Amusing (but still quite serious) reminder of what not to do while awaiting federal sentencing

A Sixth Circuit panel yesterday issued a notable (unpublished) opinion in US v. Cadieux, No. 20-1689 (6th Cir. Mar. 15, 2021) (available here).  It is hard not to be somewhat amused by the facts of the case, but it is still important not to downplay the serious sentencing realities involved.  Here are the factual basics:

Cadieux was involved in a Michigan conspiracy to distribute marijuana in which he grew and then sold at least 100 pounds of processed marijuana over the course of two years to Andrew Bravo who then sold the drugs to others.  Cadieux was arrested and charged in December 2019 for his role in this drug-trafficking conspiracy.

He was very cooperative in the case against him.  Shortly after his arrest, he gave the government information and testified before a grand jury.  And after the court released him on bond, Cadieux entered into a plea agreement and pled guilty to conspiracy to manufacture, distribute, and possess with intent to distribute 50 kilograms or more of marijuana. While out on bond, however, Cadieux also made some poor choices.

First, he violated his conditions of release when he ate a marijuana brownie, tested positive for marijuana three times, and took two Adderall pills prescribed to someone else. Second, he discussed details of his pending criminal investigation on a local radio show, “Free Beer and Hot Wings,” after the hosts asked listeners about the easiest money they had ever made.  Cadieux told the hosts that he had made about three million dollars in past three years growing and selling marijuana.  He acknowledged that he was going to prison for it.  But he said “it was worth it” because he was only going to prison for 15 to 24 months, and he could keep the money he made because he was “good at hiding” it. (R. 173, Presentencing Report, PageID 331.)  He told them his plan was to “get out and do it again,” but he said that the next time he was “gonna do it legally . . . but in [his] wife’s name” because he couldn’t “do it in [his] name no more.” (First Call.)  One of the hosts responded, “yeah, you’ll be a felon . . . .” (Id.)  Third, after realizing the call had been a mistake, Cadieux called again and asked the show to “dump a cup of coffee on the sound board and get rid of the call” because the call had upset his attorney. (R. 185, Sentencing Hearing, PageID 597.) He offered to pay for a replacement.

After Cadieux’s call to “Free Beer and Hot Wings,” the government investigated Cadieux’s concealment of drug money.  It “identified significant sums of unexplained cash hid[den] in his bank accounts.” (Id. at 602.)  And Cadieux agreed to voluntarily forfeit $75,000, which the government believed more accurately represented his drug profits than Cadieux’s statements on the air.

Critically, Cadieux’s calls into the “Free Beer and Hot Wings” radio show ended up costing him a lot more than the forfeited $75,000.  Specifically, as a direct result of this call and his other pre-sentencing behavior, “probation’s presentence report (PSR) recommended an enhancement for obstruction of justice and refused to recommend a reduction for acceptance of responsibility.”  The sentencing court adopted these recommendations:

It found that Cadieux was not entitled to the acceptance-of-responsibility reduction for two reasons: 1) Cadieux’s statements on the radio show indicating his intent to “go right back to it” coupled with his attempts to destroy the recording and 2) Cadieux’s continued drug use in violation of bond conditions. (Id. at 609-11.) It found the obstruction enhancement appropriate because “the phone calls were relevant for sentencing”; it was particularly troubled by “the request of the radio station to ditch the tape.” (Id. at 610.) The court sentenced him to 37 months.

The Sixth Circuit panel affirms these determinations and upholds the 37 month sentence.  Given that the defendant here might have only been looking originally at a little more than year in prison, it seems that his foolish braggadocio and related pre-sentencing behavior cost him more time in prison than his offense behavior of conspiring to distribute 50 kilograms or more of marijuana.