appellant.
Charles E. Fitzwilliam, United States Attorney, Jose A.
_______________________
________
Quiles-Espinosa,
Senior
Litigation
Counsel,
and
Ernesto
_______________
_______
Hernandez-Milan, Assistant United States Attorney, on brief for
_______________
appellee.
__________________
__________________

Per Curiam.
___________

Defendant-appellant Jose R. Gonzalez-

Negron seeks to have his sentence vacated and recalculated in

the

district

breached

its

court

on

plea

agreement

defendant contends
motion

court

found

that

Appellant further

erred

concluding that

5K1.1

departure

that

with

him.

departure, but

promise.
in

grounds

the

government

In

particular,

the government promised to

for downward

district

the

the

failed to

government

absent a

no

motion

The

no

such

district court

authority to

by the

5K1.1

do so.
made

argues that the

it had

file a

grant a

government.

We

affirm.
Background
__________
Appellant pled
indictment

charging him

guilty to two counts

with stealing

of a four-count

and concealing

firearms

contained in packages intended to be conveyed or delivered by the

Postal Service and which he came

to possess as a Postal

employee,

U.S.C.

in

924(a)(2).

In return

and two, the

three and
of

violation

of

18

1709,

922(j)

for appellant's guilty plea to

government agreed

to request

Service

and

counts one

dismissal of

counts

four and, at the time of sentence, to inform the Court

"the extent and nature of defendant's cooperation."

agreement further provided as follows:

6.

[Defendant

enters

the

agreement]

The plea

without
.
. .
promises
from the
[government] other than those explicitly
indicated in this document.

-3-

7. No additional promises,
terms or
conditions have been entered into other
than
those set forth
in this plea
agreement and none will be entered unless
in writing and signed by all parties.

The Pre-Sentence Report (PSR) set forth the following

facts.

On November

8, 1991, a registered parcel

containing two

revolvers was mailed from Birmingham, Alabama and an unregistered

parcel

containing two

Both packages were

pistols was

addressed to

Rico.

The

packages were

Office

on November 13, 1991.

mailed from

a gun shop

stolen from

Miami, Florida.

in Bayamon,

the Bayamon

Puerto

branch Post

One of appellant's co-workers told

postal inspectors that appellant was responsible for the thefts.

A few

theft, appellant sold

one of

the pistols to a Puerto Rico Police Department undercover

agent.

Appellant sold the

weeks after the

other pistol to an acquaintance for

$700.

third firearm was discovered by appellant's father in appellant's

car.

In an

interview with a postal inspector,

appellant stated

that he had

received from his co-worker

for retrieving
neighbor,

the

a minor,

packages.

He

a yellow slip of

had given

who subsequently

the

paper

slip to

obtained the

his

packages and

delivered the firearms contained therein to appellant.

The PSR

reiterated the terms of

the plea agreement,

including that "the government will . . . inform the court at the

time of

sentencing regarding the

extent and nature

cooperation is provided by the defendant."

recommended a base offense level (BOL)

of whatever

The probation officer

of 12, to be increased by

- 4 4

1 level because the offense involved more than two, but less than
five, firearms.

The PSR further recommended an upward adjustment

in the BOL of two levels

a

downward

adjustment

responsibility.

for appellant's role in the offense and

of

two

levels

for

Based upon the recommended

his

acceptance of

total offense level

of 13 and a criminal history category of I, the probation officer

arrived at a guideline imprisonment range of 12 to 18 months.
In discussing factors

that may warrant a

departure,

the PSR advised as follows:

A downward departure may be considered by
the Court based on the cooperation which
the defendant has afforded government
authorities.
According
to
Postal
Inspector J.R. Cottes, as a result of
information provided by the defendant,
accomplice Jacques Orsini-Martinez,
a
minor, was
arrested and successfully
prosecuted by state authorities.
The

PSR also

noted that

appellant had

been arrested

by local

authorities and charged with unlawful sale and illegal possession

of

a firearm,

arising

federal indictment.

out of

the

same facts

underlying

the

Trial was at that time pending in the Puerto

Rico Superior Court.

At
court

the sentencing

began by

mitigation
responded

asking appellant

of
by

punishment.
stating

government would
U.S.S.G.

hearing on

5K1.1.

that

not move for

Appellant

if he had

Appellant
he

October 7,

had

anything to

(through
been

that

his

informed

a downward departure
objected

1992, the

he

say in

counsel)
that

the

pursuant to
had

provided

- 5 5

substantial assistance to the government, resulting in successful

prosecution in the Puerto Rico courts of a minor who was involved

in

the

offense

with

him.

Appellant

government's failure to make a

contended

that

the

5K1.1 motion constituted a breach

of the plea agreement.

The
specifically
informed

court

asked,

about

the

asked

the

pursuant

to

government
the

defendant's

plea

respond

agreement,

cooperation.

stated that at the time the plea agreement

of cooperation expected from

to

The

and

to

be

government

was entered, the type

appellant was the surrender

of the

two missing firearms or the identification of the persons to whom

they'd

been

Appellant

delivered.

neither

This

delivered

cooperation
the

guns to

was
the

not

received.

government

nor

identified the persons to whom he had delivered them.

Appellant
cooperation in

then

locating the

special agent

of

argued

that

missing weapons

the federal

Bureau

him to whom he had given

addition, he had met

with one of the

provided

by meeting with
Tobacco

and

the firearms.

recipients of the

In

missing

That person was murdered on the day after the meeting,

defeating appellant's
attempted, also
other missing
argued

had

of Alcohol,

Firearms and telling

firearms.

he

that

plans to retrieve the

unsuccessfully, to
weapon.

the

In view

government's

Appellant

locate the recipient

of this
refusal

departure was arbitrary and capricious.

- 6 6

firearm.

of the

cooperation, appellant
to

move

for a

5K1.1

The district court

motion

by the

ruled that

government, and

government is

lying or

without

is not

in the

absence of

any evidence

telling the

that "the

truth or

is hiding

evidence," it was without authority to depart from the guidelines

pursuant to
twelve

U.S.S.G.

months'

"because

of

cooperated

The court sentenced

imprisonment

concurrently.
imposing

5K1.1.

The

on

sentencing

sentence

at the

[appellant's]
in a way,

each
judge

count,
explained

low

end

of

youth

and

the

not too much

appellant to
to

be

served

that

he

the guideline
fact

but in a way

that

was

range
he

has

with the local

government, but it is not enough for a departure under Section 5K

of the guidelines."
On
appeal
the

October 13,

1992,

(Appeal No. 92-2224).

district

pursuant

court

to Fed.

R.

appellant filed

a notice

of

The next day, appellant filed with

motion
Crim. P.

to

correct

35(c).

or reduce

Appellant

sentence

requested

hearing on the issue of the government's breach of its obligation

under

the plea agreement to

move for a

the guidelines pursuant to U.S.S.G.

downward departure from

5K1.1.

This court remanded

to the district court for a ruling on the Rule 35(c) motion.

The district court held a hearing on appellant's Rule

35(c) motion on January 28, 1993.
agreement

did not provide that

that the plea

the government would

reduction pursuant to U.S.S.G.

it

The court ruled

5K1.1.

move for a

Appellant protested that

was his understanding when he entered the plea agreement that

- 7 7

"the Government would advise [the court] as to what he cooperated

. . . so that [the court] could make the downward departure under

5K."

The district court, citing

agreement, providing
unless

in writing

government was

that no
and signed

only obliged to

cooperation, but not

the "zipper clause" in the plea

additional promises would

by both

parties, ruled

advise the court

to move for a

5K1.1

be made

that the

of appellant's

reduction.

The court

found that the government had met its obligation:

They complied with that part of their
agreement, and I remember they told the
court what has happened with the weapons.
So they did comply by informing the
court.
Therefore,
motion.

the district

court

denied

Appellant filed this appeal.

appellant's

Rule

35(c)

Discussion
__________
Breach of Plea Agreement
________________________

Regardless whether we apply a clearly erroneous or de

novo

standard of

review to

that the plea agreement

v.

Tilley, 964
______

erroneous

the

71 (1st

standard), with
____

5K1.1.

That

move

(applying clearly

1992) (applying de novo standard),

the plea agreement

government to

Cir. 1992)

Kingsley v. United States, 968 F.2d

________
______________

district court's finding of

found that

court's determination

was not violated, compare United States

_______ ______________

F.2d 66,

109, 114 (1st Cir.

the district

for

no breach.

The district court

did not include a

reduction of

finding is fully

we uphold

sentence

supported by the

promise by the
pursuant
record.

to

The

- 8 8

plea

agreement makes no mention

of

5K1.1.

Nor does appellant

contend that any other written or oral agreement was entered.

Appellant merely

contends that he

inferred from the

government's promise to inform the court of his cooperation

it would also

move for a

specified,

however,

additional

promises and

appellant

5K1.1

departure.

The

plea agreement

the

government

had

not

that

writing and signed by

that "none

all parties."

specifically acknowledged

promised [him] is

that

will be

any

unless in

At the guilty plea hearing,

that

included, is inserted

means that anything else which

entered

made

"everything that

was

in this document

which

is not here does not exist

or is

not binding upon the government or upon [him]."

Although appellant's reasonable understanding
government's

obligations

under

the plea

agreement

of the

should

be

enforced, in this case a promise to move for a departure under

5K1.1 could not
promise

to

cooperation.
1993

reasonably be implied from the plea agreement's

inform

the

court

of

the

extent

of

See, e.g., United States v. Massey,

___ ____ ______________
______

U.S. App. LEXIS 16409

(10th Cir. July

appellant's

No. 92-3409,

1, 1993) (rejecting

appellant's argument that plea agreement, providing only that the

government would
cooperation,
departure).
479 (1st

inform the court

obligated

the

of the extent

government

to move

of defendant's
for

5K1.1

As we said in United States v. Atwood, 963 F.2d 476,

_____________
______

Cir. 1992), "[i]t

is nose-on-the-face

- 9 9

plain that

the

[plea

agreement] did not obligate

the government to

move for a

downward departure based on appellant's cooperation."

Appellant
refused to inform
cooperation.
government
never

does

not

the court of
Rather,

promised to make a
plea

that

the

the "extent and

appellant's

refused to file a

violate the

contend

government

nature" of

complaint

is

that

his

the

5K1.1 motion.

As the government

5K1.l motion, the

government did not

agreement by

failing

to request

downward

departure.
Section 5K1.1 Departure
_______________________
Appellant
misinterpreted U.S.S.G
a

prerequisite to

argues

the

district

court

5K1.1 as requiring a government motion as

a downward

substantial assistance.

that

departure based

We disagree.

upon appellant's

Section 5K1.1 provides,

in relevant part, as follows:

Upon motion of the government stating
that
the
defendant
has
provided
substantial
assistance
in
the
investigation or prosecution of another
person who has committed an offense, the
court may depart from the guidelines.
U.S.S.G
motion

5K1.1.
is

a sine
____

As this court has recently noted, "a government

qua
___

non to
___

departure

for a

defendant's

substantial assistance, see Wade v. United States, __U.S. __, __,

___ ____
_____________
112 S.

Ct. 1840, 1843, 118

L.Ed. 2d 525

(1992). . .

." United
______

States v. Mariano, 983 F.2d 1150, 1155 (1st Cir. 1993); see also,
______
_______
___ ____
United States v. Atwood, 963 F.2d at 479.
_____________
______

In

States,
______

Court

112 S.

Ct.

1840,

the

Supreme

Wade
____

v.

held

United
______
that

the

- 10 10

government's
pursuant to

decision

not

to

move for

downward

departure

5K1.1 was subject to judicial review and reversal if

the refusal is found to be based upon an unconstitutional motive.

The Court held
file

5K1.1

that an

arbitrary refusal of

motion,

legitimate government

in

that it

end," would

"was

the government
not

related

entitle appellant

to

to any

to relief.

Id. at 1844.
__
At his sentencing hearing, appellant
government's failure to move for a
and capricious.

As

in Wade,

argued that the

5K1.1 departure was arbitrary

however, appellant's

only support

____
for his position

was the

Court in

Wade held that

____

although

a showing

relief,
case,

it is not
even

that

not entitled

move

fulfilled
names
failure

downward

departure

assistance

to relief.

at the sentencing hearing

condition for

Similarly, in this

appellant's

explained
for

Id.
__

that

was

The government

that the reason

was

The

not enough, for

a necessary

a sufficient one."

he is

provided.

"[t]his of course, was

of assistance is

assuming

"substantial,"

extent of cooperation

it did not

appellant

had

not

his promise to deliver the missing guns or provide the

of the persons

to whom

he sold

them.

The government's

to move for a departure for this reason is not arbitrary

or capricious.
that it had no
to U.S.S.G.

The district

court did not

authority to grant a downward

err in

determining

departure pursuant

5K1.1 absent a motion from the government.

Appellant's conviction and sentence are affirmed.
________

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