FI LED U. S . COURT OF AP PE ALS E L E V E N T H C IR C U IT Jul y 20, 2007 T HOM AS K. KAHN CL E RK [ DO NO T P UB L I S H] I N THE UN I TE D STATE S C OU RT OF APPE ALS F O R T H E E L E V E N T H C IR C U IT

________________________ N o. 06- 12272 N on -A rgum entC al endar

________________________ D . C. D o c k e tN o . 0 3 - 2 0 7 7 8 - CR- PCH U N I T E D S T A T E S O F A M E R I C A , P la in tif f - A p p e lle e , v ersu s E D U A R D O S A R D I N A S , a .k .a . E d g a r , D e f e n d a n t- A p p e lla n t.

________________________ A pp ea l fr om the U ni t ed S t at es D i stri ctC ou rt f orthe S outhe rn D i s tr i c tof F l or i da

_________________________ ( Ju l y 20, 2007) B efo re D U B IN A , C A RN E S an d W IL S O N , C i rcu i tJu d g es. P E R C U R I A M: E d u ard o S ard i n as ap p eal s h i s 1 0 8 -m o n th sen t en ce fo r co n sp i racy t o p o ssess2

w ith in te n t to d is tr ib u te ad e te c tab le a m o u n t o f c o c a in e , av io la tio n o f

2 1 U .S .C . § 846. O n appe a l , S a r di na s a r gue s tha thi s s e nt e nc e i s unr e a s onabl e be c aus e the di stri ctcourtfa i l ed t o art i cul at e s uffi ci ent l y i t s r ea sons for the se nt ence as re qu i re d by 18 U . S . C . § 3553( c ) ( 1) t o a l l ow the appe l l a t e c ourtt o a s c e rt a i n w he the rthe d i stri ctco u rtp ro p erl y co n si d ered al l o f th e § 3 5 5 3 (a) factors. S p eci fi cal l y, S a r di na s a s s e rt s tha thi s s e nt e nc e i s unr e a s onabl e be c aus e the di s tr i c tc ourtdi d not s how how i ttr e a t e d a nd appl i e d the c ha r a c t e re vi de nc e i ntr oduc e d. W e ha ve he l d tha t“ [ i ] n r e vi e w i ng the ul t i m a t e s e nt e nc e i m pos e d by the d is tr ic t c o u rt f

o rr e a s o n ab le n e s s , w e c o n s id e rth e f in a l s e n te n c e , in its e n tir e ty , in l i gh tof the § 3 55 3(a) fa ct ors. ” U ni te d State s v . T

hom as , 446 F . 3d 1348, 1351 (11th C i r. 20 06 ). T he § 3 55 3(a) fa ct ors i ncl ud e: ( 1) the na tur e a nd c i r c um s t a nc e s of the of f e ns e a nd the hi s t ory a nd ch aract eri st i cs o f th e d efen d an t ; (2 ) th e n eed t o refl ectth e seri o u sn ess o f th e o ffen se, t o p ro m o t e resp ectfo r th e l aw , an d t o p ro v i d e j u st p u n is h m e n t f

o rth e o f f e n s e ; ( 3 ) th e n e e d f

o rd e te rr e n c e ; ( 4 ) th e n e e d to prot ec tthe pu bl i c; (5) the need t o p rovi de the defendantw i th n ee ded e duc a t i ona l orvoc a t i ona l tr a i ni ng orm e di c a l c a r e ; ( 6) the ki nds of s e nt e nc e s a va i l abl e ; ( 7) the S e nt e nc i ng G ui de l i ne s r a nge ; ( 8) pe rt i ne nt p o lic y s ta te m e n ts o f

th e S e n te n c in g C o m m is s io n ; ( 9 ) th e n e e d to a voi d unw a nt e d s e nt e nc i ng di s pa r i t i e s ; a nd ( 10) the ne e d t o pr ovi de rest i tu t i o n t o v i ct i m s. U ni ted Stat es v. T

al ley , 431 F . 3d 784, 786 ( 11th C i r . 2005) ( pe rc ur i a m ) . W e ha ve a ls o h e ld th a t th e d is tr ic t c o u rt n e e d n o t s ta te o n th e r e c o r d th a t it h a s e x p lic itly3

c o n s id e r e d e a c h f

a c to rn o rm u s t th e c o u rt d is c u s s e a c h f a c to r . I d. I ts uf f i c e s i f the di s tr i c tc ourta c know l e dge s tha ti tha s c ons i de r e d the de f e nda nt ’ s a r gum e nt s a nd th e § 3 5 5 3 ( a ) f

a c to r s . I d. S e c t i on 3553( c ) ( 1) doe s , how e ve r , r e qui r e the c ourtt o s t a t e i t s r e a s ons f or i mp o s i n g th e s e n t e n c e a tth e p a rt i c u l a rp o i n tw i th i n th e G u i d e l i n e r a n g e . 1 8 U . S. C. § 3553( c ) ( 1) . T he S upr e m e C ourtr e c e nt l y a ddr e s s e d thi s s t a tut ory l a ngua ge i n § 35 53 (c ) and hel d thati t“ cann otre ad the st atut e ( or [the C ou rt ’ s] prec edent ) a s i nsi st i ng up on a f

ul l op i ni on i n everyca se . ” R i ta v. U ni ted Stat es , N o. 06- 5754, s lip o p . a t 1 7 ( U .S . J u n e 2 1 , 2 0 0 7 ) . I n s te a d , th e s e n te n c in g ju d g e s h o u ld a rtic u la te “e n o u g h to s a tis f

y th e ap p e lla te c o u rt th a t h e h a s c o n s id e r e d th e p a rtie s ’ a r g u m e n ts a n d h a s ar e a s o n e d b a s is f o re x e r c is in g h is o w n le g a l d e c is io n m a k in g au th o r ity .” I d. In d eter m in in g if th e d istrict co u rt h as ad eq u ately c o n sid er ed th e d ef en d an t’ s ar gu m ent s and the § 3 55 3(a) fa ct ors, w e l oo k t o the di stri ctcourt ’ s s t at em ent s over th e e n tir e s e n te n c in g h e a r in g . Se e Un i te d S ta te s v . Wi l l i a ms , 435 F . 3d 1350, 1355 ( 1 1 th C ir . 2 0 0 6 ) ( p e rc u r ia m ) . T h e b u r d e n o f p r o v in g th a t th e s e n te n c e is unr e a s onabl e i n l i ghtof the r e c or d a nd the § 3553( a ) f a c t or s r e s t s on the c h a lle n g e r . T

al ley , 43 1 F . 3d at78 8. A se nt ence w i thi n the G ui del i nes r ange m ay ordi nari l y be e xp ec t ed t o b e r ea sonabl e, bu ti ti s notre as on abl e p er se . T al ley , 4314

F .3 d a t 7 8 7 - 8 8 . U pon r e vi e w of

the pr e s e nt e nc e i nve s t i ga t i on r e porta nd the s e nt e nc i ng tr a ns c r i pt , a nd upon c ons i de r a t i on of the br i e f s of the pa rt i e s , w e di s c e rn no re vers i bl e e rr or. S a r d in a s d id n o t e s tab lis h th a t th e d is tr ic t c o u rt f a ile d to a rtic u la te its c o n s id e r a tio n o f

th e § 3 5 5 3 ( a ) s e n te n c in g f a c to r s . I n f

a c t, th e c o u rt e x p lic itly st at ed, “ I a m consi deri ng the advi sorygu i del i nes r ange, t og ether w i th the other f a c t or s pur s ua ntt o 18 U ni t e d S t a t e s 3553. I f i nd as e nt e nc e a tthe l ow e nd of the gu i del i ne ra ng e i s app ropri at e. I thi nk i t ’ s s uffi ci entt o m ee ttho se fa ct ors. ” M oreover, atS ar di nas’ s r es ent enci ng hear i ng the di stri ctcourtconsi dere d evi dence r e ga r di ng hi s a m bi va l e nc e t ow a r d the of f e ns e , hi s pos i t i ve c ha r a c t e re vi de nc e , a nd h is p r o d u c tiv e e m p lo y m e n t w h ile in p r is o n . T he di s tr i c tc ourta l s o c ons i de r e d S a r di na s ’ s c r i m i na l hi s t ory , the a m ountof coca i ne i nv ol ved, and the se ri ou snes s of the offens e i t se l f. T he courtdi sc usse d S a r d in a s ’s p r e v io u s “f

a ir ly s u b s ta n tia l te rm o f im p r is o n m e n t,” a lo n g w ith th is offe nse and concl ud ed, “ [w ] hi l e he m aybe a goo d p er son, on tw o o cc as i on s he has brou gh ta s ub st ant i al am ou ntof drug s i nt o o ur com m un i ty. I thi nk thati s athrea t t o ours oc i e ty . ” N ot abl y , de s pi t e the di s tr i c tc ourt ’ s c onc l us i ons r e ga r di ng the se rio u sn es s o f th is o ff

en se an d S ar d in as ’s cr im in al h isto ry , i t co n sid er ed S ar d in as ’s5

char ac t erevi dence and sent ence d h i m on the l ow end o f the G ui del i nes r ange, w h ic h w a s 1 0 8 to 1 3 5 m o n th s ’ im p r is o n m e n t. T he t ot a l i ty of

the di s tr i c tc ourt ’ s s t a t e m e nt s e vi de nc e s athought f ul c o n s id e r a tio n a n d a n a ly s is o f th e § 3 5 5 3 ( a ) f

a c to r s a n d p r o v id e s u s w ith as o lid b a s is o n w h ic h to r e v ie w th e c o u rt’s r e a s o n s f o rth e s e n te n c e im p o s e d . A cc ordi ng l y, w e c on cl ud e thatthe se nt ence the di stri ctcourti m po se d o n S ar di nas i s notunr e a s onabl e . H i s s e nt e nc e i s a f f i rm e d. AF F I RME D.