govinfo:USCOURTS-ohnd-1_20-cr-00707-2

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT 
NORTHERN DISTRICT OF OHIO 
 
 
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, 
 
 Plaintiff, 
 
v. 
 
MICHAEL SMITH, 
 
 Defendant. 
 
: 
: 
: 
: 
: 
: 
: 
: 
: 
: 
: 
 
CASE NO. 1:20-cr-00707-7 
 
ORDER 
[Resolving Doc. 378] 
 
 
JAMES S. GWIN, UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT JUDGE: 
 
Defendant Michael Smith moves for a sentence reduction under 18 U.S.C. 
§ 3582(c)(2) and U.S. Sentencing Guidelines Amendment 821.
1 
Amendment 821 changes the assignment of “status points” for criminal history 
calculations.  For defendants with seven or more criminal history points, Amendment 821 
reduces those defendants’ status points to one point. 2  For defendants with six or fewer 
criminal history points, Amendment 821 reduces those defendants’ status points to zero.3 
Although Amendment 821 applies retroactively, a district court may not modify a 
defendant’s sentence based on a retroactive amendment unless the defendant is eligible 
under U.S. Sentencing Guidelines § 1B1.10.4  And under § 1B1.10(a)(2)(B), a defendant is 
not eligible if applying the retroactive amendment does not lower the defendant’s guideline 
range.5 
 
1 Doc. 378. 
2 Amendment 821, https://www.ussc.gov/guidelines/amendment/821.  
3 Id. 
4 Dillon v. United States, 560 U.S. 817, 827 (2010). 
5 U.S.S.G. § 1B1.10(a)(2)(B). 
Case: 1:20-cr-00707-JPC  Doc #: 393  Filed:  02/07/24  1 of 2.  PageID #: <pageID>
Case No. 1:20-cr-00707-7 
GWIN, J. 
 
- 2 - 
In this case, the Court sentenced Defendant Smith using the guideline calculation for 
Criminal History Category III, because Smith had six total points. 6  Applying Amendment 
821, Smith’s criminal history points are reduced to four.  But that does not change Smith’s 
Criminal History Category7 and therefore does not change Smith’s guideline range. 
For this reason, Defendant Smith is not eligible for a sentence reduction under 
Amendment 821 and § 3582(c)(2).  The Court DENIES the sentence reduction motion. 
 
 IT IS SO ORDERED. 
 
Dated: February 7, 2024 s/ James S. Gwin   
JAMES S. GWIN 
UNITED STATES DISTRICT JUDGE 
 
 
6 Doc. 273 at PageID #: 1705; Doc. 247 at PageID #: 1444. 
7 See U.S.S.G. Ch. 5, Pt. A (Sentencing Table). 
Case: 1:20-cr-00707-JPC  Doc #: 393  Filed:  02/07/24  2 of 2.  PageID #: <pageID>

Passage view · GavelSight