United States v. Stephen Neils

Defendant-appellant Stephen Neils appeals from a judgment of conviction and sentence entered in the United States District Court for the Northern District of New York (Lawrence E. Kahn, District Judge) following his plea of guilty to a one-count conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine base in violation of 21 U.S.C. § 846(1). The district court held that, as a “steerer,” Neils’s role was neither minimal nor minor, and therefore he was not eligible for a downward adjustment of the offense level under U.S.S.G. § 3B1.2. Neils appeals this ruling.

On September 6, the appellant met a…