United States v. Brown

BOUDIN, Circuit Judge.

In December 2003, Robert Brown III was serving the tail end of a federal sentence for a prior cocaine trafficking offense at Pharos House, a Bureau of Prisons community corrections facility in Portland, Maine. Another resident, after testing positive for cocaine use, told federal agents that one of those supplying him drugs had said that Brown was the dealer’s supplier. In January 2004, that resident, cooperating with federal agents, made a controlled purchase of 2.4 grams of cocaine from Brown.

Brown was indicted for possession with intent to distribute cocaine, in…