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

__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ _ No. 1 4- 21 34

__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ _ 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.

Jo se ph Griff

in -Co ok e

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 Nor th ern Dis tri ct of I owa - Ced ar Ra pi ds

__ __ __ __ __ __ Su bm it te d: Feb ru ary 9, 2 01 5 Fi le d: Feb ru ary 13 , 20 15 [Un pu bl is he d]

__ __ __ __ __ __ Befo re BYE, BRI GHT, and BENTON, Circu it Ju dg es

.

__ __ __ __ __ __ PER CURI AM.

Jo se ph Grif

fin -Co ok e pl ed gu il ty to be in g a fel on in po ss es si on of a f i r e a r m

an d am m un it io n, in vi ol at i o n of 18 U.S.C. §§ 92 2( g) (1 ) an d 92 4( a)(2 ). He ap pe al sh is 12 0- m on th se nt en ce— th e st at ut or y m ax im um —ar gu in g th at th e di st ric t co ur t 1

erre d in de pa rti ng up ward an d im po si ng an un reas on ab le se nt en ce. Hav in g juri sd ic ti on un de r 28 U.S.C. § 1 29 1, t hi s co ur t af fir m s.

Grif fin -Co ok e do es no t di sp ut e a to ta l of fen se le ve l of 23 an d a cri m in al hi st or y cat eg or y of VI, pr od uc in g a Gui de li ne s ran ge of 92 to 11 5 m on th s. The di st ric t co ur t
gr an te d th e go ve rn m en t’s mo t i o n fo r an up ward de pa rtu re un de r U.S. Sen te nc in g Gui de li ne s Man ua l § 4A1 .3 (a)( 1) , ru li ng th at cri m in al hi st or y cat eg or y VI

su bs ta nt ia ll y

un de r-re pr es en te d t he ser io us ne ss of Grif fin -Co ok e’s cri m in al hi st or y

an d hi s li ke li ho od of co m m it ti ng ot he r cri m es

. The di st ric t co ur t ex pl ic it ly sa id th at it wou ld va ry up ward to th e sa m e se nt en ce, if an up ward de pa rtu re were he ld

erro ne ou s o n a pp eal

.

Grif fin -Co ok e arg ue s th at , co ns id eri ng th e se nt en ce as a va ria nc e, th e di st ric t

co ur t co m

m it te d pr oc ed ur al erro rs by no t ad eq ua te ly ex pl ai ni ng it s se n t en ce an d fai li ng to co ns id er th e fact or s in 18 U.S.C. § 35 53 (a). Se e Gal l v. Uni te d St at es , 55 2 U.S. 38 , 51 (2 0 0 7 ). To th e co nt rary, th e co ur t ex pl ai ne d it s se nt en ce at le ng th (as

su m m ari zed be lo w). The co ur t al so st at ed th at it co ns id ered each an d ev ery § 35 53 (a) fact or , qu ot ed each of th em , an d di sc us se d se ve ral in de ta il

. A di st ric t co ur t ne ed no t

“ m ech an ic al ly reci te ” t h e § 3 5 53 (a) fact or s, or m ak e “ ro bo ti c in can ta ti on s” ab ou t each st at ut or y fact or

. Uni te d St at es v. Bla ckmo n , 66 2 F.3 d 98 1, 98 8 (8 th Ci r. 20 11 ).

Att ack in g th e reas on ab le ne ss of hi s se nt en ce, Grif fin -Co o k e p r im ari ly rel ie s

on cas es pr ed at in g th e Su pr em e Co ur t’s de ci si on in Gal l , 55 2 U

. S

. at 41 , an d th is

co ur t’s de ci si on in Uni te d St at es v. Feems te r , 57 2 F.3 d 45 5, 46 1 (8 th Ci r. 20 09 ) (en ba nc ). The st an da rd of rev ie w fo r su bs ta nt iv e reas on ab le ne ss is a “ de fere nt ia l ab us eof -d is cret io n” st an da rd

. Gal l , 55 2 U.S. at 41

. A di st ric t co ur t “ ab us es it s di sc ret io n

The Ho no rab le Lin da R. Rea de , Ch ie f Ju dg e of th e Uni te d St at es Dis tri ct 1 Co ur t fo r th e Nor th ern Dis tri ct of I owa

. -2

-whe n it (1 ) fai ls to co ns id er a rel e v a n t fact or th at sh ou ld ha ve rece iv ed si gn ifi can t

weig ht ; (2 ) gi ve s si gn ifi can t weig ht to a n i mp r o pe r or irr el ev an t fact or ; or (3 )

co ns id ers on ly th e ap pr op ria te fact or s bu t in weig hi ng th os e fact or s co m m it s a cl ear

e r r o r o f ju dg m en t.” Feems te r , 57 2 F.3 d at 46 1. Thi s co ur t wil l rev ers e a di st r i c t

co ur t’s sen te nc e as su bs ta nt iv el y un reas on ab le —“ ‘w he th er with in , ab ov e, or be lo w th e ap pl ic ab le Gui de li ne s ran ge ’”—on ly in th e “ ‘unu su al cas e.’” Id

. at 46 4 ( qu ot in g Uni te d S ta te s v. Ga rd el li ni , 54 5 F .3d 10 89 , 10 90 (D.C. Cir . 20 08 )).

The di st ric t co ur t ex pr es sl y co ns id ered th e § 35 53 (a) fa ct or s. In ter m s o f th e

na tu re an d ci rcu m st an ces of th e of fen se , th e co ur t no te d th at whi le carr y in g a lo ad ed
st ol en pi st ol ne xt t o e i g h t ba gg ie s of m ari juan a, Grif

fin -Co ok e fo ug ht wit h th e

arre st in g of

fic ers , in juri ng on e of th em

—p art of a li fel on g pa tt ern

. The di st ric t co ur t 2 fo un d th at Grif

fin -Co ok e’s hi st or y an d ch arac te ris ti cs sh owe d a li ke li ho od of vi ol en t fu tu re cri m es

. The co ur t no te d hi s hi st or y of be in g no nc om pl ia nt un de r co rrec ti on al

su pe rv is io n, th e nu m

be r of un sc or ed cri m in al co nv ic ti on s, an d hi s m ul ti pl e as sa ul t

co nv ic ti on s (p rimaril y ag ai ns t wom en ). Se e Uni te d St at es v. Jo ne s , 61 2 F.3 d 10 40 , 10 45 -4 6 (8 th Ci r. 20 10 ) (u pwa rd va ria nc e m ay be ba se d on “ cri m in al h i s t o r y no t

acco un te d fo r in [d efen da nt ’s] cri mi n a l h i st or y cat eg or y ” an d ne ed “ to pr ot ect th e p u b l ic ”). The co ur t ack no wled ge d Grif fin -Co ok e’s arg um en ts th at 10 of hi s 1 4 cri m in al hi st or y po in ts were fo r dr iv in g of fen se s a n d th at so m e of hi s co nv ic ti on s

were fo r m in or of

fen se s, su ch as m

ul ti pl e tre sp as se s. Bu t th e di st ric t co ur t co nc lu de d th at th es e of

fen se s sh owe d rep eat cri m in al act iv it y an d “ a pe rs on who ha s no res pe ct fo r th e la w an d th in ks th at he can do wha te ve r he wan ts to do .” It wa s w i th in th e

In hi s su pp le m en ta l rep ly br ie f, Grif fin -Co ok e ob

jects , fo r th e f

i rs t ti m e, to 2 th ree al le ge d ov ers ta te m en ts in th e di st ric t co ur t’s le ng th y s e n t e n c in g co m m en ts

. Is su es no t rai se d in a pa rty’ s op en in g br ie f are waiv ed

. Uni te d St at es v. Ri c e , 6 99 F.3 d 10 43 , 10 50 (8 th Ci r. 20 12 ). Mo reo ve r, an y ov ers ta te m en ts were no t m at eri al to th e se nt en ce im

po se d. Se e Uni te d St at es v. W oo ds , 67 0 F.3 d 88 3, 88 7 (8 th Ci r. 20 12 ) (fi nd in g se nt en ci ng erro r ha rm le ss whe n se nt en ci ng co ur t wou ld ha ve im po se d sa m e
se nt en ce re ga rd le ss of t he erro r).

-3

-di st ric t co ur t’s “ wid e di sc ret io n” an d “ su bs ta nt ia l l at it ud e” t o d et erm in e th e weig ht

of each fact or in se nt en ci ng Grif fin -Co ok e. Se e Uni te d St at es v. Sa la za r- Alema n , 74 1 F.3 d 87 8, 88 1 ( 8 t h C i r

. 20 13 ). The di st ric t co ur t di d no t ab us e it s di sc ret io n in

se nt en ci ng Griff

in -Co ok e fi ve m on th s ab ov e th e Gui de li ne s ra ng e.

Thi s co ur t, fin di ng th e va ria nc e no t su bs ta nt iv e ly un reas on ab le , ne ed no t ad dr es s Grif

fin -Co ok e’s ob

jecti on s to th e up ward de pa rtu re. Se e, e.g

. , Uni te d St at es

v. Gra nd on , 7 1 4 F .3d 10 93 , 10 98 (8 th Ci r. 20 13 ) (h ol di ng ha rm le ss an y erro r in de pa rti ng up ward , un de r U.S.S.G. § 4A1 .3, whe re di st ric t co ur t al te rn at iv el y im po se d

reas on ab le se nt en ce as an up ward va ria nc e); Uni te d S ta te s v. Ti mbe rl ak e , 67 9 F.3 d 10 08 , 10 11 -1 2 (8 th Cir . 20 12 ) (s am e).

* * * * * * *

The jud gm en t i s af

fir m ed

.

__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __

-4

-