Document ID: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-ca8-03-03943/USCOURTS-ca8-03-03943-0/pdf.json

Parties Involved:
Michael James Almquist
Appellant
United States of America
Appellee

Document Text:

1

The Honorable Harold D. Vietor, United States District Judge for the Southern

District of Iowa. 

United States Court of Appeals

FOR THE EIGHTH CIRCUIT

___________

No. 03-3943

___________

United States of America, *

*

Appellee, *

* Appeal from the United States

v. * District Court for the 

* Southern District of Iowa.

Michael James Almquist, *

* [UNPUBLISHED]

Appellant. *

___________

Submitted: August 6, 2004

Filed: August 13, 2004 

___________

Before WOLLMAN, McMILLIAN, and RILEY, Circuit Judges.

___________

PER CURIAM.

Michael James Almquist (Almquist) pled guilty to misuse by a representative

payee of benefits under Title II of the Social Security Act, in violation of 42 U.S.C.

§ 408(a)(5). The district court1

 declined to depart downward from the Sentencing

Guidelines, and sentenced Almquist to three years supervised probation with six

months home confinement. For reversal, Almquist argues the district court

incorrectly concluded it had no authority to depart downward.

Appellate Case: 03-3943 Page: 1 Date Filed: 08/13/2004 Entry ID: 1799239 
-2-

After carefully reviewing the record, and in particular the remarks made by the

district court during the sentencing hearing, we conclude the court was fully aware

of its authority to depart downward in a case falling outside the heartland of

sentencing cases, and simply declined to do so given the facts in this case. See

United States v. VanHouten, 307 F.3d 693, 696-97 (8th Cir. 2002); United States v.

Bieri, 21 F.3d 811, 817-18 (8th Cir. 1994). Thus, we conclude the district court made

a discretionary decision not to depart downward, which is unreviewable. See United

States v. Rhone, 311 F.3d 893, 894 (8th Cir. 2002), cert. denied, 538 U.S. 1051

(2003).

Accordingly, we affirm. We deny as moot Almquist’s motion for stay of

sentence.

______________________________

Appellate Case: 03-3943 Page: 2 Date Filed: 08/13/2004 Entry ID: 1799239