2009 D e c i sion s O p inion s of the U nit e d S t at e s C our t of Appe al s for the Thir d C ir c uit 7-27-2009 

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. F or mor e inform at ion, p le as e c ont a ct Be n j amin . C arl s on@l a

w . vi ll anova . e du . Re c omme nde d C it at ion " U SA v . Alle n G uy " (2009). 2009 D e cisio n s . P ape r 944. http://d i git alc ommon s .l a

w . vi ll anova . e du/thir dc ir c uit_2009/944NOT P RE CE DE NT I AL UN I TED STATES CO UR T OF A PP EALS F O R T H E T H IR D C IR C U IT N o. 08- 1565 UNI TE D ST ATE S OF AM ERI CA

v. AL L E N GUY, A ppel l ant A p p ea l from the U n it ed S tat es D istri ct C o u rt f o r th e M id d le D istric t o f P e n n sy lv a n ia ( D . C . C r i m i nal N o. 07- cr - 00102- 1) D i s t r i ctJ udge: H onor abl e C hr i s t opherC . C onner Subm i t t ed U nderT hi r d C i r cui tL A R 34. 1( a)

J ul y17, 2009 B efore: R E N D E L L , F U E N T E S and R O T H , C i rcui tJudg es.

( Fi l ed: J ul y27, 2009) OPI NI ON O F THE COURT R E N D E L L , C i r cui tJ udge. A l l en G uys eeks a r educt i on i n hi s s ent ence , ar gui ng thatthe D i s t r i ctC our tfai l ed t o cons i derw hetherhi s age, m edi cal condi t i on, and coope r at i on w i t h t he governm ent w a rr a n te d a s e n te n c e b e lo w th e a p p lic a b le g u id e lin e ra n g e u n d e r 1 8 U .S .C . § 3 5 5 3 (a ).2

Be c a u s e we c o n c l u d e t h a tt h e Di s t r i c tCo u r ta d e q u a t e l ywe i g h e d th e s e c o n s i d e r a t i o n s , we w ill a f f irm th e o rd e r o f

th e D istric t C o u rt. A p p e llan t A llen G u yp led g u iltyto o n e c o u n t o f p o ss e ss io n w ith in ten t to d istrib u te fiv e g ram s o r m o re o f c rac k co ca ine in v iolati o n o f 2 1 U . S . C . § § 8 4 1 (a), (b)(1 )(B )(i ii ), a n d w a s s e n ten c e d to 2 1 2 m o n th s in p riso n – a ter m w ith in h is g u id e lin e s ra n g e o f 1 8 8 to 235 m ont hs . O n appea l , G uym ai nt ai ns thathi s s ent ence w as unr eas onabl e, ar gui ng t hat t he D i s t r i ctC our tdi d notpr oper l ycons i derthe § 3553( a) fac t or s . Speci fi cal l y , G uy , w ho w as 52 y ear s ol d ats ent enci ng, cont ends thathi s age, m edi cal condi t i on, and coope r at i on w i t h t he governm entw arr anta s ent ence bel ow hi s gui del i nes r ange. W e i ni t i al l yobs erve th a t G u yh a s th e b u rd e n o f d e m o n stra tin g h is s e n ten c e w a s u n re a so n a b le, a n d re itera te t hata s ent ence w i t hi n t he gui del i nes r ange i s m or e l i kel yt o be r eas onabl e than one o u ts id e th e g u id e lin e s ra n g e . See U ni t ed Stat es v. C ooper , 4 3 7 F . 3 d 3 2 4 , 3 3 1 -32 (3d C ir . 2006) . A l t hough “[t ] her e ar e no magi c w or ds thata di s t r i ctj udge musti nvoke w hen sen tenc ing , ” the rec o rd m u st “d em o n str ate tha t th e c o u rtco n side red the § 3 5 5 3 (a) fa ctors and anys ent enci ng gr ounds pr oper l yr ai s ed bythe part i es w hi ch have r ecogni zed l egal m er i tand fa ctual s uppor ti n t he r ecor d. ” Id . at332. H ere , the D istri ct C o u rtca ref u ll yco n side red fa ctors su p p o rt ing lenien ce : G u y ’s age, hi s “di ffi cul teconomi c ci r cumst ance s , ” hi s num er ous m edi cal aff l i ct i ons , i ncl udi ng

“ h e p a tit is C , h yp e rte n sio n , . . . d iab e tes . . . [a n d ] d e p re ss io n ,” a n d h is c o o p e ra tio n w ith t he governm enti n t he pr os ecut i on of a l ar ge drug r i ng. A . 56- 57, 60- 61. N onethel es s , t heI n t he s ect i on of hi s br i ef e nt i t l ed “Summ aryof A r gum ent , ” G uyur ges that 1 “al t hough notar gued ats ent enci ng, the di s par i t ybetw een the cr ack a nd coca i ne pow der g u id e lin e s a ls o ju s tif

ie s a v a ri a n c e .” A p p e lla n t’ s B r. a t 1 1 . E v e n a s s u m in g , ar guendo , 3 C o u rtco n clud ed that thes e c o n side rati o n s w ere o v ersh ad o w ed b y§ 3 5 5 3 (a) fa ctors favo ri ng a l eng t hypri son term . A careeroff end er, G uyhad fi ft een p ri or conv i ct i on s, e le v e n o f w h ic h w e re f

o r d ru g o f

f e n s e s a n d c ri m e s o f

v io le n c e , in c lu d in g m u rd e r. A . 6 0 . I n t he C our t ’ s vi ew , G uy ’ s s ubs t ant i al cr i m i nal hi s t ory , coupl ed w i t h hi s her oi n addi ct i on a n d u n l a wf

u l p o s s e s s i o n o f

a f i r e a r m, d e mo n s t r a t e d a “ s t r o n g l i k e l i h o o d o f r e c i d i v i s m” an d ev ince d a f

u n d am en tal lack o f “ resp ec t fo r hu m an li fe o r th e law . ” A . 6 0 -62 . G u y ’s comm i s s i on of hi s m os tr ece ntoffe ns e w hi l e on par ol e al s o convi nced the C our tthat co n ti n u ed lenien cyw o u ld b e il l- ad v ised . A . 6 0 -61 . A leng thysen tenc e, th e C o u rt concl uded, w as nece s s aryt o pr ovi de “j us tpuni s hm entand det erthe def endantfr om becomi ng r ei nvol ved w i t h drugs and vi ol ence . ” A . 61- 62. A l t hough G uyur ged thathi s s ubs t ant i al cooper at i on w i t h t he governm ent w arr ant ed a r educe d s ent ence , t he C our tr eas onabl yconcl uded thatG uy ’ s pl ea ba r gai n, w h ich d e f

e n se c o u n se l lau d e d a s “ g e n e ro u s” a n d a “ g o o d c h a rg e b a rg a in . . . in c o n s id e ra tio n f

o r h is c o o p e ra tio n ,” a p p ro p ri a te ly re f le c te d h is a s s is ta n c e . A . 5 3 -5 4 , 6 1 . T he C our tas tut el yobs erved, “[H ] ad the def endantpl ed t o t he i ndi ctm entbas ed upon the drug amount s forw hi ch he i s r es pons i bl e he w oul d have f ace d a mandat orym i ni m um of 360 m ont hs t o l i fe. ” A . 61. O n t hi s r ecor d, w e r eadi l yconcl ude thatG uy ’ s s ent ence of 212 m ont hs , i m pos ed af t ercar eful eval uat i on of the § 3553( a) fac t or s , w as r eas onabl e. 1t hatt he ar gum enti s pr oper l ybefor e us , the D i s t r i ctC our t ’ s fai l ur e t o cons i der t he cr ackc o c a i n e d i s p a r i t y su a sp o n te w a s n o t e rr o r. See U ni t ed Stat es v. R obers on , 517 F. 3d 990, 9 9 5 (8 th C ir. 2 0 0 8 ); U

ni t ed Stat es v. B er

ggr en , 2 6 7 F ed . A p p x . 8 6 8 , 8 7 0 (11 th C ir . 2 0 0 8 ). 4 A c c o rd in g ly, w e w ill A F F IR M th e o rd e r o f th e D is tr ic t C o u rt .