United States v. Patillo
United States District Court for the Central District of California
817 F. Supp. 839 (1993)
- Written by Arlyn Katen, JD
Facts
In 1992, Johnny Patillo (defendant) pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute about 681 grams of crack cocaine (or cocaine base). Patillo claimed that a neighbor offered him $500 to mail a package. Patillo admitted that he knew the package contained illegal drugs but maintained that he did not know the type or amount of drugs. Patillo suffered extraordinary financial pressures at the time he mailed the package due to debts from student loans, credit cards, phone bills, and unpaid rent. At the time Patillo was sentenced, Patillo was a 27-year-old Black man who had a college degree, a steady job until he was incarcerated, and no criminal record. Based solely on the type and quantity of drugs that Patillo possessed, the United States Sentencing Guidelines (the guidelines) suggested a standard-sentencing range from 12 years and seven months to 15 years, and a federal statute, 21 U.S.C. § 841(b)(1)(A), imposed a 10-year mandatory-minimum sentence. The district court postponed Patillo’s sentencing hearing several times, seeking any reasoned basis for finding that the court was not required to impose the 10-year mandatory-minimum sentence.
Rule of Law
Issue
Holding and Reasoning (Letts, J.)
What to do next…
Here's why 832,000 law students have relied on our case briefs:
- Written by law professors and practitioners, not other law students. 46,500 briefs, keyed to 994 casebooks. Top-notch customer support.
- The right amount of information, includes the facts, issues, rule of law, holding and reasoning, and any concurrences and dissents.
- Access in your classes, works on your mobile and tablet. Massive library of related video lessons and high quality multiple-choice questions.
- Easy to use, uniform format for every case brief. Written in plain English, not in legalese. Our briefs summarize and simplify; they don’t just repeat the court’s language.