No. 13-6017
Appeal from the United States District Court for the District of
South Carolina, at Spartanburg.
J. Michelle Childs, District
Judge. (7:07-cr-00711-JMC-5)
Submitted:
SHEDD,
Decided:
Circuit
Judges,
and
May 3, 2013
HAMILTON,
Senior
PER CURIAM:
In 2008, Nathaniel Maurice Gaffney was sentenced to
135 months imprisonment following his conviction for conspiracy
to
distribute
and
possess
with
intent
to
distribute
five
In
of
. . .
imprisonment
based
on
of
defendant
sentencing
who
has
[Guidelines]
been
range
sentenced
that
has
18 U.S.C. 3582(c)(2);
for
sentence
reduction
Even if a defendant
based
on
Guidelines
the
discretion
of
the
court.
See
USSG
1B1.10,
cmt.
(backgd); United States v. Munn, 595 F.3d 183, 186 (4th Cir.
2
2010).
its
exercise,
or
if
it
bases
its
exercise
of
DIRECTV,
Inc. v. Rawlins, 523 F.3d 318, 323 (4th Cir. 2008) (internal
quotation marks omitted).
Gaffney
argued
in
the
district
court
that
his
The
required
FSA
to
increased
trigger
the
threshold
certain
quantities
mandatory
minimum
of
crack
sentences.
sentenced
after
its
effective
date
of
August
3,
2010.
v.
Bullard,
645
F.3d
237,
246-49
(4th
Cir.),
cert.
that
the
mandatory
minimum
appellate
review
of
(providing
that
this
briefs).
For
FSA
did
not
sentence.
these
this
court
lower
Gaffneys
statutory
Gaffney
forfeited
Therefore,
claim.
See
considers
reasons,
we
4th
only
affirm
the
Cir.
issues
R.
34(b)
raised
district
in
courts
mandatory minimum sentence was not reduced by the FSA and that
he was not eligible for a sentence reduction based on the FSA.
However, the district court denied 3582(c)(2) relief
without
addressing
Gaffneys
eligibility
for
to
the
involving
Guidelines
certain
retroactive.
759.
lowered
the
offense
quantities
of
crack
levels
cocaine
sentence
Amendment
for
crimes
and
is
contentions
this
court
are
adequately
and
argument
presented
would
not
in
aid
the
the
materials
decisional
process.
AFFIRMED IN PART,
VACATED IN PART,
AND REMANDED