United States v. Showalter ( 1997 )

UNPUBLISHED
UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS
FOR THE FOURTH CIRCUIT
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,
Plaintiff-Appellee,
v. No. 96-4107
SHAWN SHOWALTER,
Defendant-Appellant.
Appeal from the United States District Court
for the Northern District of West Virginia, at Wheeling.
Frederick P. Stamp, Jr., Chief District Judge.
(CR-95-22)
Submitted: December 19, 1996
Decided: January 3, 1997
Before ERVIN and MOTZ, Circuit Judges, and BUTZNER,
Senior Circuit Judge.
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Dismissed by unpublished per curiam opinion.
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COUNSEL
William C. Gallagher, CASSIDY, MYERS, COGAN, VOEGELIN &
TENNANT, L.C., Wheeling, West Virginia, for Appellant. William
D. Wilmoth, United States Attorney, Sam G. Nazzaro, Assistant
United States Attorney, Wheeling, West Virginia, for Appellee.
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Unpublished opinions are not binding precedent in this circuit. See
Local Rule 36(c).
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OPINION
PER CURIAM:
Shawn Showalter appeals the 120-month sentence he received after
he pled guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and
to distribute crack cocaine in violation of 21 U.S.C.A. § 846 (West
Supp. 1996). He contends that the district court erred by not granting
his request for a departure from criminal history category II because
it overstated his prior criminal history and the likelihood that he
would commit further crimes and because it prevented him from qual-
ifying for the safety valve provision in 18 U.S.C.A.§ 3553(f) (West
Supp. 1996), and U.S.S.G. § 5C1.2.* We dismiss the appeal.
At sentencing, the district court recognized its authority to depart
but chose not to based on the evidence presented at the hearing. The
court concluded that Showalter's criminal history category was not
overstated because he committed the instant offense while on proba-
tion. The district court's discretionary decision not to depart is not
appealable. United States v. Bayerle, 898 F.2d 28, 31 (4th Cir.), cert.
denied, 498 U.S. 819 (1990).
To the extent Showalter claims that his sentence is appealable
because the court misapplied the safety valve provision, we reject
his claim. To be eligible for a sentence under the safety valve provi-
sion, a defendant must not "have more than 1 criminal history point,
as determined under the sentencing guidelines." 18 U.S.C.A.
§ 3553(f)(1); U.S.S.G. § 5C1.2(1). Application Note 1 to U.S.S.G.
§ 5C1.2 states that the phrase "as determined under the sentencing
guidelines," means "as determined under U.S.S.G. § 4A1.1 (Criminal
History Category)." Even if the court had departed from criminal his-
tory category II, Showalter would not have been eligible for the safety
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*United States Sentencing Commission, Guidelines Manual (Nov.
1995).
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valve provision because he had three criminal history points under
U.S.S.G. § 4A1.1. See United States v. Resto, 74 F.3d 22, 27-28 (2d
Cir. 1996).
Accordingly, we dismiss the appeal. We dispense with oral argu-
ment because the facts and legal contentions are adequately presented
in the materials before the court and argument would not aid the deci-
sional process.
DISMISSED
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