Federal Sentencing Guidelines and Methamphetamine Cases

Instructor:

John A. Wasco, Senior U.S. Probation Officer

John is a Sentencing Guidelines Specialist in the Eastern District of North Carolina, stationed in Raleigh. He began employment with the probation office in June 1995 and has spent his entire career in the presentence investigation unit. John conducts presentence investigations related to the sentencing of individuals convicted of complex fraud cases, in high profile cases, or related to large, multi-defendant cases, and juvenile sentencing matters. John has been involved in hundreds of sentencing in federal court and serves as a resource to the Court, the government, and the defense bar on sentencing issues.

John is a paid lecture at Duke University School of Law and guest lecturer at Campbell University School of Law on the topic of sentencing in federal court. John has also lectured at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Law and North Carolina Central University School of Law. John has been certified as a trainer by the Administrative Office of the United States Courts and completed several courses through the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center. John is a 1989 graduate of The Citadel, the Military College of South Carolina, and he has more than 27 years of federal service.  His wife, Laura, is an attorney with the Office of the Federal Public Defender, and they have two children, ages 5 and 7.

Course Description:

The course provides an overview of sentencing in federal court, including sentencing statistics, relevant conduct, protected statements, unprotected statements, and criminal history calculation, with a focus on methamphetamine cases. The course is designed to assist investigators by providing interviewing strategies for federal case targets and tips on presenting cases to federal prosecutors and working with the defense bar. It also explains the role of the United States Probation Officer in the sentencing process. Finally, the course addresses enhancements under the federal sentencing guidelines specific to the manufacture of methamphetamine.