T hi s di s pos i t i on i s notappr opr i a t e f orpubl i c a t i on and i s notpr e c e de nt * e xc e pta s pr ovi de d by9th C i r . R . 36- 3. NOT F OR P UB L I CAT I ON U N I TED STA TES C O U R T O F A PPEA LS F O R T H E N IN T H C IR C U IT UN I T E D S T AT E S OF AME RI CA , P l ai nt i ff

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A pp ea l fr om the U ni t ed S t at es D i stri ctC ou rt f o rth e C e n tr a l D is tr ic t o f C a lif o rn ia D a l e S . F i s c he r , D i s tr i c tJ udge , P r e s i di ng A r gue d a nd S ubm i tt e d J une 6, 2012 P a s a d e n a , C a lif

o rn ia B ef ore: KOZ I NS KI , C h ie f J u d g e , TR O TT a nd T HO MAS , C i rcu i tJu d g es. 1 . F e de r a l l a w pr ohi bi t s t a ki ng ba nk pr ope rty“ byf or c e a nd vi ol e nc e , orby in tim id a tio n , . . . f

r o m th e p e r s o n o rp r e s e n c e o f a n o th e r .” 1 8 U .S .C . § 2 1 1 3 ( a ) . T he di s tr i c tc ourt ’ s r e s pons e t o J uryN ot e N um be r3 tr a c ks thi s l a ngua ge , but K otun c l a i m s i tm i s s t a t e s the l a w be c aus e i ta l l ow s c onvi c t i on “ e ve n i f the pe r s on f r o m w h o m th e m o n e yis ta k e n is ac o - c o n s p ir a to r .” B u t s e c tio n 2 1 1 3 ( a ) p r o h ib its 

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orce fr om “ another, ” at erm broad eno ug h t o i ncl ud e a c o- c ons pi r a t or . S e e U ni t e d S t a t e s v. V ought , 69 F . 3d 1498, 1502 ( 9th C i r . 1995) ( c o- c ons pi r a t or s c a n be vi c t i m s , j us t i f y i ng e nha nc e m e ntunde rS e nt e nc i ng G u id e lin e s § 3 A 1 .3 ) . 2 . T h e t est i m o n y K o tu n ch al l en g es w as p ro b at i v e o f th e w i tn esses’ c r e d ib ilityo n ak e yis s u e a t tr ia l a n dc a rr ie dlittle r is ko f u n f a irp r e ju d ic e . T h is i sn’ t“ the rare exce pt i on w hen a di stri ctcourt ’ s dec i si on t o adm i tevi dence und er R u le 4 0 3 c o n s titu te s p la in e rr o r .” U n ite dS ta te s v . R iz k , 6 6 0 F .3 d1 1 2 5 , 1 1 3 2 ( 9 th C i r. 20 11 ) ( i nt ernal qu ot at i on m arks om i tt ed). F or the sam e r ea sons, the di stri ct courtdi dn ’ tabuse i t s di sc re t i on i n rej ec t i ng K otun ’ s prose cut ori al m i sc on du ct cl ai m . S ee U ni t ed S t at es v. D el T oro-B arbo za , 67 3 F . 3d 11 36 , 11 50 (9th C i r. 20 12 ). 3. K otun c l a i m s the di s tr i c tc ourtpr oc e dur a l l ye rr e d a ts e nt e nc i ng byf a i l i ng t o con si der m i t i gat i ng evi dence he pres ent ed. T he re cord show s thatthe court c ons i de r e d K otun’ s e vi de nc e butdi dn’ tf i nd i t“ pa rt i c ul a r l ym i t i ga t i ng. ” A s K otun concedes, the court“ w as fr ee t o saythati tw as n’ tsw ay ed by the i nform at i on that th e d e f e n s e h a d p r e s e n te d .” K otun al so cl ai m s the di stri ctcourterre d b y gi vi ng hi m a l on ger s ent ence tha n i tga ve R a nda l l , hi s c o- c ons pi r a t or . T he c ourtw a s r e qui r e d t o c ons i de r“ theP age 3

need t o avo i d u nw arrant ed se nt ence di spar i t i es ” betw ee n si m i l ar l y s i tuat ed defe nd ant s. 18 U . S . C . § 3 55 3(a) (6). B utR andal l pl ea ded g ui l ty and t es t i fi ed a g a in s t K o tu n , s o th e yw e r e n ’t s im ila r lys itu a te df o rs e n te n c in g p u rp o s e s . M o r e o v e r , “C o n g r e s s ’s p r im a ryg o a l in e n a c tin g § 3 5 5 3 ( a ) ( 6 ) w a s to p r o m o te na t i ona l uni f

orm i tyi n s e nt e nc i ng . . . , ” U ni t e d S t a t e s v. S a e t e urn, 504 F . 3d 1175, 1181 ( 9th C i r . 2007) ( e m pha s i s a dde d a nd i nt e rna l quot a t i on m a rks om i tt e d) , s o the di stri ctcourtdi dn ’ terr by c on si deri ng the se nt ence s i m po se d o n si m i l ar l y s i tuat ed defe nd ant s nat i on w i de. N or di d the di stri ctcourtabuse i t s di sc re t i on by i m po si ng a s ent ence grea t er than the nat i on al m eans and m edi an ci t ed by K otun . T he courti m po se d a se nt ence a tthe bott om of

the appl i c abl e S e nt e nc i ng G ui de l i ne s r a nge . “ ‘ [ A ] voi da nc e of unw a rr a nt e d di s pa r i t i e s w a s c l e a r l yc ons i de r e d bythe S e nt e nc i ng C om m i s s i on w h e n s e ttin g th e S e n te n c in g G u id e lin e s r a n g e s . S in c e th e d is tr ic t ju d g e c o rr e c tly c a l c ul a t e d a nd c a r e f

ul l yr e vi e w e d the G ui de l i ne s r a nge , he ne c e s s a r i l yga ve si gn i fi cantw ei gh tand con si dera t i on t o the need t o avo i d u nw arrant ed di spar i t i es . ’ ” U n ite d S ta te s v . T r e a d w e ll, 5 9 3 F .3 d9 9 0 , 1 0 1 1 ( 9 th C ir . 2 0 1 0 ) ( a lte r a tio n in ori gi nal ) ( qu ot i ng G al l v. U ni t ed S t at es , 55 2 U . S . 38 , 54 (200 7)). AF F I RME D.