# 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- 32 83

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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.

Sam ue l F. Ir vi n

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

an t - Ap pe ll an t

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App eal fro m

Uni te d S ta te s Di st ric t Co ur t fo r th e Weste rn Dis tri ct of M is so ur i - St . Jo se ph

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Su bm it te d: Ju ne 5, 2 01 7
Fi le d: Ju ne 23 , 20 17 [Un pu bl is he d]

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Befo re LOKEN, MURPHY, and MELLOY, Circu it Ju dg es

.

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PER CURI AM.

Sam ue l Irv in pl ed gu il ty to on e co un t of be in g a f e l o n in po ss es si on of

am m un it io n in vi ol at io n of 18 U.S.C. §§ 92 2( g) (1 ), 92 4( a ) (2 ). The di st ric t co ur t 1

T h e H o n o ra

b l e R o s e a n n A

. K e t c h m a

rk

, U n i t e d S t a t e s D i s t ri c t J u d g e f o r t h e 1

W e s t e rn D i s t

ri c t o f M i s s o u

ri

.s e n te nc ed hi m to 84 m on th s im pr is on m en t. Irv in ap pe al s, arg ui ng th at th e di st ri c t

co ur t i m po se d a su bs ta nt iv el y

un reas on ab le sen te nc e. W e aff irm.

Dur in g an arg um en t wit h a ne ig hb or in Octo be r 20 13

, Irv in br an di sh ed a kn ife

in a pa rk in g lo t be fo re ret ur ni ng to hi s ap art m en t. Fro m th ere, he po in te d a sh ot gu n

in a th reat en in g m an ne r to ward th e ne ig hb or as he walk ed by h i s w i n d o w

. Afte r

po li ce were cal le d, th ey ob ta in ed a se arch warra nt fo r Irv in 's ap art m en t. Alt ho ug h th e

o f fic ers di d no t reco ve r a fir earm du rin g th ei r se arch

, th ey di d fin d .22 cal i b e r

am m un it io n. Irv in was ch arg ed wit h be i n g a fel on in po ss es si on of am m un it io n in

vi ol at io n o f 18 U.S.C. §§ 92 2( g) (1 ), 92 4( a)(2 ), an d h e p le d g ui lt y

.

Afte r th e di st ric t co ur t calc ul at ed an in it ia l adv is or y gu id el in e ran ge fo r Irv in
(5 7 to 71 m on th s)

, it c o n c l u d e d t h a t h i s c ri m i n a l h i s t o ry w a s u n d e rr e p re s e n t e d a

n d t h a t

a d e p a rt u re w a s w a rr a n t e d b a s e d o n h i s p ri o r co nvi ct i o n f o r a s s a u l t i n g a c o rr e c t i o n a l

o f f i c e r. A l t h o u g h t h a t c o n v i c t i o n

w a s t o o o l d

t o c o u n t t o w a rd Ir v i n 's c ri m i n a l h i s t o ry , h e w o u l d h a

v e h a d a " m o re a

p p ro p ri a t e " a d v i s o ry g u i d e l i n e ra

n g e o f 7 0 t o 8 7 m o n t

h s i f

i t h a d i n f a c t re c e i v e d c ri m i n a l h i s t o ry p o i n t s

. A f t e r c o n s i d e ri n g t

h e 1 8 U

. S

. C

. § 3 5 5 3 (a )

f a c t o rs , t h e c o u rt s e n t e n c e d h i m t o 8 4 m o n t

h s i m p ri s o n m e n t

.

W e rev ie w th e reas on ab le ne ss of th e se nt en ce fo r ab us e of di sc ret io n. Uni te d

St at es v. Lin de rm an , 58 7 F.3 d 89 6, 89 9 (8 th Ci r. 20 09 ). A de fe nda n t 's " s e n t e n c e i s

s u b s t a n t i v e l y u n re a s o n a b l e i f t h e d i s t ri c t c o u rt 'f a i l s t o c o n s i d e r a re l e v a

n t f a c t o r t h a t

s h o u l d h a v e re c e i v e d s i g n i f

i c a n t w e i g h t

, g i v e s s i g n i f

i c a n t w ei ght to a

n i m p ro p e r o r
i rr e l e v a n t f a c t o r, o r c o n s i d e rs o n l y

t h e a p p ro p ri a t e f a c t o rs b u t c o m m i t s a c l e a r e rr o r o f
j u d g m e n t i n w e i g h i n g t

h o s e f a c t o rs

. '" U

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

. L o z o y a , 6 2 3 F

. 3 d 6 2 4

, 6 2 6 (8 t h

C i r. 2 0 1 0 ) (q

u o t i n g U n i t e d S t a t e s v

. W a t s o n , 4 8 0 F

. 3 d 1 1 7 5

, 1 1 7 7 (8 t h C i r. 2 0 0 7 ))

.

Irv in 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 pl aci ng to o m uc h
weig ht on hi s pr io r co nv ic ti on fo r as sa ul ti ng a co rrec ti on al of fic e r

. A c o u

rt m a y
d e p a rt u p w a rd i f a d e f e n d a n t 's " c ri m i n a l h i s t o ry c a

t e g o ry s u b s t a n t i a l l y u n d e r- re p re s e n t s

-2

-t

h e s e ri o u s n e s s " o f h i s c ri m i n a l h i s t o ry o r t h e l i k e l i h o o d t

h a t h e w o u l d c o m

m i t o t h e r

c ri m e s

. U

. S

. S

. G

. § 4 A 1

. 3 (a )(1). In c o n s i d e ri n g c ri m i n a l h i s t o ry , t

h e c o u rt m a y t a k e

n o t i c e o f p ri o r s e n t e n c e s t o o re m o t e i n t i m e t o re c e i v e c ri m i n a l h i s t o ry p o i n t s b u t w h i c h

s h o w " s i m i l a

r, o r s e ri o u s d i s s i m i l a

r, c ri m i n a l c o n d

u c t

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

. J o h n s o n , 6 4 8

F

. 3 d 9 4 0

, 9 4 3 (8 t

h C i r. 2 0 1 1 ) (q

u o t i n g U

. S

. S

. G

. § 4 A 1

. 2 (e ) c m t

. n

. 8 ). Ir v i n 's c o n v i c t i o n
f o r u n l a w f u l l y p o s s e s s i n g a

m m u n i t i o n a ro s e f ro m a n i n c i d e n t i n w hic h he a s s a u l t e d a

n e i g h b o r b y b ra

n d i s h i n g a k

n i f e a n d poi nti n g a f

i re a rm i n a t h re a t e n i n g m a n n e r. H i s

p ri o r c o n v i c t i o n f

o r a s s a u l t i n g a c o rr e c t i o n a l o f

f i c e r e v i d e n c e d s i m i l a

r a n d s e ri o u s

a s s a u l t i v e c o n d

u c t

, s o t h e d i s t ri c t c o u rt a c t e d w i t

h i n i t s d i s c re t i o n b y c o n s i d e ri ng a n d
gi v i n g a p p ro p ri a t e w e i g h t t o i t i n d e t e rm

i n i n g t h a t Ir v i n 's c ri m i n a l h i s t o ry c a

t eg ory

u n d e rr e p re s e n t e d h i s c ri m i n a l h i s t o ry

.

Irv in al so arg ue s th at th e di st ric t co ur t fai le d ad eq ua te ly to weig h hi s m it ig at in g

ev id en ce, pa rti cu la rly th e te st im on y of hi s fo rm er em pl oyer reg ard in g hi s he ad in jury

an d wor k et hi c. The reco rd de m on st rat es , ho wev er, th at th e di st ric t co ur t di d co ns id er

th is m it ig at i ng ev id en ce. The co ur t de sc rib ed th e fo rm er em pl oyer's te st im on y as

"i m pr es si ve ." In li gh t of th at te s t i mo n y, i t d eci de d to gi ve Irv in a sh or te r se nt en ce

th an in it ia l ly an ti ci pa te d. The di st ric t co ur t act ed well wit hi n it s di sc ret io n in

de cl in in g to gi ve Irv in 's m it ig at in g ev id en ce m or e weig ht th an it di d, pa rti cu la rly
gi ve n it s co nc ern s ab ou t hi s as sa ul ti ve cri m in al hi st or y

. See Uni te d St at es v. Sal azar

Alem an ,74 1 F.3 d 87 8, 88 1– 82 (8 th Ci r. 20 13 ) (co nc lu di ng th at se nt en ce was no t

su bs ta nt iv el y un reas on ab le whe n di st r i c t co ur t ha d ack no wled ge d m it ig at in g

ev id en ce). W e co nc lu de th at th e di st ric t co ur t's se nt en c e w a s no t su bs ta nt iv el y

un reas on ab le

.

Acco rd in gl y , we affi rm

th e jud gm en t o f th e d is tri ct co ur t.

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