USA v. Michael A. Simmons

[DO NOT PUBLISH]
In the
United States Court of Appeals
For the Eleventh Circuit
____________________
No. 22-13920
Non-Argument Calendar
____________________
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,
Plaintiff-Appellee,
versus
MICHAEL A. SIMMONS,
Defendant-Appellant.
____________________
Appeal from the United States District Court
for the Southern District of Florida
D.C. Docket No. 1:03-cr-21012-CMA-1
____________________
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2 Opinion of the Court 22-13920
Before J ORDAN , L AGOA, and JULIE C ARNES , Circuit Judges.
PER CURIAM:
Defendant Michael Simmons, a federal prisoner, appeals the
district court’s denial of his motion for compassionate release pur-
suant to 18 U.S.C. § 3582(c). We discern no error in the district
court’s order, and thus affirm.
BACKGROUND
Defendant was indicted in 2003 on multiple counts involv-
ing conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine and crack
cocaine in violation of 21 U.S.C. §§ 841(a)(1) and 846, conspiracy to
possess with intent to distribute marijuana in violation of 21 U.S.C.
§§ 841(a)(1) and 846, conspiracy to use and carry a firearm during
and in relation to drug trafficking crimes in violation of 18 U.S.C.
§ 924(c)(1)(A), possessing and brandishing a firearm in furtherance
of drug trafficking crimes in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 924(c)(1)(A),
and possession of a firearm as a convicted felon in violation of 18
U.S.C. § 924(g)(1) and (e). As described in the Presentence Investi-
gation Report (“PSR”), the indictment stemmed from an encounter
between Defendant and Miami-Dade police detectives at a “drug
hole” in an open field in Opa Locka, Florida. When detectives ap-
proached the field, they saw Defendant carrying an AK-47 style rifle
with an extended capacity magazine. Defendant discarded the rifle
and attempted to flee, but he was arrested within a few minutes as
he tried to pass through a police perimeter. Detectives later found
the rifle in a nearby bush, and they seized several dozen baggies of
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22-13920 Opinion of the Court 3
cocaine, crack cocaine, and marijuana—all packaged for sale—
from Defendant and other men arrested on the scene.
Defendant told detectives in a post-arrest statement that he
had been in the drug trade for years, and that he was currently
working as a gunman for the Opa Locka drug hole. A criminal rec-
ords check revealed that Defendant was a convicted felon at the
time of his arrest.
Defendant pled guilty to all the counts set out above except
the § 924(c) count for conspiring to use a firearm during a drug traf-
ficking crime, which the Government agreed to dismiss. The PSR
assigned Defendant a base offense level of 26 under USSG
§ 2K2.1(a)(1) and, following a series of adjustments not relevant to
this appeal, set his total offense level at 29. The PSR determined
Defendant’s criminal history category to be VI because of his career
offender status. Applying USSG § 4B1.1(c)(2)(A), the PSR calcu-
lated Defendant’s recommended guidelines range to be 300 to 308
months. The district court sentenced Defendant to a total of 300
months in prison, comprised of 180 months as to each of the co-
caine counts and the felon in possession count and 60 months on
the marijuana count, all to run concurrently and to be followed by
a consecutive term of 120 months for the § 924(c) count.
Defendant filed a motion in 2019 to reduce his sentence pur-
suant to § 404 of the First Step Act of 2018 (the “First Step Act”),
arguing that he was eligible for a sentence reduction pursuant to
the Fair Sentencing Act of 2010 and its modifications to mandatory
minimums in cases involving crack cocaine. The district court
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4 Opinion of the Court 22-13920
denied the motion, and this Court affirmed the denial. See United
States v. Simmons, 2021 WL 3140300, at *2 (11th Cir. July 26, 2021)
(holding that Defendant’s conviction under § 841(b)(1)(C) was not
a “covered offense” under the First Step Act because the Fair Sen-
tencing Act had not modified the statutory penalties for that sub-
section).
In September 2022, Defendant filed a pro se motion for com-
passionate release pursuant to 18 U.S.C. § 3582(c)(1)(A). As
amended by the First Step Act, that statute authorizes a district
court to reduce a defendant’s sentence if the reduction is warranted
by “extraordinary and compelling reasons” and if it is consistent
with the sentencing factors set forth in 18 U.S.C. § 3553(a) and the
applicable Guidelines policy statements. See 18 U.S.C.
§ 3582(c)(1)(A)(i).1 In support of his motion, Defendant argued that
he was entitled to compassionate release based on the Supreme
Court’s decision in Concepcion v. United States, 597 U.S. 481 (2022)
and this Court’s decision in United States v. Jackson, 36 F.4th 1294
(11th Cir.), vacated, No. 21-13963 (11th Cir. 2022), and superseded,
55 F.4th 846 (11th Cir. 2022), cert. granted, 143 S. Ct. 2457 (2023). In
Concepcion, the Supreme Court held that district courts may con-
sider “intervening changes of law” in adjudicating a First Step Act
motion. Concepcion, 597 U.S. at 484. In Jackson, a panel of this
1 Section 3582(c)(1)(A) also authorizes a sentence reduction under certain cir-
cumstances if “the defendant is at least 70 years of age” but Defendant does
not argue that he qualifies for an age-based sentence reduction. See 18 U.S.C.
§ 3582(c)(1)(A)(ii).
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22-13920 Opinion of the Court 5
Court held that a defendant’s prior Florida convictions for sale and
possession with intent to sell cocaine were not “serious drug of-
fenses” under the Armed Career Criminal Act (“ACCA”) because,
applying the categorical approach and assuming the convictions in-
volved ioflupane, ioflupane was no longer a controlled substance
under federal law at the time the defendant committed his federal
firearms offense. See Jackson, 36 F.4th at 1304. Defendant argued
in his motion that he potentially would be subject to a shorter sen-
tence after this Court’s decision in Jackson, warranting a modifica-
tion to his sentence pursuant to Concepcion.
The district court appointed defense counsel to represent
Defendant and ordered the parties to brief, among other issues,
whether the holding in Jackson that a conviction for the sale of co-
caine in violation of Florida Statutes § 983.13 did not qualify as a
“serious drug offense” under the ACCA was an “intervening
change of law” warranting consideration of a sentence reduction
for Defendant. Through his newly appointed counsel, Defendant
filed a notice indicating that he agreed with the Government that
Jackson did not constitute an intervening change of law because it
had been vacated and superseded by a new decision that no longer
supported his argument. See United States v. Jackson, 55 F.4th 846,
862 (11th Cir. 2022) (holding that the defendant’s Florida cocaine
convictions were, in fact, “serious drug offense[s]” under the
ACCA). Defendant stated in the notice that he disagreed with this
Court’s decision in United States v. Bryant, 996 F.3d 1243 (11th Cir.
2021) limiting the “extraordinary and compelling” circumstances
that authorize a court to grant a sentence reduction under
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6 Opinion of the Court 22-13920
§ 3582(c)(1)(A) to those circumstances that were, at that time, set
out in Application Notes 1(A) through (C) to USSG § 1B1.13—that
is, the defendant’s (1) serious medical condition, (2) age, or (3) qual-
ifying family circumstances. Nevertheless, Defendant acknowl-
edged that the court was bound by Bryant. Based on these submis-
sions, the district court denied Defendant’s motion.
Defendant appeals, arguing that the district court erred by
denying his motion for compassionate release pursuant to Bryant.
According to Defendant, Bryant has been undermined to the point
of abrogation by this Court’s en banc decision in United States v.
Dupree, 57 F.4th 1269 (11th Cir. 2023). As discussed below, we do
not agree that Dupree abrogated Bryant. Moreover, given the de-
velopments in Jackson, Defendant failed to present to the district
court any viable basis for granting his motion for a sentence reduc-
tion under § 3582(c)(1)(A). Accordingly, we affirm the district
court’s denial of the motion.
DISCUSSION
We review de novo whether a defendant is eligible for com-
passionate release under § 3582(c).2 United States v. Giron, 15 F.4th
2 The Government urges us to apply the plain error standard of review, based
on Defendant’s concession below that Bryant was binding on the district court.
We decline to do so. Defendant stated in his briefing below that he disagreed
with Bryant, and he specifically argued that the court should not be limited by
the commentary to §1B1.13 when determining whether there were extraordi-
nary and compelling circumstances justifying a sentence reduction in his case.
Accordingly, we review de novo the district court’s ruling on Defendant’s eligi-
bility for relief under § 3582(c). See Giron, 15 F.4th at 1345.
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22-13920 Opinion of the Court 7
1343, 1345 (11th Cir. 2021). Once eligibility is established, we re-
view the denial of a defendant’s motion for compassionate release
under § 3582(c) for an abuse of discretion. See id. “A district court
abuses its discretion if it applies an incorrect legal standard, follows
improper procedures in making the determination, or makes find-
ings of fact that are clearly erroneous.” United States v. Harris, 989
F.3d 908, 911–12 (11th Cir. 2021) (quoting Cordoba v. DIRECTV,
LLC, 942 F.3d 1259, 1267 (11th Cir. 2019)). The abuse of discretion
standard allows the district court a “range of choice” that we will
not reverse “just because we might have come to a different con-
clusion had it been our call to make.” See id. at 912 (quotation
marks omitted).
As amended by the First Step Act, § 3582(c)(1)(A) authorizes
the district court to grant a defendant’s motion for compassionate
release if the court finds that: (1) “extraordinary and compelling
reasons warrant” such relief and (2) the defendant’s early release is
consistent with the sentencing factors of § 3553(a) and the “appli-
cable policy statements issued by the Sentencing Commission.” 18
U.S.C. § 3582(c)(1)(A). When Defendant filed his motion and when
the district court reviewed it, the Sentencing Commission’s policy
statement identified only four categories of “extraordinary and
compelling” reasons that could make a movant eligible for a sen-
tence reduction: (1) the defendant’s serious medical condition,
(2) the defendant’s age, (3) a qualifying family circumstance involv-
ing the defendant’s status as the only potential caregiver for a mi-
nor child or spouse, and (4) “other reasons” as determined by the
Director of the Bureau of Prisons. See Bryant, 996 F.3d at 1249–50.
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8 Opinion of the Court 22-13920
This Court held in Bryant that the last “catch-all” category did not
“grant discretion to courts to develop ‘other reasons’ that might
justify a reduction in a defendant’s sentence.” Id. at 1247–48 (hold-
ing that “1B1.13 is an applicable policy statement for all [§ 3582(c)]
motions” and that district courts do not have discretion “to develop
other reasons that might justify a reduction in a defendant’s sen-
tence” (quotation marks omitted)).
Thus, the policy statement cited above, which was in effect
when Defendant filed his motion and when the district court ruled
on it, identified three extraordinary and compelling reasons that
can authorize a court to grant a motion for compassionate release
under § 3582(c). See USSG § 1B1.13, comment. n.1(A)-(C) (2021).
First, a defendant’s medical condition can constitute an extraordi-
nary and compelling reason for release if the defendant can show
he is suffering either from a “terminal illness” or a “serious physical
or medical condition” that “substantially diminishes [his] ability . . .
to provide self-care” in prison and “from which he . . . is not ex-
pected to recover.” USSG § 1B1.13, comment. n.1(A) (2021). Sec-
ond, release is permitted under certain circumstances if the defend-
ant is at least 65 years old. See USSG § 1B1.13, comment. n.1(B)
(2021). And finally, a defendant’s family circumstances can create
an extraordinary and compelling reason for release based on the
“death or incapacitation of the caregiver of the defendant’s minor
child” or the “incapacitation of the defendant’s spouse or registered
partner when the defendant would be the only available caregiver
for the spouse or registered partner.” USSG § 1B1.13, comment.
n.1(C) (2021). As noted, Bryant held that the “catch-all” allowed the
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22-13920 Opinion of the Court 9
BOP, but not the court, to determine there are other extraordinary
and compelling reasons for a particular defendant’s release. See Bry-
ant, 996 F.3d at 1263 (“We cannot replace the phrase ‘[a]s deter-
mined by the Director of the [BOP]’ with ‘as determined by a dis-
trict court.’”).
The district court correctly determined that Defendant did
not meet the standard for compassionate release set out in any of
the above provisions. Defendant did not allege a serious medical
condition, a qualifying family circumstance, or an age-related basis
for his release. He argued instead that he qualified for compassion-
ate release because: (1) changes in the law since his conviction
would result in a shorter sentence if applied in his case and (2) his
post-conviction rehabilitation efforts justified relief. Defendant
concedes on appeal, as he did below, that Bryant precludes granting
his § 3582(c)(1)(A) motion based on those factors. See Bryant, 996
F.3d at 1265 (“Because [the defendant’s] motion does not fall within
any of the reasons that [§] 1B1.13 identifies as extraordinary and
compelling, the district court correctly denied his motion for a re-
duction of his sentence.” (quotation marks omitted)).
Nevertheless, Defendant argues he is entitled to relief on ap-
peal because Bryant has been abrogated by this Court’s en banc de-
cision in Dupree. As an initial matter, we do not agree that Bryant
has been abrogated by Dupree. Dupree held that because the text of
USSG § 4B1.2 unambiguously excludes inchoate offenses from the
definition of a “controlled substance offense” under that Guideline,
it is impermissible to rely on the commentary in Application Note
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10 Opinion of the Court 22-13920
1 to § 4B1.2 to conclude that an inchoate offense does in fact so
qualify. See Dupree, 57 F.4th at 1277–79. Consistent with its hold-
ing, the Court in Dupree expressly overruled any prior precedent
holding that the commentary in Application Note 1 constitutes a
binding interpretation of § 4B1.2(b). Id. at 1280. But Dupree said
nothing about USSG § 1B1.13, the Guideline at issue in this case.
And we cannot conclude based on the very different language of
USSG § 4B1.2 and its commentary that Dupree precludes the reli-
ance on the commentary to USSG § 1B1.13 that is required by Bry-
ant. Thus, under the prior panel precedent rule, Bryant remains
binding precedent. See United States v. Dudley, 5 F.4th 1249, 1265
(11th Cir. 2021) (“Under our prior precedent rule, a prior panel’s
holding is binding on all subsequent panels unless and until it is
overruled or undermined to the point of abrogation by the Su-
preme Court or this court sitting en banc.” (quotation marks omit-
ted)).
Moreover, and even assuming Bryant had been abrogated by
Dupree, the district court’s order denying Defendant’s motion is
due to be affirmed because Defendant failed to present any viable
basis upon which to grant the motion. This Court may affirm “for
any reason supported by the record, even if not relied upon by the
district court.” United States v. Al-Arian, 514 F.3d 1184, 1189 (11th
Cir. 2008) (quotation marks omitted). Importantly, it was Defend-
ant’s burden to show that his circumstances warranted a sentence
reduction under § 3582(c)(1)(A). See United States v. Hamilton, 715
F.3d 328, 337 (11th Cir. 2013). He clearly did not meet that burden
here.
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22-13920 Opinion of the Court 11
The only “extraordinary and compelling” reasons Defend-
ant offered in support of his motion were: (1) an intervening
change in the law per this Court’s decision in Jackson and (2) his
post-conviction rehabilitation efforts. As to the first reason, alt-
hough Defendant’s career offender status based on a prior Florida
cocaine conviction might have been called into question by this
Court’s initial decision in Jackson, that decision was vacated and su-
perseded by a decision affirming that Defendant’s Florida convic-
tion does in fact qualify as a “serious drug offense” for purposes of
the ACCA. See Jackson, 55 F.4th at 859–62. Indeed, Defendant con-
ceded below, and he acknowledges on appeal, that Jackson no
longer supports his argument. Defendant argues, for the first time
on appeal, that he also is entitled to relief based on changes in the
law announced in Rehaif v. United States, 139 S. Ct. 2191 (2019), New
York State Rifle & Pistol Association, Inc. v. Bruen, 142 S. Ct. 2111
(2022), and Terry v. United States, 141 S. Ct. 1858 (2021). But De-
fendant does not explain in any detail why he is entitled to a sen-
tence reduction based on these cases, and he abandoned the cur-
sory argument he makes on appeal by failing to raise it below. See
Access Now, Inc. v. Southwest Airlines Co., 385 F.3d 1324, 1331 (11th
Cir. 2004) (“This Court has repeatedly held that an issue not raised
in the district court and raised for the first time in an appeal will not
be considered by this court.” (quotation marks omitted)).
Regarding Defendant’s second proffered reason for a sen-
tence modification, rehabilitation “is not, by itself, an extraordinary
and compelling reason” for a sentence modification. See USSG
§ 1B1.13(d). Given that there has not been a change in the relevant
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12 Opinion of the Court 22-13920
law, and that Defendant does not suggest any other circumstance
that warrants a sentence modification in his case, rehabilitation is
not a proper ground for granting his § 3582(c) motion.
Finally, we note that the relevant Guideline provisions have
been amended since the district court ruled on Defendant’s mo-
tion. The new version of the policy statement has been moved
from the commentary to the text of USSG § 1B1.13, and it includes
in its definitions of “extraordinary and compelling reasons” several
circumstances that go beyond what is contemplated by Bryant and
that are closer to the grounds Defendant asserted in his motion.
See USSG § 1B1.13(b)(5) and (6) (November 2023) (authorizing the
district court to consider “other reasons” that may justify a sen-
tence reduction, as well as a “change in the law” under certain cir-
cumstances). We cannot retroactively apply that amendment in
this appeal, however. See United States v. Handlon, 97 F.4th 829, 833
(11th Cir. 2024) (explaining that the 2023 amendment to USSG
§ 1B1.13 is a “substantive” amendment rather than a “clarifying”
amendment and, as such, it cannot be applied retroactively on ap-
peal).
In short, the district court did not err when it determined
that Defendant was ineligible for compassionate release because he
“failed to present an extraordinary and compelling reason for relief
recognized by the Sentencing Commission’s policy statement.” See
id. at 833. As this Court explained in Handlon:
Congress delegated the power to define what should
be considered extraordinary and compelling reasons
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22-13920 Opinion of the Court 13
for a sentence reduction to the Sentencing Commis-
sion, not the courts. A district court is right to reject
a rationale for a sentence reduction that does not fall
within any of the reasons that 1B1.13 identifies as ex-
traordinary and compelling.
Id. (citations and quotation marks omitted). Defendant’s asserted
changes in the law and rehabilitation efforts were “not included in
the list of reasons the Sentencing Commission considered to be ex-
traordinary and compelling, so his motion was properly denied.”
See id. (quotation marks omitted).
CONCLUSION
For the foregoing reasons, the court’s order denying De-
fendant’s § 3582(c) motion is AFFIRMED.
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