Douglas Lindsay

#93001-071
                
Federal Sentence: Life in prison without parole
Offense: Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute and Distribution of Cocaine and Cocaine Base
Court: South Carolina District Court
Priors: None
Date of Sentencing: 12/20/96
Date of Birth: 5/16/68
Projected Release Date: None
 
Nature of Offense: In 1996, Douglas was implicated in a 14-person crack cocaine conspiracy.  While all his other coconspirators pled guilty and cooperated with the government, Douglas opted for a trial on the advice of his attorney, despite Douglas’ interest in the government’s plea bargain.  This decision proved disastrous.  Seven coconspirators testified that he was one of the leaders of the conspiracy and that he ran a crack house from 1990-1994.  Moreover, Douglas feels that his lawyer was distracted and ill prepared for his trial.  During the time he represented Douglas, his lawyer had been indicted for bribing witnesses and would later be convicted and sentenced to ten years in prison. 
 
Douglas’ fate would be much worse.  This first-time, nonviolent offender was found guilty and sentenced to life imprisonment.  No guns were involved nor were any drugs ever found on him.  Douglas explains that the crack house he allegedly operated for four years belonged to his aunt, who was an addict.  This alleged leader of a crack cocaine conspiracy had no financial assets, as determined by his Pre-Sentence Report, and was exempted from paying any financial penalties upon conviction. 
 
Douglas does not claim complete innocence.  He admits he sold crack on weekends to addicts in his neighborhood in 1991.  During this time, he was attending Piedmont Technical College during the day and working full-time as a Mental Retardation Specialist at Whitten Center at night.  Admittedly, he exercised poor judgment when he chose to sell drugs for supplemental income.  When his brothers later became addicted, he saw firsthand the devastating consequences of his decision.  Of this time, Douglas writes, “Sometimes it has to hit home before one can really see the damage he has caused.”  Douglas claims it was this realization that stopped him from selling crack cocaine and prompted him to try to help his brothers overcome their addictions. 
 
Sentences of Others Involved: According to Douglas, the seven codefendants that testified against him all received reduced sentences. 
 
Guideline Sentence: Douglas was convicted for at least 1 kilogram of crack cocaine.  This amount equates to a base offense level of 36.  The government then added 4-points for his alleged role as a leader/organizer of a conspiracy.  In addition the government added 2-points for obstructing justice because Douglas submitted signed affidavits from two of his codefendants stating that he was not involved with the case.  All these enhancements raised Douglas’ total offense level to 42, and even though he had no criminal history points and a criminal history category of I, Douglas’ guideline range was still 360 months to life in prison.       
 
Personal Background:  Other than his poor decision to sell crack cocaine, Douglas Linsday has led an admirable life of service to others.  After graduating high school, Douglas enlisted in the army and served his country for four years at Ft. Riley Army base in Kansas before being honorably discharged in July of 1990.  His next choice of service in life was equally admirable: from 1991 to 1994, Douglas was employed at the Whitten Center as a Mental Retardation Specialist.  He found this work enriching and rewarding, and he enrolled at Piedmont Technical College where he graduated in 1992 with an Associate of Arts degree in Human Services.  This degree channeled him towards a Bachelor of Arts degree in Social Work, which he earned in 1995 from Limestone College in Gaffney, South Carolina.  Unfortunately, Douglas had difficulty securing a job in his field and worked for several months at Avery Dennison Company as a packer, earning $6.50 an hour.  Douglas finally found a position with the Laurens County Disability and Special Needs Department where he was a counselor from April of 1996 until his incarceration.
 
Compiled from PSR, inmate information, a newspaper article, and prison program review reports. 
11/1/02.  JC