FI L ED
U.S. COURT OF APPEAL S

EL EVENTH CI RCUI T
APRI L 2, 2009

THOMAS K. KAH

N
CL ERK [ D O N O T P U B L I S H ]

I N T H E U N I T E D S T A T E S C O U R T O F A P P E A L S

F O R T H E E L E V E N T H C I R C U I T

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

N o

. 0 7

- 1 5 6 6 4

N o n

- A r g u m e n t C a l e n d a r

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

D

. C

. D o c k e t N o

. 0 6

- 1 4 0 5 4

- C R

- D L G

U N I T E D S T A T E S O F A M E R I C A

,

P l a i n t i f f

- A p p e l l e e ,

v e r s u s

A M A D O B

. C H A V I A N O

,

D e f e n d a n t

- A p p e l l a n t

.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

A p p e a l f r o m t h e U n i t e d S t a t e s D i s t r i c t C o u r t
f o r t h e S o u t h e r n D i s t r i c t o f F l o r i d a

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

( A p r i l 2

, 2 0 0 9 )

B e f o r e E D M O N D S O N

, C h i e f J u d g e , T J O F L A T a n d D U B I N A

, C i r c u i t J u d g e s

.P E R C U R I A M :

D e f e n d a n t

- A p p e l l a n t A m a d o B

. C h a v i a n o a p p e a l s h i s 7 2

- m o n t h s e n t e n c e

i m p o s e d f

o r d r u g o f

f e n s e s , 2 1 U

. S

. C

. § § 8 4 1

, 8 4 6

, 8 5 6

. N o r e v e r s i b l e e r r o r h a s

b e e n s h o w n ; w e a f

f i r m

.

O n a p p e a l

, C h a v i a n o a r g u e s t h a t h i s s e n t e n c e

- - w h i c h e x c e e d e d t h e a d v i s o r y

g u i d e l i n e s r a n g e

- - s u b s t a n t i v e l y i s u n r e a s o n a b l e

. H e c o n t e n d s t h a t t h e d i s t r i c t

c o u r t i m p e r m i s s i b l y v a r i e d u p w a r d f r o m t h e g u i d e l i n e s b a s e d o n c o n d u c t t h a t

a l r e a d y h a d b e e n t a k e n i n t o a c c o u n t i n e n h a n c i n g h i s g u i d e l i n e s r a n g e f o r

o b s t r u c t i o n o f j u s t i c e , U

. S

. S

. G

. § 3 C 1

. 1

, a n d d e n y i n g h i m a c c e p t a n c e o f

r e s p o n s i b i l i t y , U

. S

. S

. G

. § 3 E 1

. 1 : h i s f a l s e t e s t i m o n y a t t h e s e n t e n c i n g h e a r i n g

. 1

W e e v a l u a t e t h e s u b s t a n t i v e r e a s o n a b l e n e s s o f a s e n t e n c e

- - w h e t h e r i n s i d e

o r o u t s i d e t h e g u i d e l i n e s r a n g e

- - u n d e r a d e f e r e n t i a l a b u s e

- o f

- d i s c r e t i o n s t a n d a r d

.

G a l l v

. U n i t e d S t a t e s , 1 2 8 S

. C t

. 5 8 6

, 5 9 7 ( 2 0 0 7 )

. T h e p a r t y c h a l l e n g i n g t h e

r e a s o n a b l e n e s s o f t h e s e n t e n c e b e a r s t h e b u r d e n o f e s t a b l i s h i n g t h a t t h e s e n t e n c e i s

u n r e a s o n a b l e i n t h e l i g h t o f b o t h t h e r e c o r d a n d t h e 1 8 U

. S

. C

. § 3 5 5 3 ( a ) f a c t o r s

.

U n i t e d S t a t e s v

. T a l l e y , 4 3 1 F

. 3 d 7 8 4

, 7 8 8 ( 1 1 t h C i r

. 2 0 0 5 )

. B r i e f l y s t a t e d

, u n d e r

Whil e out on bond for the instant offense s, Chaviano was a rre sted in Pennsy lvania for 1

some theft off

enses involving a bank f

raud sc heme. At se ntencing , Chaviano testified a bout the Pennsy lvania off

enses; and the court de termined that he testified fa lsely , war rantingthe obstruction of justice enha nceme nt and the denia l of ac cepta nce of responsibility

.

2s e c t i o n 3 5 5 3 ( a )

, a d i s t r i c t c o u r t s h o u l d c o n s i d e r , a m o n g o t h e r t h i n g s , t h e n a t u r e a n d

c i r c u m s t a n c e s o f t h e o f

f e n s e , t h e h i s t o r y a n d c h a r a c t e r i s t i c s o f t h e d e f e n d a n t

, t h e

n e e d f o r t h e s e n t e n c e t o p r o v i d e a d e q u a t e d e t e r r e n c e , r e s p e c t f o r t h e l a w , a n d

p r o t e c t i o n o f t h e p u b l i c , p o l i c y s t a t e m e n t s o f t h e S e n t e n c i n g C o m m i s s i o n ,

p r o v i s i o n f

o r t h e m e d i c a l a n d e d u c a t i o n a l n e e d s o f t h e d e f e n d a n t

, a n d t h e n e e d t o

a v o i d u n w a r r a n t e d s e n t e n c i n g d i s p a r i t i e s

. S e e 1 8 U

. S

. C

. § 3 5 5 3 ( a ) ( 1 )

- ( 7 )

.

W e c o n c l u d e t h a t C h a v i a n o ’ s s e n t e n c e i s r e a s o n a b l e

. A l t h o u g h t h e 7 2

-

m o n t h s e n t e n c e v a r i e d u p w a r d f r o m t h e t o p o f t h e a d v i s o r y g u i d e l i n e s r a n g e b y 3 1

m o n t h s , i t w a s w e l l b e l o w t h e 2 0 a n d 4 0

- y e a r s t a t u t o r y m a x i m u m s C h a v i a n o f a c e d

.

S e e 2 1 U

. S

. C

. § § 8 4 1 ( b ) ( 1 ) ( B )

, 8 5 6 ( b ) ; U n i t e d S t a t e s v

. W i n i n g e a r , 4 2 2 F

. 3 d 1 2 4 1

,

1 2 4 6 ( 1 1 t h C i r

. 2 0 0 5 ) ( c o m p a r i n g , a s o n e i n d i c a t i o n o f r e a s o n a b l e n e s s , t h e a c t u a l

p r i s o n t e r m i m p o s e d a g a i n s t t h e s t a t u t o r y m a x i m u m )

. I n a d d i t i o n , t h e d i s t r i c t c o u r t

c o n s i d e r e d t h e n a t u r e a n d c i r c u m s t a n c e s o f t h e o f f e n s e c o n d u c t p l u s C h a v i a n o ’ s

h i s t o r y a n d c h a r a c t e r i s t i c s

. T h e c o u r t s a i d t h a t a n a b o v e

- g u i d e l i n e s s e n t e n c e w a s

a p p r o p r i a t e w h e r e C h a v i a n o c o n t i n u e d t o v i o l a t e t h e l a w w h i l e o u t o n b o n d f o r t h e

i n s t a n t o f

f e n s e s a n d p e r s i s t e d i n g i v i n g f a l s e t e s t i m o n y d u r i n g h i s s e n t e n c i n g

h e a r i n g a b o u t t h e s e o t h e r o f f e n s e s

. T h e d i s t r i c t c o u r t n o t e d t h a t s u c h b e h a v i o r

s h o w e d C h a v i a n o ’ s l i k e l i h o o d t o c o m m i t m o r e c r i m e s a n d

, t h u s , a n a b o v e

g u i d e l i n e s s e n t e n c e a l s o w a s w a r r a n t e d f o r d e t e r r e n c e a n d t o p r o t e c t t h e p u b l i c

3f

r o m m o r e c r i m e s b y h i m

. S e e 1 8 U

. S

. C

. § 3 5 5 3 ( a ) ( 1 )

, ( 2 ) ( A )

- ( C )

.

B a s e d o n t h e e v i d e n c e i n t h e r e c o r d

- - i n c l u d i n g t h e p o l i c e r e p o r t s a b o u t

C h a v i a n o ’ s i n t e r v e n i n g a r r e s t a n d h i s s e n t e n c i n g t e s t i m o n y i n c o n t r a d i c t i o n t o t h e

p r o b a t i o n o f

f i c e r ’ s a r r e s t r e p o r t

- - w e c o n c l u d e t h a t t h e d i s t r i c t c o u r t a d e q u a t e l y

j u s t i f i e d i t s u p w a r d l y v a r i a n t s e n t e n c e

. S e e G a l l

, 1 2 8 S

. C t

. a t 5 9 7 ( e x p l a i n i n g t h a t

a s e n t e n c i n g j u d g e “ m u s t c o n s i d e r t h e e x t e n t o f t h e d e v i a t i o n a n d e n s u r e t h a t t h e

j u s t i f i c a t i o n i s s u f

f i c i e n t l y c o m p e l l i n g t o s u p p o r t t h e d e g r e e o f t h e v a r i a n c e ” )

. T h e

c o u r t b a s e d i t s u p w a r d v a r i a n c e o n s e v e r a l s e c t i o n 3 5 5 3 ( a ) f a c t o r s a n d n o t

- -

c o n t r a r y t o C h a v i a n o ’ s a s s e r t i o n

- - o n l y i s s u e s a l r e a d y t a k e n i n t o a c c o u n t i n

c a l c u l a t i n g h i s g u i d e l i n e s r a n g e

. 2

H e r e , t h e d i s t r i c t c o u r t d e t e r m i n e d t h a t t h e g u i d e l i n e s r a n g e d i d n o t y i e l d a

r e a s o n a b l e s e n t e n c e ; a n d n o t h i n g i n t h e r e c o r d c o n v i n c e s u s t h a t t h e u l t i m a t e l y

i m p o s e d s e n t e n c e w a s u n r e a s o n a b l e

. S e e G a l l

, 1 2 8 S

. C t

. a t 5 9 7 ( e x p l a i n i n g “ t h a t

t h e a p p e l l a t e c o u r t m i g h t r e a s o n a b l y h a v e c o n c l u d e d t h a t a d i f f e r e n t s e n t e n c e w a s

a p p r o p r i a t e i s i n s u f

f i c i e n t t o j u s t i f

y r e v e r s a l o f t h e d i s t r i c t c o u r t ” )

. 3

To the extent that the district court used the same beha vior of testify ing f alsely in 2

vary ing upw ard, the g uidelines ca lculations addre ssed issues other than the overa ll

rea sonablene ss of Chaviano’s se ntence under the section 3553(a ) fa ctors: whethe r he obstruc ted justice by providing a fa lse statement to a judg e, U.S.S.G. § 3C1.1, and whethe r he a dmitted his
role in the off

ense, U .S.S.G. § 3E1.1.

Chaviano asse rts a sing le ar g ument in his brief: that his sentence is substantively 3

unrea sonable. Within t his arg ument, he brie fly arg ues that the c ourt’s fa ctual finding s about perjury wer e insuffic ient to support application of the obstruc tion of justice enhanc ement. We

4A F F I R M E D

.

conclude that this arg ument need not be addre ssed bec ause Chavia no did not sufficiently

raise it. See United States v. Jernig an, 341 F .3d 1273, 1284 n.8 (11th Cir. 2003) (c oncluding that an issue

was a bandoned w here , althoug h defe ndant made pa ssing r efe renc es to it in his brief, he did not
devote a discrete section of his brief to the arg ument and the r efe renc es we re unde rtake n as backg round to claims he e x pressly had adva nced)

.

5