# 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 4- 18 47

__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ _ 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 Mart in ez-R od rig ue z

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 Ne br as ka - Lin co ln

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Su bm it te d: Nov em

be r 10 , 20 14 Fi le d: Nov em

be r 19 , 20 14 [Un pu bl is he d]

__ __ __ __ __ __ Befo re RI LEY, Chi ef J ud ge , BEAM an d GRUENDER, Ci rcu it Ju dg es

.

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PER CURI AM.

The di st ric t co ur t se nt en ced Jo se Mar ti n ez-R od rig ue z to 48 m on th s' 1
im pr is on m en t fo ll owi ng hi s gu il ty pl ea to th e of fen se of un la wfu l reen try by an al ie n

The Hon or ab le Jo hn M. Gerra rd
, Uni te d St at es Dis tri ct Ju dg e fo r th e Dis tri ct 1 of Nebr as ka

.pr ev io us ly rem ov ed fo ll owi ng a co nv ic ti on fo r an ag gr av at ed fel on y , in vi ol at io n of

8 U

. S.C. §§ 13 26 (a) an d (b )(2 ). Mar ti ne z-Ro dr ig ue z ch al le ng es th e su bs ta nt iv e

reas on ab le ne ss of h is wit hi n- gu id el in es -ran ge sen te nc e. W e aff irm.

" Wh e n we rev ie w th e im po si ti on of se nt en ces , whe th er in si de or ou ts id e t h e Gui de li ne s ran ge , w e ap pl y a de fere nt ia l ab us e-o f-d is cret io n st an da rd ." Uni te d St at es

v. Hay es , 51 8 F.3 d 98 9, 99 5 (8 th Ci r. 20 08 ) (in te rn al qu ot at io n om it te d)

. W e "m us t fir st en su re th at th e di st ric t co ur t co m m it te d no si gn ifi can t pr oc ed ur al erro r." Gall v. Uni te d St at es , 55 2 U.S. 38
, 51 (2 00 7)

. "In th e ab se nc e of pr oc ed ur al erro r be lo w, we sh ou ld th en co ns id er t he su bs ta nt iv e rea so na bl en es s o f th e se nt en ce i m po se d u nd er

an ab us e-o f-d is cret io n st an da rd ." Uni te d St at es v. Feem st er, 57 2 F.3 d 45 5, 46 1 (8 th Ci r. 20 09 ) (in te rn al qu ot at io n om it te d)

. "If th e se nt en ce is wit hi n th e Gui d e l in es

ran ge , [we m ay ] ap pl y a pr es um pt io n of reas on ab le ne ss ." Gall
, 55 2 U.S. at 51

. In de ed
, " i t w i l l be th e un us ua l cas e" whe n we rev ers e a wit hi n- gu id el in es se nt en ce "as su bs ta nt iv el y un reas on ab le ." Feem st er, 57 2 F.3 d at 46 4 (q uo ta ti on om it te d)

. "A

se nt en ce is su bs ta nt iv el y un reas on ab le if th e di st ric t co ur t fai ls to co ns id er a rel ev an t fact or th at sh ou ld ha ve rece iv ed si gn ifi can t weig ht
, gi ve s si g ni fic an t weig ht to an im pr op er o r ir rel ev an t fa ct or , or co ns id ers on ly the ap pr op ria te fact or s b ut co m m it s

a cl ear erro r of jud gm en t in weig hi ng th os e fact or s." Uni te d St at es v. Lo z o ya , 6 2 3
F.3 d 6 24 , 62 6 (8 th Cir . 20 10 ) (i nt ern al qu ot at io n o m it te d)

.

Mar ti ne z-R o d r i g u e z al le ge s no pr oc ed ur al erro r; no r do es he ch al le ng e th e di st ric t co ur t's cal cu la ti on res ul ti ng in an ad vi so ry gu id el in es im pr is on m en t ran ge of
4 6 to 57 m on th s. In st ead
, hi s so le arg um en t on ap pe al is th at , gi ve n th e sp e c i f i c ci rcu m st an ces of hi s cas e, hi s sen te nc e is gr eat er th an ne ces sa ry to se rv e th e fed eral

se nt en ci ng go al s un de r 18 U.S.C. § 35 5 3 ( a )

. In arg ui ng th at hi s se nt en ce is

su bs ta nt iv el y un reas on ab le
, Mar ti ne z-Ro dr ig ue z co nc ed es th at th e di s t r i ct co ur t

co ns id ered al l of th e § 35 53 (a) fact or s th at ar e rel ev an t to hi s cas e. He co nt en ds
, ho wev er, th at th e d i s t r i c t co ur t co m m it te d "a se rio us erro r in jud gm en t" whe n it

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-weig he d th e § 35 53 (a) fact or s be cau se it affo rd ed to o li tt le weig ht to hi s st ro ng fam il y

ti es to th e Uni te d S ta te s. 2

Afte r care fu ll y rev ie win g th e se nt en ci ng reco rd
, we ho ld th at th e di st ric t co ur t di d no t m ak e a cl ear erro r of jud gm en t whe n it weig he d th e § 35 53 (a) fact or s. The

reco rd in di cat es th at th e di st ric t co ur t pe rm it te d Mar ti ne z -Ro dr ig ue z to of fer

ex te ns iv e arg um en t as to why hi s fam il y ci rcu m st an ces warra nt ed hi m a va ria nc e b e lo w th e Gui de li ne s ran ge

. The di st ric t co nc lu de d, ho wev er, th at Mar ti ne z

Ro dr ig ue z's hi st or y of vi ol en t cri m in a l be ha vi or , whi ch in cl ud es co nv ic ti on s fo r fir in g a weap on at a n occ up ie d veh ic le an d st ran gl in g a for m er g irl fri en d, i nd ic at ed th at he pr es en te d a si gn ifi can t ris k to th e pu bl ic sa fet y an d th at he ha d li tt le reg ard fo r
t h e la ws of th e Uni te d St at es

. Afte r weig hi ng th es e va rio us co ns id erat i o n s i n

co nju nc ti on wit h th e rem ai ni ng § 35 53 (a) fact or s, th e di st ric t co ur t co nc lu de d th at a

se nt en ce wi th in th e h eart la nd of t he Gui de li ne s was ap pr op ria te

.

It is cl ear th at th e di st ric t co ur t's jus ti fic at io ns fo r im po si ng a wit hi n- gu id el in es

se nt en ce re st ed "o n p reci se ly the ki nd of de fen da nt -s pe ci fic de te rm in at io ns th at are wit hi n th e sp eci al co m

pe te nc e o f se nt en ci ng co ur ts ." Feem st er, 57 2 F.3 d at 46 4 (q uo ta ti on om it te d)

. Acco rd in gl y , th e 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 Mar ti ne z-Ro dr ig ue z to 48 m on th s' im pr is on m en t, and we th us affi rm it s jud gm en t.

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Mar ti ne z-Ro dr ig ue z al so cl ai m s th at th e di st ric t co ur t di d no t gi ve du e weig ht 2
to hi s pa rti al co m

pl ia nc e wit h a fas t-t rack pr og ram th at th e Uni te d St at es Att or ne y 's Offi ce fo r th e Dis tri ct of Neb ras ka of fers to m an y de fen da nt s in il le ga l reen try cas es

. Howev er, as th e di st ric t cou rt no te d, Mart in ez-R od rig ue z was of fere d th e ch an ce to

e n t e r in to a pl ea ag reem en t as pa rt of th is pr og ram , bu t he refu se d. M a r t i n e z

Ro dr ig ue z's arg um en t is th eref or e m eri tl es s, an d we gi ve it no fu rth er co ns id erat io n.

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