United States v. Ramirez-Maldonado, No. 18-2068 (8th Cir. 2019)
Annotate this CaseDefendants Llamas and Parra appealed their convictions for drug trafficking crimes. Parra and another codefendant, Ramirez, appealed their sentences. The Eighth Circuit affirmed the convictions, holding that the evidence of Llamas's guilt was overwhelming and ample evidence also supported Parra's conviction; the district court did not procedurally err in calculating Parra's sentencing guidelines range and did not commit clear error in calculating the drug quantity on the evidence presented where officers seized over 445 grams of cocaine and two kilogram-sized wrappers from the stash house where Parra was staying; and the district court did not clearly err by denying Ramirez a minor role reduction under USSG 3B1.2(b) where he was involved in the conspiracy for at least three months and delivered drugs to Llamas on at least one if not two occasions.
Court Description: Grasz, Author, with Gruender and Benton, Circuit Judges] Criminal Cases - Conviction and Sentencing. On appeal of sufficiency of evidence and sentencing by three co-defendants, there was overwhelming evidence of Llamas's guilt of conspiring to distribute more than 500 grams of methamphetamine and more than 500 grams of cocaine and Parra's conspiracy to distribute less than 500 grams of cocaine. District court did not commit clear error in calculating the drug quantity to which Parra was accountable; as officers seized over 445 grams of cocaine and two-kilogram-sized wrappers from the stash house where Parra was staying, sufficient under a preponderance of the evidence standard. Ramirez challenges the district court's denial of a minor-role reduction. The district court's rejection of the reduction was consistent with the evidence and was not clear error.
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