Document ID: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-ca8-15-02367/USCOURTS-ca8-15-02367-0/pdf.json

Parties Involved:
Lamar Smith
Appellant
United States of America
Appellee

Document Text:

United States Court of Appeals

For the Eighth Circuit

___________________________

No. 15-2367

___________________________

United States of America

lllllllllllllllllllll Plaintiff - Appellee

v.

Lamar Smith

lllllllllllllllllllll Defendant - Appellant

____________

Appeal from United States District Court 

for the Eastern District of Missouri - St. Louis

____________

 Submitted: April 12, 2016

 Filed: July 26, 2016

[Unpublished]

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Before WOLLMAN, BEAM, and MURPHY, Circuit Judges.

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PER CURIAM.

Lamar Smith appeals from the district court’s1

 denial of his motion to reduce

his sentence under 18 U.S.C. § 3582(c)(2). We affirm.

1

The Honorable Carol E. Jackson, United States District Judge for the Eastern

District of Missouri.

Appellate Case: 15-2367 Page: 1 Date Filed: 07/26/2016 Entry ID: 4430106 
Smith pleaded guilty in 2009 to conspiracy to distribute and possess with the

intent to distribute five kilograms or more of a mixture or substance containing a

detectable amount of cocaine, in violation of 21 U.S.C. §§ 841(a)(1) and 846, and to

possession of one or more firearms in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime, in

violation of 18 U.S.C. § 924(c)(1). Under the then-applicable U.S. Sentencing

Guidelines Manual (Guidelines or U.S.S.G.), the presentence report calculated an

offense level of 29, a criminal history category of IV, and an advisory sentencing

range of 121 to 151 months’ imprisonment for the conspiracy offense. The district

court imposed a 151-month sentence for the conspiracy offense and a consecutive 60-

month sentence for the firearm offense.

In December 2014, Smith moved to reduce his sentence based on Amendment

782 to the Guidelines, which reduced the base offense level applicable to drug

offenses by 2 points. Under Amendment 782, Smith’s offense level would have been

27 and the resulting advisory sentencing range would have been 120 to 125 months’

imprisonment for the conspiracy offense.2

 The government conceded that Smith was

eligible for a sentence reduction, but opposed Smith’s motion, arguing that his

conduct while in prison demonstrated that he was a continuing danger to the

community.

The district court agreed with the government and denied Smith’s motion. The

district court “consider[ed] the relevant factors set forth in 18 U.S.C. § 3553(a)[,]

. . . the presentence report, the report of the Probation Office, and the parties’

memoranda” and concluded that a sentence reduction was not warranted. The court

based its decision on Smith’s conduct while in prison, noting that he had committed

several violations, one of which resulted in a conviction for possession of a dangerous

weapon, which added 24 months to Smith’s sentence. The court concluded that

2

This range reflects the ten-year statutory mandatory minimum sentence under

21 U.S.C. § 841(b)(1)(A).

-2-

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although Smith had also completed a drug-education program and other educational

courses, “[t]he defendant’s positive conduct . . . does not outweigh his involvement

in new criminal activity” and that “a sentence reduction would minimize the

seriousness of the defendant’s behavior.”

We review for abuse of discretion a district court’s denial of a motion to reduce

a defendant’s sentence under § 3582(c)(2). See United States v. Burrell, 622 F.3d

961, 964 (8th Cir. 2010). To determine whether a modification is appropriate, the

district court must conduct a two-step inquiry: it “must first determine that a

reduction is consistent with [U.S.S.G.] § 1B1.10,” then “it may consider whether the

authorized reduction is warranted, either in whole or in part, according to the factors

set forth in § 3553(a).” Dillon v. United States, 560 U.S. 817, 826 (2010); see 18

U.S.C. § 3582(c)(2) (“[T]he court may reduce the term of imprisonment, after

considering the factors set forth in section 3553(a) to the extent that they are

applicable, if such a reduction is consistent with applicable policy statements issued

by the Sentencing Commission.”). In addition to considering the § 3553(a) factors,

the applicable policy statement, § 1B1.10, directs that “[t]he court shall consider the

nature and seriousness of the danger to any person or the community that may be

posed by a reduction in the defendant’s” sentence, and that “[t]he court may consider

post-sentencing conduct of the defendant” in determining whether and to what extent

a reduction is warranted. U.S.S.G. § 1B1.10 cmt. n.1(B)(ii)-(iii).

Smith argues that the district court failed to base its decision on the § 3553(a)

factors or the safety of the community or any person. “We have held that a district

court need not give ‘lengthy explanations’ of the § 3553(a) factors or categorically

rehearse the relevant factors in a § 3582 proceeding,” as long as the district court

provides a sufficient explanation to allow for meaningful appellate review. Burrell,

622 F.3d at 964 (quoting United States v. Clark, 563 F.3d 722, 725 (8th Cir. 2009)). 

We conclude that the district court’s explanation was sufficient to demonstrate that its

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decision was based on its consideration of the relevant § 3553(a) and communitysafety factors.

Smith contends that the district court abused its discretion by denying his

motion based solely on his post-sentencing conduct, that the court provided an

inadequate explanation for its determination that Smith’s conviction for possessing

a dangerous weapon justified denying the motion, and that the court failed to

adequately address Smith’s positive post-sentencing conduct. We do not agree, for

the district court was permitted to consider Smith’s post-sentencing conduct, and we

conclude that it did not abuse its discretion to base its denial on that conduct. See

United States v. Boyd, 819 F.3d 1054, 1056 (8th Cir. 2016) (per curiam). The district

court’s explanation that a sentence reduction “would minimize the seriousness of

[Smith’s] behavior” “[reflected] the seriousness of the offense, [promoted] respect for

the law, . . . [and afforded] adequate deterrence to criminal conduct.” 18 U.S.C.

§ 3553(a)(2)(A)-(B). The district court’s acknowledgment of Smith’s positive postsentencing conduct was sufficient to demonstrate that it considered that conduct, and

it was within the court’s discretion to assign greater weight to Smith’s post-sentencing

conviction than to his positive post-sentencing conduct, cf. United States v. SanMiguel, 634 F.3d 471, 476 (8th Cir. 2011) (“The district court has wide latitude to

weigh the § 3553(a) factors in each case and assign some factors greater weight than

others in determining an appropriate sentence.” (quoting United States v. Bridges, 569

F.3d 374, 379 (8th Cir. 2009))).

We have considered and conclude that it does not merit discussion Smith’s

argument that the district court’s ruling resulted in an unwarranted sentencing

disparity with one of Smith’s co-defendants.

The judgment is affirmed.

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