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T he H onor abl e L e s l i e E . K oba y a s hi , U ni t e d S t a t e s D i s tr i c tJ udge f or ** the D i s tr i c tof

H a w a i i , s i tt i ng by de s i gna t i on.

NOT F OR P UB L I CAT I ON UN I TE D STATE S C OU RT OF APPE ALS FOR T HE NI NTH CI RC UI T UN I T E D S T AT E S OF AME R I C A, P l ai nt i ff

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e n d a n t - A p p e lla n t. N o. 11- 30206 D . C . N o . 2 : 1 0 - c r - 0 0 1 2 0 - R MP ME MOR AN DU M *

A pp ea l fr om the U ni t ed S t at es D i stri ctC ou rt f orthe E a s t e rn D i s tr i c tof W a s hi ngt on R os a nnaM a l ouf

P e t e r s on, C hi e f

J udge , P r e s i di ng A r gue d a nd S ubm i tt e d J une 7, 2012 S e a tt l e , W a s hi ngt on B ef ore: S IL V E R M A N and M U R G U IA , C i rc ui tJudg es , and K O B A Y A S H I, D i stri ctJudg e. ** D ef endantT om as R od ri gu ez -V er du zc o (“ R od ri gu ez ”) appeal s hi s s ent ence of thi rty- se ven m on ths of i m pri sonm entfor C ou ntO ne: conspi ra cyt o m anufacture m a r i j ua naof 1, 000 orm or e pl a nt s a nd C ountT hr e e : de s truc t i on of gove rnm e nt 

# FI LED JU N 26 2012 M OLLY C. DW Y ER, CLERK U . S. C O U R T OF APPE ALS2

p r o p e r ty . W e h a v e j u r i s d i c t i o n p u r s u a n tt o 2 8 U . S. C. § 1 2 9 1 , a n d w e a f f i rm. F i r s t , R odr i gue z c ha l l e nge s the di s tr i c tc our t ’ s de ni a l of hi s r e que s tf

or addi t i on al fund i ng un der the C ri m i nal Just i ce A ct(“ C JA ”) for neuropsychol og i ca l e va l ua t i ons be y ond thos e tha tthe di s tr i c ti ni t i a l l y appr ove d. T hi s c our tr e vi e w s f or an abuse of di sc re t i on a di stri ctcourt ’ s deni al of a r equestfor f un di ng for e xp ert s e rvi c e s pur s ua ntt o 18 U . S . C . § 3006A ( e ) ( 1) . U ni t e d S t a t e s v. R e e d, 575 F . 3d 90 0, 91 8 (9th C i r. 20 09 ). T hi s c ou rtappl i es a c l earl y e rr on eous st andard of revi ew t o the di s tr i c tc ourt ’ s f

i ndi ngs of

f a c t . U ni t e d S t a t e s v. M c E nry , 659 F . 3d 893, 896 (9th C i r. 20 11 ). I n or de rt o pr e va i l on a n appe a l of the di s tr i c tc our t ’ s de ni a l of f unds f or expertse rvi ce s, the appel l ant“ m ustshow by cl ear and conv i nci ng evi dence that ( 1) ar e a s onabl y c om pe t e ntc ouns e l w oul d ha ve r e qui r e d the a s s i s t a nc e of the re qu es t ed expertfor apayi ng cl i ent , and (2) he w as prej ud i ce d b y the l ac k o f e xp ert a s s is ta n c e .” R e e d , 5 7 5 F .3 d a t 9 1 8 ( c ita tio n a n d in te rn a l q u o ta tio n m a rk s o m itte d ) . T he di stri ctcourtfoun d thatthe decl ar at i on s by A . M . L l orent e, P h. D . , and M on i ca D e l ga do, P h. D . , di d nots upporta n a w a r d be y ond the $2, 400 pe re xpe r ttha tthe d is tr ic t c o u rt p r e v io u s ly au th o r iz e d p u r s u a n t to 1 8 U .S .C . § 3 0 0 6 A ( e ) ( 3 ) . T h is fi nd i ng w as no tcl earl y e rr on eous. In supp ortof the do ct ors’ op i ni on s that R od ri gu ez m ay ha ve ac ogni t i ve i m pa i rm e nttha tw oul d be r e l e va ntt o s e nt e nc i ng,3

D r . L l or e nt e ’ s a nd D r . D e l ga do’ s de c l a r a t i ons c ont a i ne d onl y ge ne r a l i z e d r e a s ons w hi ch coul d app l y t o m any di ff er entdefe nd ant s. F urther, the di stri ctcourt pr e s i de d ove rac ont e s t e d s e nt e nc i ng he a r i ng l a s t i ng f ourda y s a nd, i n de t e rm i ni ng R odr i gue z ’ s s e nt e nc e , the di s tr i c tc our ts pe c i f i c a l l y c om m e nt e d on s om e of the f a c t or s tha tD r s . L l or e nt e a nd D e l ga do a ddr e s s e d, i nc l udi ng R odr i gue z ’ s y outh, l i m i t ed educat i on , and l i m i t ed l i fe experi ence . R od ri gu ez has f ai l ed t o est abl i shed by c l e a ra nd c onvi nc i ng e vi de nc e tha tar e a s onabl y c om pe t e ntc ouns e l w oul d ha ve r e qui r e d D r s . L l or e nt e a nd D e l ga do’ s a ddi t i ona l a s s i s t a nc e f orapa y i ng c l i e nt , or th a t h e w a s p r e

ju d ic e d b y th e la c ko f

th e ira d d itio n a l s e rv ic e s . W e th e r e f o r e h o ld th atth e d i stri ctco u rtd i d n o tab u se i t s d i scret i o n w h en i td en i ed R o d ri g u ez’ s C JA req u estfo r ad d i t i o n al ex p ertserv i ces. S e c o n d , R o d r ig u e z a r g u e s th a t th e d is tr ic t c o u r t c o m m itte d r e v e r s ib le p r o c e d u r a l e rr o rb y f

a ilin g to a d d r e s s th e m itig a tin g f a c to r s th a t h e r a is e d a n d h is i nd i vi du al ci rc um st ance s. Insofa r a s R od ri gu ez fa i l ed t o o bj ec tt o these i ss ues du ri ng the se nt enci ng hear i ng , the pl ai n err or st andard of revi ew appl i es . S ee U ni t ed S t at es v. G rant , 66 4 F . 3d 27 6, 27 9 & n. 2 (9th C i r. 20 11 ). A di stri ctcourt det erm i ni ng w hatse nt ence t o i m po se up on a def endanti s notre qu i re d t o “ t i ck off ea ch of the [18 U . S . C . ] § 3 55 3(a) fa ct ors t o sho w thati thas c on si dere d them . ” U ni t e d S t a t e s v. E l l i s , 641 F . 3d 411, 422 ( 9th C i r . 2011) ( c i t a t i on a nd quot a t i on4

m a rks om i tt e d) . N orw a s the di s tr i c tc our tr e qui r e d t o gi ve al e ngthy e xpl a na t i on for R od ri gu ez ’ s s ent ence because i tw as w i thi n the ra ng e provi ded i n the U ni t ed S t a t e s S e nt e nc i ng G ui de l i ne s ( “ U S S G ” ) . S e e U ni t e d S t a t e s v. V a l e nc i a - B a rr a ga n, 608 F . 3d 1103, 1108 ( 9th C i r . 2010) ( quot i ng R i t av. U ni t e d S t a t e s , 551 U . S . 338, 3 5 6 ( 2 0 0 7 ) ) , ce rt. deni ed , 13 1 S . C t . 53 9 (20 10 ). A s pre vi ou sl y not ed, the di stri ct courtspec i fi ca l l y di sc usse d som e of the m i t i gat i ng fa ct ors thatR od ri gu ez re l i ed up on . T hatR od ri gu ez ’ s c o-defendantshar ed these fa ct ors does notes t abl i sh that the di s tr i c tc ourtf

a i l e d t o c ons i de rR odr i gue z ’ s i ndi vi dua l c i r c um s t a nc e s a nd ar gu m ent s. W e there fore re j ec tR od ri gu ez ’ s argum entthatthe di stri ctcourt com m i tt ed pl ai n err or by fa i l i ng t o add re ss hi s m i t i gat i on ar gu m ent s and i nd i vi du al ci rcu m st an ces. T h ir d , R o d r ig u e z a r g u e s th a t th e d is tr ic t c o u r t c o m m itte d ar e v e r s ib le procedural error by s ent enci ng hi m t o thi rty- se ven m on ths of i m pri sonm entea ch f orC ount1 a nd C ount3 be c aus e C ount3 ha d as i gni f i c a nt l y l ow e rs e nt e nc i ng rang e und erthe U S S G . T he di stri ctcourt , ho w ever , ca l cul at ed a c om bi ned a dj us t e d of

f e ns e l e ve l f

orC ount1 a nd C ount3, a nd thi s c a l c ul a t i on w a s c ons i s t e nt w i th the pr oc e dur e s de s c r i be d i n U ni t e d S t a t e s v. E va ns - M a r t i ne z , 611 F . 3d 635, 6 3 9 - 4 0 ( 9 th C ir . 2 0 1 0 ) , ce rt. deni ed , 1 3 1 S . C t. 9 5 6 ( 2 0 1 1 ) , a n d w ith th e ap p lic ab le se ct i on s of the U S S G , §§ 3D 1. 1, 3D 1. 2, 3D 1. 3, and 3 D 1. 4. W e there fore ho l d that5

there w as no procedural error. F in a lly , R o d r ig u e z a r g u e s th a t th e im p o s itio n o f ath irty - s e v e n - m o n th s e nt e nc e f

orboth C ount1 a nd C ount3 w a s s ubs t a nt i ve l y unr e a s onabl e . F orthe r e a s o n s s e t f

o rth w ith r e s p e c t to R o d r ig u e z ’s f ir s t th r e e a r g u m e n ts , w e a ls o h o ld that , base d o n the t ot al i ty of the ci rc um st ance s i n thi s c as e, R od ri gu ez ’ s s ent ence w a s s u f f ic ie n t, a n d n o t g r e a te rth a n n e c e s s a ry , to a c c o m p lis h th e s e n te n c in g g o a ls of § 3 55 3(a) (2). S ee U ni t ed S t at es v. R ui z- A po l on i o, 65 7 F . 3d 90 7, 91 1 (9th C i r. 2 0 1 1 ) , ce rt. deni ed , 13 2 S . C t . 16 14 (201 2). A cc ordi ng l y, w e A F F I R M R o d rig u ez ’s se n ten ce an d th e d istrict co u rt’s d e n ia l o f a d d itio n a l e x p e rt f

u n d in g .