# U ni te d S ta te s Co ur t of A pp ea ls For the Eig hth Circu it

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No. 1 6- 12 92

__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ _ Uni te d S ta te s o f Am eri ca

ll ll ll ll ll ll ll ll ll ll l Pla in ti

ff - App el le e

v.

Ken da n LaJ or da n F on vi ll e, al so kn own as F ud d

ll ll ll ll ll ll ll ll ll ll l Defe nd

an t - Ap pe ll an t

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Uni te d S ta te s Di st ric t Co ur t fo r th e Nor th ern Dis tri ct of I owa - Ced ar Ra pi ds

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Su bm it te d: Jan ua ry

9, 2 01 7 Fil ed : Ap ril 17 , 20 17 [Un pu bl is he d]

__ __ __ __ __ __ Befo re COLLOTON, MURPHY, and MELLOY, Circu it Ju dg es

.

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PER CURI AM.

Ken da n Fo nv il le pl ead ed gu il ty to on e co un t of po ss es si on of a fir earm by an

un la wfu l dr ug us er or ad di ct , i n v i o l a t i o n of 18 U.S.C. §§ 92 2( g) (3 ) an d 92 4( a)(2 ),

an d on e co un t of p o s s e s si on of a fir earm wit h an ob li te rat ed se ria l nu m be r, invi ol at io n of 18 U.S.C. §§ 92 2( k ) a n d 92 4( a)(1 )(B)

. The di st ric t co ur t se nt en ced 1
Fo nv il le to th e st a t ut or y m ax im um of 18 0 m on th s in pr is on

. Fo nv il le ap pe al s,
arg ui ng th at th e di st ric t co ur t co m m it te d pr oc ed ur al erro r in cal cu la ti ng hi s gu id el in es

ran ge . He als o a rg ue s t ha t h is sen te nc e is su bs ta nt iv el y un reas on ab le . W e aff

irm.

As Fo nv il le ack no wled ge s, m os t of hi s arg um en ts on ap pe al res t on th e di st ric t

co ur t’s fact ua l fin di ng s. See Uni te d St at es v. Bec km an , 78 7 F.3 d 46 6, 49 4 (8 th Ci r. 20 15 ) (cl ear erro r rev ie w f or fact ua l fin di ng s at sen te nc in g) . S pe ci fic al ly, Fo nv il le
arg ue s th e go ve rn m en t fai l e d t o pr ov e th at he po ss es se d an AK-47 se m ia ut om at ic fir ea r m

. At th e se nt en ci ng he ari ng , ho wev er, two wit ne ss es te st ifi ed th at th ey ob se rv ed Fo nv il le fir in g th e AK-47 in to th e ai r at a pa rty. Ano th er wit ne ss te st ifi ed th at Fo nv il le an d an ot he r in di vi du a l were ho ld in g th e AK-47 to ge th er whe n th e

ro un ds were fir ed

. And
, al th ou gh two ot he r wit ne ss es te st ifi ed th at th ey di d no t se e Fo nv il l e fir e an AK-47
, th e di st ric t co ur t reas on ab ly di sm is se d th ei r te st im on y as in cred ib le

. W e th eref

or e can no t sa y th e di st ric t c o u r t cl earl y erre d in fin di ng th at Fo nv il le was at le as t on e of th e in di vi du al s who po ss es se d an d fir ed th e AK-47

. See Uni te d St at es v. B a t t l e , 7 74 F.3 d 50 4, 51 1 (8 th Ci r. 20 14 ) (“ The go ve rn m en t can
pr ov e kn owi ng po ss es si on by sh owi ng act ua l or co ns tru ct iv e po ss es si on , an d

po ss es si on can be so le or joi nt .”); Uni te d St at es v. Bro ok s, 71 5 F.3 d 10 69
, 10 82 (8 th Ci r. 20 13 ) (u ph ol di ng co nv ic ti on un de r § 92 2( g) whe re ev i d e nc e in cl ud ed “ ph ot os

an d vi de o of a pe rs on res em bl in g [ t h e de fen da nt ] ho ld in g a fir earm ”). Nor can we

sa y , gi ve n th e ab ov e ev id en ce , th at th e di st ric t co ur t cl earl y erre d in fin di ng th at Fo nv il le fri vo lo us ly co nt es te d whe th er he po ss es se d th e AK-47 an d, th us , act ed in co ns is te nt ly w i t h a c cep ta nc e of res po ns ib il it y

. See Uni te d St at es v. Pet ru k, 83 6 F.3 d 97 4, 97 8 (8 th Ci r. 20 16 ) (“ A di st ric t co ur t’s fact ua l de te rm in at io n ab ou t whe th er th e de fen da nt acce pt ed res po ns ib il it y is en ti tl ed to gr eat de fere nc e, an d we wil l

The Hon or ab le Lin da R. Rea de
, Uni te d St at es Dis tri ct Ju dg e fo r th e Nor th ern 1 Dis tri ct of I owa

.
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-rev ers e it on ly if it is so cl earl y e r r on eo us as to be wit ho ut fo un da ti on .” (ci ta ti on

om it te d) ).

G i ve n th es e fin di ng s of fact
, th e di st ric t co ur t di d no t err in ap pl y in g th e
gu i d e li ne s pr ov is io ns rel ev an t to Fo nv il le ’s to ta l of fen se le ve l. See Bec km an , 78 7 F.3 d a t 4 9 4 (d e no vo rev ie w fo r co ns tru ct io n an d ap pl ic at io n of th e gu id el in es ).
Fo nv il le do es no t co nt es t th at th e AK-47 w as cap ab le of acce pt in g a la rg e cap aci ty
mag azi ne or th at he was a pr oh ib it ed pe rs on at th e ti m e of th e of fen se ; th us , t h e di st ric t co ur t di d no t e r r i n c al cu la ti ng a ba se of fen se le ve l of 20

. See U.S.S.G. § 2K2 .1(a )(4 )(B)

. Fo nv il le al so do es no t co nt es t th at he po ss es se d at le as t two ot he r
weap on s, a MAC-1 0 pi st ol an d a Bers a .38 0 pi st ol ; acco rd in gl y , th e di st ric t co ur t di d

n o t err in ap pl y in g a two -le ve l en ha nc em en t fo r po ss es si ng th ree or m or e fi r e a r ms

. Se e i d

. § 2K2 .1(b )(1 )(A). And
, gi ve n th e di st ric t co ur t’s fin di ng th at Fo nv il le fri vo lo us ly co nt es te d po ss es si on of th e AK-47
, th e di st ric t co ur t di d no t err in de nyin g Fo nv il le an acce pt an ce-o f-re sp on si bi li ty red uc ti on

. See id

. § 3E1 .1 cm t.

n

. 1 ( A )

. W e th eref

or e co nc lu de
, aft er ta ki ng in to acco un t ot he r en ha nc em en t s

un di sp ut ed on ap pe al
, th at th e di st ric t cou rt di d no t err in cal cu la ti ng a to ta l of fen se le ve l o f 30

.

Fo nv il le ne xt arg ue s th at th e di st ric t co ur t ab us ed it s di sc ret io n by de pa rti ng
up ward on Fo nv il le ’s cri m in al hi st or y cat eg or y

. See Uni te d St at es v. Out la w, 72 0 F.3 d 99 0, 99 2 (8 th Ci r. 20 13 ) (ab us e-o f-d i s c r e t io n rev ie w fo r up ward de pa rtu res ). The di st ric t co ur t in it ia ll y cal cu la te d a cri m in al hi st or y cat eg or y of IV, bu t th e
go ve rn m en t m ov ed fo r an up ward de pa rtu re un de r U.S.S.G. § 4A1 .3. The di st ric t

co ur t gr an te d th e de pa rtu re an d fo un d a cri m in al hi st or y cat eg or y of V, no ti ng th at a

“ co ns id erab le nu m

be r” of Fo nv il le ’s pr io r vi ol at io ns di d no t rece iv e cri m in al hi st or y
po in ts

. Tho se pr io r vi ol at io ns , th e di st ric t co ur t no te d, were es cal at in g in na tu re fro m

“ be at in g o n wo m en , th reat en in g wo m en , to fir earm of fen se s, and

. . . sh oo ti ng off a fir earm in th e ci ty li m it s of Ced ar Rap id s. He is a reci di vi st .” Afte r rev ie win g th e

reco rd
, we co nc lu de th e di st ric t co ur t di d no t ab us e it s di sc ret io n by de pa rti ng

-3

-u p w a r d. See Out la w, 72 0 F.3 d at 99 2– 93 (u ph ol di ng up ward de pa rtu re w h e r e

cri m in al hi st or y cat eg or y was un de r-re pr e s e n ta ti ve of th e de fen da nt ’s hi st or y of vi ol en t co nd uc t); Uni te d St at es v

. M i l l e r , 48 4 F.3 d 96 8, 97 1 (8 th Ci r. 20 07 ) (“ An
up ward de pa rtu re pu rs ua nt to § 4A1 .3 m ay be pa rti cu la rly ap pr op ria te in th e co nt ex t of ‘defen da nt s in t h e i r e arl y twen ti es or y ou ng er’ who rep eat ed ly ha ve rece iv ed le ni en t se nt en ces , y et who m ay po se a si gn ifi can t ris k of se rio us reci di vi sm .” (q uo ti ng U.S.S.G. § 4A1 .3 cm t. ba ck gr ou nd )). Thu s, wit h Fo nv il le ’s to ta l of fen se le ve l of 30
,
c r i mi n a l hi st or y cat eg or y of V, an d st at ut or y m ax im um se nt en ce of 18 0 m on th s be twee n bo th co un ts , th e di st ric t co ur t pr op erl y cal cu la te d th e ap pl ic ab le gu id el in es

ran ge as 1 51 to 18 0 m on th s.

Fi na ll y , Fo nv il le a r gu es th at hi s 18 0- m on th se nt en ce is su bs ta nt iv el y

un reas on ab le

. See Uni te d St at es v. Feem st er , 5 7 2 F

. 3 d 45 5, 46 1 (8 th Ci r. 20 09 ) (ab us e-o f-d is cret io n rev ie w fo r su bs ta nt iv e reas on a bl en es s)

. Howev er, fin di ng no ab us e o f di sc ret io n in th e di st ric t co ur t’s co ns id erat io n of th e § 35 53 (a) fact or s, we affi rm

.

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