# 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 7- 22 23

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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.

Ada m Alan And ers on

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

an t - Ap pe ll an t

__ __ __ __ __ __ App eal fro m

Uni te d S ta te s Di st ric t Co ur t fo r th e Dis tri ct of M in ne so ta - St. Pa ul

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Su bm it te d: Apri l 1 3, 2 01 8 Fi le d: Aug us t 7 , 20 18 [Un pu bl is he d]

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Befo re SM ITH, Chi ef J ud ge , W OLLMAN and LOKEN, Cir cu it Ju dg es

.

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PER CURI AM.

Dur in g a tra ffi c st op in Nok ay Lak e, Mi nn es ot a, of fic ers fo un d two ou nc es of

m et ha m ph et am in e ta pe d to Za ch ary Fl an ni ga n, a co m pu te r in Ada m And ers on ’s
ba ck pa ck

, $9 ,57 1 in cas h, an d a d i g it al sc al e. A warra nt se arch of an ap art m en t

ren te d by And ers on in Ogi lv ie

, Mi nn es ot a, y ie lde d 1, 238 gr am s of m et ha m ph et am in e, gl as s pi pe s wit h res id ue , syrin ge s, an d a lo ad ed se m i

- a u t o mati c pi st ol in a sa fe.And ers on an d Fl an ni ga n were ch arg ed wit h co ns pi racy to di st rib ut e 50 gr am s or m or e

of act ua l m et ha m

ph et am in e. And ers on was al so ch arg ed wi t h b e i n g a fel on in

po ss es si on of a fir earm

. And ers on pl ead ed gu il ty t o co n s p i racy t o di st rib ut e .5-1 .5
ki lo gr am s of act ua l m et ha m ph et am in e; th e go ve rn men t d i sm is se d th e fel on in

po ss es si on ch arg e. The di st ric t co ur t se nt en ced And ers on to 24 0 m on th s in pr is on

. 1 He ap pe al s t he sen te nc e. W e aff irm.

In th e pl ea ag reem en t, th e pa rti es di sa gr eed whe th er a two -le ve l en ha nc em en t
f or po ss es si on of a fir earm sh ou ld ap pl y

. The y ag reed th at And ers on ’s c r i mi n a l
hi st or y cat eg or y was li ke ly VI, res ul ti ng in an ad vi so ry gu id el in es se nt en ci ng ran ge of 23 5 t o 2 93 m on th s if the fir earm en ha nc em en t app li ed

, an d 18 8 to 23 5 m on th s i f
it di d no t. The Pres en te nc e In ve st ig at io n Rep or t (PSR ) st at ed th at And ers on ha d te n
pr io r fel on y an d at le as t twel ve pr io r m is d e m ean or co nv ic ti on s. At se nt en ci ng , t he
di st ric t co ur t fo un d th at th e fir earm en ha nc em en t ap pl ie d bu t a co nt es te d ro le -in -th eof fen se en ha nc em en t di d n o t , res ul ti ng in an ad vi so ry ran ge of 23 5 to 29 3 m on th s im pr is on m en t. In im

po si ng th e 2 40 -m on th sen te nc e, th e d is tri ct co ur t ex pl ai ne d:

The gu id el in e ran ge in y ou r cas e is ap pr op ria te

. . . . You ’ve

earn ed th e Cat eg or y 6 Cri m in al His to ry m ul ti pl e ti m es ov er. You ’ve go t ab ou t twi ce as m an y cri m in al hi st or y po in ts as y ou wou ld ha ve to be in th at [cat eg or y ]

. . . . The cri m in al be ha vi or th at ’s le d to th is po in t st art ed

so earl y an d ha s bee n so pe rs is te nt an d is pa rtl y dr ug rel at ed an d pa rtl y

no t d ru g re la te d.

[T]he se nt en ce ha s to refl ect no t on ly y ou pe rs on al ly

. . . why y ou ha ve de ve lo pe d an d m ai n t a i n e d su ch an act iv e di sr eg ard fo r la wfu l be ha vi or , bu t al so th e se nt en c e s t h a t are gi ve n to pe op le who are

so m ewh at co m

pa rab le

. . . . [Y]ou sh ou ld real ly ge t a se nt en ce to ward s th e up pe r en d of th at ran ge to pu t y ou in a co m pa rab le po si ti on of ot he r pe op le who ha ve

. . . bl ow[ n] th e li d of f th e cri m in al hi st or y an d th e dr ug

The Hon or ab le Jo an N. Eric ks en , Uni te d St at es Dis tri ct Ju dg e fo r th e Dis tri ct 1 of Mi nn es ot a.

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-am ou nt s [wh ic h] are so ex tre m e. I’m go in g to gi ve y ou a se nt en ce th at

is to ward th e b ot to m

th ou gh be cau se it ’s a lo ng ti m e.

Fl an ni ga n al so p l e a d ed gu il ty to th e m et ha m ph et am in e co ns pi racy ch arg e. Fl an ni ga n was se nt en ced by Ju dg e Eri c ks en to 16 9 m on th s im pr is on m en t aft er And ers on was se nt en ced

. Fl an ni ga n’s PSR st at ed th at th e Pro ba ti on Offi cer di d no t

ap pl y an en h a n cem en t fo r th e fir earm fo un d in And ers on ’s ap art m en t be cau se “ th e fir earm di d no t be lo ng to Fl an ni ga n, an d th is of fic er ha s no fu rth er in fo rm at io n [h e]

po ss es se d an y fir earm du rin g th e in st an t of fen se .” Th e P S R reco m m en de d an ad vi so ry gu id el in es ran ge of 1 88 to 23 5 m on th s i m pr is on m en t.

On ap pe al

, And ers on fir st arg ue s th e gu n en hanc em en t “ was eq ua ll y ap pl ic ab le

to Mr. Fl an ni ga n” an d th eref or e th e di st ric t co ur t crea te d an un warra nt ed se nt en ci ng di sp ari ty whe n it di d n o t ap pl y th e sa m e gu id el in es ran ge to si m il arl y si tu at ed

co de fen da nt s. Thi s co nt en ti on is wit ho ut m eri t. And ers on do es no t arg ue th e di st ric t

co ur t cl earl y erre d in ap pl y in g th e fir earm en ha nc em en t in de te rm in in g hi s gu id el in es

ran ge

. Lack i n g a fu ll se nt en ci ng reco rd

, he ha s no ba si s to ch al le ng e th e ran ge de te rm in ed at Fl an ni ga n’s la te r se nt en ci ng

. In se nt en ci ng And ers on , th e di st ric t co ur t

ex pl ic it ly to ok in to acco un t th e un warra nt ed di sp ari ty fact or i n 1 8 U.S.C. § 35 53 (a)( 6)

, pr op erl y co m pa rin g And ers on to ot he r de fen da nt s who ha d a si m il arl y de pl or ab le cri m in al h is to ry an d were gu il ty of di st rib ut in g su bs ta nt ia l qu an ti ti es of

met h am ph et am in e. “ It is no t an ab us e of di sc ret io n fo r a di st ric t co ur t to im p o s e a

se nt en ce th at res ul ts in a di sp ari ty be twee n co- de fen da nt s when th ere are le gi ti m at e di st in ct io ns be twee n th e co-d efen da nt s.” Uni te d St at es v. Jo hn so n, 68 8 F.3 d 44 4, 44 8 (8 th Ci r. 20 12 ) (q uo ta ti on om it te d)

, cert

. de ni ed

, 56 8 U.S. 12 56 (2 01 3)

. In th is cas e, th e gu n en ha nc em en t al on e was a su bs ta nt ia l “ le gi ti m at e di st in ct io n” be twee n And ers on an d F la nn ig an

.

And ers on ne xt arg ue s, su bm it ti ng th e is su e un de r And ers v. Cal ifo rn ia

, 3 86
U.S. 73 8 (1 96 7)

, th at gu id el in es pr ov is io ns th at gi ve th e act ua l m et ha m ph et a m in e

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-am ou nt a hi gh er ba se of fen se le ve l “ th an th e m ix tu re am ou nt on whi ch it was ba se d”

are ex ces si ve , are no t s u p p o r te d by em pi ric al res earc h, an d crea te an un warra nt ed

s e n te nc in g di sp ari ty. “ [D]ist ric t co ur ts are en ti tl ed to reject an d va ry cat eg or ic al l y fro m [p art ic ul ar] Gui de li ne s ba se d on a po li cy di sa gr eem en t wit h th os e Gui de li ne s.” Sp ears v. Uni te d St at es , 55 5 U.S. 26 1, 26 5- 6 6 ( 2 0 0 9 )

. Thu s, th is arg um en t was
pr op erl y m ad e to th e di st ric t co ur t. “ Bu t it is no t pr op erl y m ad e to th is co ur t be cau se

ou r ap pe ll at e ro l e i s li m it ed to de te rm in in g th e su bs ta nt iv e reas on ab le ne ss of a
sp eci fic sen te nc e.” Uni te d S ta te s v . Talam an te s, 6 20 F.3d 90 1, 9 02 (8 th Ci r. 20 10 ) (q uo ta ti on om it te d)

. Here, th e di st ric t co ur t im po se d a care fu ll y co ns id ered se nt en ce th at is wit hi n th e ad vi so ry gu id el in es ran ge

. Th e s e n te nc e is no t su bs ta nt iv el y

un reas on ab le

.

The jud gm en t o f th e d is tri ct co ur t i s af fir m ed

.

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