United States v. Doe
United States v. Doe
Opinion of the Court
Before the Court is a request by the Federal Bureau of Investigation for authorization to contact the defendant, [John Doe], and to solicit his assistance as a confidential informant.
At the conclusion of his trial, the defendant was convicted of possession and conspiracy to possess marijuana with the intent to distribute. On [MM/DD/YY], the Court sentenced the defendant to a prison term of seventy-one months, followed by a four-year term of supervised release. After entry of judgment, the United States lodged several requests to reduce the defendant’s sentence based on his substantial assistance in other criminal investigations. These requests were founded putatively on Rule 35, Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure, which in some circumstances invests the Court with jurisdiction to consider motions filed by the Department of Justice to reduce a defendant’s sentence after the sentence is imposed. The Court denied those requests as untimely; the Eleventh Circuit affirmed. United States v. [John Doe], Appeal No. [**_****] (nth Cir. [MM/DD/YY]).
Exhausting all means of obtaining a sentence reduction from the judiciary, the Department of Justice successfully petitioned the President of the United States. According to the United States Probation Office’s [MM/DD/YY], memorandum to the Court, “[Mr. Doe] received an Executive Grant of Clemency on [MM/DD/YY], by President William J. Clinton, commuting the confinement portion of the sentence, leaving intact and in effect the remaining provisions of the sentence including the four year term of supervised release, which is scheduled to expire on [MM/DD/YY].”
The commutation by the President followed the recommendation of the Pardon Attorney. According to Section 1-2.108 of the United States Attorneys Manual, “[t]he role of the Pardon Attorney is to assist the President in the exercise of his power under Article II, Section 2, clause 1 of the Constitution (the pardon clause), Executive Order dated June 16, 1893 (transferring clemency functions to the Justice Department), the Rules Governing Petitions for Executive Clemency (codified in 28 CFR 1.1 et seq.) and 28 CFR 0.35 and 0.36. (relating to the authority of the Pardon Attorney).” Section 1-2.108 further provides that “appropriate grounds for considering clemency ... include[ ] ... meritorious service rendered to the government by the [defendant], e.g., cooperation with investigative or prosecutorial efforts that has not been adequately rewarded by other official action.”
Presumably considering all factors relevant to the defendant’s sentence, the President determined that the defendant should serve the remaining term of his su
Accordingly, in consideration of the inadequate supporting record, the Bureau’s request is DENIED.
On [MM/DD/YY], the Court denied a similar request by the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office in connection with Mr. [Doe].
Reference
- Full Case Name
- United States v. [John DOE]
- Status
- Published