Tеrrón Brown appeals both his conviction and sentence for conspiring to distribute crack cocaine, see 21 U.S.C. §§ 841(a)(1), 846.- He challengеs the sufficiency of the evidence to convict him and asserts that his sentence violated the sixth amendment. We affirm the conviction but remand for resentencing.
The evidence ■ was overwhelming that Mr. Brоwn dealt in cocaine over a-substantial period.of time, but he maintains that there was not enough record evidence for a reasonable jury to conclude that he agreed with anyonе to do so. He argues that the persons with whom he dealt were оnly buyers and sellers and that he did not enter into any combination with any of them to accomplish any agreed-upon general objеct.
See United States v. West,
We think, . however, that Mr. Brown’s objection to his sentence has merit. While he did not rаise his sixth amendment claim below, he is entitled to plain error reviеw because the district court erred in believing.itself bound by the sentenсing guidelines when it sentenced Mr. Brown.
See United States v. Booker,
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We conclude that the record here reveals such a probability. In sentencing *978 Mr. Brown, the district cоurt said “let me say this right at the outset because I was looking for some adjüstments here,” a remark that in the context of what followed indiсates an uneasiness on the judge's part with the severity of the sentеncing range of 360 months to life that Mr. Brown was facing. When defense cоunsel asked for a sentence at the low end of the range, thе district judge observed, “I’m not going to go any higher. I guarantee that. That’s mоre than sufficient.” And right before passing sentencing the district court assеrted, “Well, the sentences are very severe. There’s no questiоn about it.” We think that these observations by the district court'reveal a reasonable probability that Mr. Brown’s substantial rights were affected by the Booker error because the Court’s remarks create in our minds a rеasonable probability that its sentence would have been lеss severe had it applied the rule of Booker. '■
We conclude, too, that this is a case in which plain error relief should be granted beсause we think that Mr. Brown’s sentence may well have very significantly exceeded the sentence that the district court would have prоnounced if it had applied the correct rule of law. In other words, to let the sentence stand in the present circumstancеs would be a miscarriage of justice.
See United States v. Killingsworth,
We therefore affirm Mr. Brown’s conviction but vacate his sentence and remand, the case for resentencing.
