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 4-23-2009 

# U SA v . Anthon y C orbin P r e c e de nt i al or N on-P r e c e de nt i al : N on-P r e c e de nt i al D ocke t N o . 08-1550

F o llow thi s and a dd it ion al work s at : http://d i git alc ommon s .l a w . vi ll anova . e du/thir dc ir c uit_2009

Thi s de c i sion i s br ou ght t o you for f r e e and ope n a c c e s s b y the 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 at V i ll anova U nive r sity S choo l of L a

w Di git al Reposit ory

. It h as be e n a c c ept e d for inclusion in 2009 D e c i sion s b y an author i z e d a dmini s tr at or of V i ll anova U nive r sity S choo l of L a

w Di git al Reposit ory

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w . vi ll anova . e du . Re c omme nde d C it at ion " U SA v . Anthon y C or b in" (2009). 2009 D e cisio n s . P ape r 1488. http://d i git alc ommon s .l a

w . vi ll anova . e du/thir dc ir c uit_2009/1488T h e H o n o rab le T . S . E ll is, III , S en ior D istri ct Ju d g e, U n it ed S tat es D istri ct C o u rt * fort he East ern D i s t r i ctof V i r gi ni a, s i t t i ng bydes i gnat i on. NOT 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- 1550

_____________ UNI TE D ST ATE S OF AM ERI CA

v. ANT HONY C OR BI N, A ppel l ant

_______________ O n A p p ea l from the U n it ed S tat es D istri ct C o u rt

fort he D i s t r i ctof N ew J er s ey ( C r i m i nal N o. 06- cr - 00990) D i s t r i ctJ udge: H onor abl e A nne E. T hom ps on

______________ Subm i t t ed U nderT hi r d C i r cui tL A R 34. 1( a)

J anuary9, 2009

________________ Be f o r e : CH AGAR E S , HAR DI M AN C i r cui tJudges , a n d E L L IS , Seni orD is tr i ct Judge . * ( O pi ni on Fi l ed: A pr i l 23, 2009)

______________ OP I NI ON

______________ E L L IS , Seni orD is tr i ct

Judge .- 2-

A nt honyC orbi n appea l s hi s 50- m ont h s ent ence form aki ng a thr eat eni ng c o m m u n ica tio n in v io latio n o f 1 8 U .S .C . § 8 7 5 (c ), ar g u in g th a t: ( i ) t he D i s t r i ctC our terr ed i n i m pos i ng C orbi n’ s s ent ence bas ed on, in tera lia , C orbi n’ s l ack of per s onal val ues , i m m atur i t y , and poor a tti tu d e to w a rd s p e rso n a l re latio n sh ip s; ( i i ) t he D i s t r i ctC our terr ed byi m pos i ng a l ongert erm of i ncar cer at i on b a se d o n C o rb in ’s n e e d f o r m e n tal h e a lth tre a tm e n t; ( i i i ) t he D i s t r i ctC our terr ed byi m pr oper l ycons i der i ng acqui t t ed conduc t as a bas i s forC orbi n’ s s ent ence ; and (i v ) C o rbin ’s 50 -m o n th se n tenc e, w h ich w as a b o v e the ad v isory S e n ten c in g G u id e lin e s ra n g e o f 1 0 to 1 6 m o n th s, w a s s u b sta n tiv e ly u n re a s o n a b le . F o r t h e re a s o n s s ta te d h e re , w e a f f ir m . I. B eca us e w e w r i t e s ol el yforthe bene fi tof the part i es , w e onl ybr i efl ys um m ar i ze t h e e s s e n t i a l f

a c t s a n d p r o c e d u r a l h i s t o r y. O n D ecem ber 14, 2006 , a grand j uryreturned a tw o-coun ti nd i ct m ent agai nst C orbi n, char gi ng hi m w i t h ( i ) a J ul y9, 2004, bank r obberyof a Com m er ce Bank i n Poi nt P lea sa n t, N e w Je rse y , in v io latio n o f 1 8 U .S .C . § § 2 1 1 3 (a ) a n d 2 (“ C o u n t O n e ” ); a n d (ii) m a k in g a th re a ten in g c o m m u n ica tio n to h is e x -g irlfr ien d o n N o v e m b e r 1 1 , 2 0 0 6 , in vi ol at i on of 18 U . S. C . § 875( c) ( “C ountT w o”) . C orbi n pl ed notgui l t yt o bot h count s . T he cas e pr ocee ded t o t r i al , and on M ay9, 2007, a j uryacqui t t ed C orbi n on C ountO ne andA l t hough t he i ndi ctm ental s o char ged a c o- defe ndanton C ountO ne, that 1 d e f e n d a n t w a s a c q u itt e d a t trial, an d h is in v o lv e m e n t in th e trial is im m a ter ial to th is s e n te n c in g a p p e a l.

- 3- convi ct ed hi m on C ountT w o. 1 D ur i ng t he cour s e of the tr i al , C orbi n t es t i fi ed i n hi s ow n defe ns e and a c k n o w le d g e d , in tera lia , (i) tha t d u rin g a N o v e m b e r 1 1 , 2 0 0 6 , p h o n e c o n v e rsa tio n w ith hi s ex- gi r l fr i end, w ho i s al s o t he mot herof hi s s on, C orbi n t hr eat ened t o ki l l herand her fami l y ; and ( i i ) t hatdur i ng a N ovember18, 2006, phone conve r s at i on w i t h t he s ame exg irlfr ien d , h e re f

e rre d to “ sto len b a n k m o n e y ” h e o b tain e d w h e n h e h a d p re v io u sly

“ ro b b e d th e b a n k s.” A p p e llan t’s A p p . (A p p .) 1 9 0

– 1 9 2 , 3 6 4 . W ith re sp e c t to th e th re a t to ki l l hi s ex- gi r l fr i end and he rfami l y , C orbi n t es t i fi ed thathe neve ri nt ended t o fol l ow t hr ough; r ather , he cl ai m ed thatt he dea t h t hr eatw as an over l yemot i onal r eac t i on t o the form ercoupl e’ s ongoi ng di s put e r egar di ng the ca r e, cus t ody , and vi s i t at i on of thei rs on. W i t h r es pectt o t he bank r obberyr efe r ence s , C orbi n t es t i fi ed thathe had ne verr obbed any ban ks; rather, he clai m ed thathe u sed t he w ord “ba nk ” as sl ang for a narcot i cs “st ash h o u s e ” a n d th a t h e h a d ro b b e d s u c h s ta s h h o u s e s o n m u ltip le p re v io u s o c c a s io n s . I d. at 191. Fol l ow i ng t he j ur y ’ s gui l t yver di cton C ountT w o, a pr es ent ence i nves t i gat i on r epor t( PSR ) w as pr epar ed. T he PSR cal cul at ed C orbi n’ s t ot al offe ns e l evel forthe count o f c o n v ict ion as 1 2 an d h is cri m inal h ist o ryca tego ryas I, r esu lt ing in an ad v isoryT h e re c o rd re f lec ts s o m e d isp u te a t se n ten c in g re g a rd in g w h e th e r C o rb in sh o u ld 2 have r ece i ved a tw o- poi ntr educt i on foracc ept ance of r es pons i bi l i t y . C orbi n di d not u lti m a telyre c e iv e th a t re d u c tio n , an d h e h a s n o t ch a llen g e d th a t ru lin g o n a p p e a l. A c c o rd in g ly, w e n e e d n o t a d d re s s th e is s u e h e re .

- 4- G ui del i nes r ange of

10 t o 16 m ont hs . O n J anuary8, 2008, C orbi n appea r ed for 2 s ent enci ng, atw hi ch poi ntt he governm entur ged the D i s t r i ctC our tt o i m pos e a va r i ant se n ten c e a b o v e th e a d v iso ryG u id e lin e s ra n g e . S p e c if ica lly , the g o v e rn m e n t ar g u e d th a t a var i ants ent ence cl os ert o t he 60- m ont h s t atut orym axi m um w as j us t i fi ed bya pr oper w e ig h in g o f

th e 1 8 U .S .C . § 3 5 5 3 (a ) f a c to rs b e c a u s e , in tera lia , ( i ) “the venom, the hatr ed, [and] t he ani m os i t y ” of the thr eat eni ng comm uni cat i on i n t hi s cas e w arr ant ed i ncr eas ed puni s hm ent ; and ( i i ) t he D i s t r i ctC our ts houl d cons i derthe ac qui t t ed conduc t c h a r g e d i n C o u n tO n e , w h i c h t h e g o v e r n m e n ta r g u e d h a d b e e n p r o v e n b y a pr eponder ance of the evi dence , i n eval uat i ng C orbi n’ s hi s t oryand per s onal c h a ra c te ri s tic s . Id . at309. C orbi n obj ect ed t o t he governm ent ’ s r eques t , both on the bas i s thatthe governm ent h a d n o t p ro v id e d p rio r n o tice o f its in ten tio n to se e k a v a ria n t se n ten c e a n d o n th e b a sis t hatpr operw ei ghi ng of the § 3553( a) s ent enci ng fac t or s di d notj us t i fya var i ants ent ence i n t hi s cas e. C orbi n, bycouns el , ar gued thatthe D i s t r i ctC our ts houl d cons i dervar i ous m i t i gat i ng fac t or s , i ncl udi ng C orbi n’ s m ent al heal t h pr obl ems and phy s i cal abus e he s uffe r ed as a chi l d. A ft erhear i ng fr om both par t i es , the D i s t r i ctC our tobs erved thatt he advi s or yG ui del i nes r ange a ppear ed “i nadequa t e forpuni s hm entforthi s defe ndant ” and t hati tw as nece s s aryt o “cons i derhow cl os e t o t he [f i ve- y ear ] m axi m um thi s s ent ence- 5-

s houl d be. ” Id . at311–12. I n l i ghtof thos e vi ew s , the D i s t r i ctC our tcont i nued the s ent enci ng and af

for ded both par t i es an oppor tuni t yt o s ubm i tw r i t t en mem or anda on the q u e s tio n s p re s e n te d b yth e g o v e rn m e n t’ s re q u e s t f o r a v a ri a n t s e n te n c e . T he part i es compl i ed, and appr oxi m at el yfi ve w eeks l at er , on February13, 2008, C orbi n r eappe ar ed fors ent enci ng. T he governm entagai n ur ged i m pos i t i on of a va r i ant s e n t e n c e a b o v e t h e a d v i s o r yGu i d e l i n e s r a n g e a n d n e a rth e f i v e - y e a rs t a tu t o r yma x i mu m, a rg u in g , in tera lia , (i) tha t th e se rio u sn e ss o f th is p a rticu lar o f

f e n se — a d e a th t hr eat

— j us t i fi ed i ncr eas ed puni s hm ent ; ( i i ) thatthe ac qui t t ed conduc tchar ged i n C ount O ne, w hi ch w as pr oven bya pr eponder ance of the evi dence attr i al , w arr ant ed a l onger ter m o f in c a rc e ra tio n ; an d (iii) tha t C o rb in ’s h isto rya n d c h a ra c ter istics

— in c lu d in g h is cl ai m w hen t es t i fy i ng i n hi s ow n defe ns e thathe had r obbed drug s t as h hous es on m u lti p le o c c a sio n s— su g g e ste d th a t an in c re a se d ter m o f im p riso n m e n t w a s n e c e ss a ryto pr ot ectt he publ i c. C orbi n r es ponded, bycouns el , ar gui ng thata var i ants ent ence w as not ju s tif ie d , in tera lia , beca us e: (i) c o n sid e ra tio n o f

a c q u itt e d c o n d u c t w o u ld v io late h is S ix th A m e n d m e n t ju rytrial rig h ts; ( i i ) t he convi ct ed off ens e conduc tw as a r es ul tof “e xtr eme frus t r at i on b ase d o n the f

ac t th at [the ex -girl frien d ] w as u n w il li n g to let M r. C o rb in se e th e ir c h ild ” ; (iii) C o rb in n e v e r in ten d e d to c a rryo u t th e th re a t; ( i v) C orbi n tur ned hi m s el f i n t o author i t i es upon l earni ng of the w arr ant iss u e d f o r h is a rre st;- 6-

(v) C o rbin w as d ep resse d in N o v em b er 2 0 0 6 as a resu lto f h is m o ther’s M ar ch 2006 pas s i ng; and (vi) C o rbin su ff

ere d b o th f

rom ch il d h o o d p h y sical ab u se a n d fro m sev ere e m o tio n a l p ro b le m s . I d. a t 3 2 8 . In a d d iti o n , d u rin g th e c o u rse o f a llo c u tio n , C o rb in d isc u ss e d th a t d u rin g h is i ncar cer at i on pendi ng t r i al and s ent enci ng, he had s oughtoutcouns el i ng, been puton psy cho t ropi c m edicat i on s, and recei ved treatm ent for hi s em oti on al and m ental problem s. T he D i s t r i ctC our tques t i oned C orbi n w i t h r es pectt o w hetherhe pr ovi ded fi nanci al s uppor tt o hi s s on, and C orbi n acknow l edged thatal t hough he occ as i onal l ypr ovi ded s o m e s u p p o rt , h is e x -g ir lf ri e n d w a s h is s o n ’s p ri m a ry p ro v id e r. Fol l ow i ng al l ocut i on, t he D i s t r i ctC our ti m pos ed a 50- m onth t erm of i ncar cer at i on. In d isc u ss in g th e b a sis f o r th e se n ten c e im p o se d , the D istric t C o u rt f irst o b se rv e d th a t § 3 5 5 3 re q u ire s a se n ten c e th a t, l o o k in g to th e se rio u sn e ss o f th e o f f e n se c o n d u c t, bo th p ro m o tes re sp e c t f

o r th e law a n d p ro v id e s ju st p u n ish m e n t f o r th e o f f e n se . In th a t re sp e c t, th e D istric t C o u rt c ited th e “ in ten sity ” a n d “ se rio u s” n a tu re o f C o rb in ’s th re a t to k ill h is e x -g ir lf ri e n d a n d h e r f

a m ily a s w a rr a n tin g in c re a s e d p u n is h m e n t. I d. at336. I n addi t i on, t he D i s t r i ctC our tr ej ect ed C orbi n’ s pr offe r ed j us t i fi cat i on forhi s act i ons — t hathe w as emot i onal l ydi s t r aughtovernots eei ng hi s s on— beca us e the D i s t r i ctC our tfound the expl anat i on w as bel i ed both byC orbi n’ s deci s i ons “nott o w or k[] [and] nott o t ake re sp o n sib ili tya s a f

a th e r” a n d b yC o rb in ’s a p p a re n t “f e e l[ in g ] th a t h e sh o u ld n ’t h a v e to go t o t he tr oubl e of c om i ng t o vi s i thi s s on. ” I d. at33 7. T he D i stri ctC ou rtal so- 7-

emphasi zed thatt he s ent ence i m pos ed mustboth “af for d adequa t e det err en[c e] ” and “pr ot ectt he publ i c fr om fur t hercr i m es of thi s defe ndant . ” I d. I n t hatr egar d, the D i s t r i ct C our tnot ed an “ over al l i m pr es s i on” of Corbi n t hatw as “nega t i ve[. ] ” I d. at336, 337. T he D i s t r i ctC our tbas ed thi s obs ervat i on pr i m ar i l yon C orbi n’ s “l ack of char act er ” and “ l ack o f m a tu ri ty” t h a t b e c a m e e v id e n t d u ri n g h is tr ia l te s tim o n y . I d. at337. A l t hough the D is tr ic t C o u rt n o te d b o th th e n e e d to a v o id “ u n w a rr a n te d s e n te n c e d is p a ri tie s a m o n g . . . defe ndant s w i t h s i m i l arr ecor ds ” and the r eal i t ythatC orbi n di d “nothave a cr i m i nal hi s t or yt hatw oul d pr om ptt he C our tt o puni s h hi m as a r epea toffe nder , ” the D i s t r i ct C our tfound thatC orbi n’ s t es t i m onydemonstr at ed a “ pr ocl i vi t yt o vi ol ence ” that w a rr a n te d a lo n g e r t e rm o f in c a rc e ra tio n . I

d. at338. Speci fi cal l y , the D i s t r i ctC our tfound t hatC orbi n’ s w i l l i ngnes s dur i ng hi s tr i al t es t i m onyt o cl ai m “i n a veryr el axed w ay ” that h e h a d c o m m itte d p ri o r c ri m in a l a c ts ju s tif ie d a n in c re a s e d te rm o f im p ri s o n m e n t. I

d. W i t h r es pectt o t he ac qui t t ed conduc tchar ged i n C ountO ne, the D i s t r i ctC our tobs erved as fol l ow s: N ow , t he ac qui t t ed conduc t , the bank r obberyi n N ew J er s eyforw hi ch the j ur ydi d notfi nd pr oof bey ond a r eas onabl e doubt , cert ai nl yther e w as pr oof b ya p re p o n d e ra n c e o f

th e e v id e n c e . . . . B u t I’m n o t su re it’s n e c e ss a ryto rel yup on t hat i n im po si ng a higher than [G ]ui deli ne sentence i n thi s case b e c a u s e [ C o rb in ] r e v e a le d s u c h a la c k o f m a tu ri ty, a l a c k o f

s e lf -c o n tr o l, a l ack of per s onal val ues w hen he t es t i fi ed. I d. at337–38. Fi nal l y , t he D i s t r i ctC our tobs erved thatC orbi n w as “i n need of corr ect i onal t r eatm ent ” and that“i tw oul d be hel pful , cl ear l y , for[C orbi n] t o have the benef i tof the ki nd of couns el i ng and corr ect i ve tr eatm entthathe coul d r ece i ve” dur i ng- 8-

a n yp e ri o d o f

in c a rc e ra tio n . I

d. a t 3 3 8 . C orbi n fi l ed hi s t i m el ynot i ce of appea l the nextday , and fourday s l at er , the D i s t r i ctC our tfi l ed a w r i t t en expl anat i on of r eas ons forthe var i ants ent ence i m pos ed. T he D i s t r i ctC our tes s ent i al l yr ei t er at ed the bas es el uci dat ed atthe s ent enci ng hear i ng, in c lu d in g , in tera lia , ( i ) C orbi n’ s “vi ol entvol at i l e per s onal i t y ” and “ l ack of per s onal val ues ”; ( i i ) t he “hypocr i t i cal ” natur e of Corbi n’ s expl anat i on forhi s act i ons , w hi ch the D i s t r i ctC our tfound t o be partof “a s t ruggl e forpow erora s el f- i m age s t ruggl e r ather t han a di s pl ayof fa t her l yl ove orfrus t r at i on”; and ( i i i ) C orbi n’ s “unw i l l i ngnes s t o t ake r es pons i bi l i t yforhi s act i ons [. ] ” I d. at6. T he w r i t t en expl anat i on confi r m ed thatthe D i s t r i ctC our ti m pos ed the var i ants ent ence “w i t houtr el y i ng upon” the ac qui t t ed conduc t c h a rg e d in C o u n t O n e , an d th e D istric t C o u rt a g a in o b se rv e d th a t C o rb in “ w o u ld b e n e f it f ro m a n g e r m a n a g e m e n t co u n se lin g a n d p a re n tal re sp o n sib ili tyc o u n se lin g ” w h ile in c a rc e ra te d . I

d. II. W e exe r ci s e appe l l at e j ur i s di ct i on overC orbi n’ s cl ai m s of s ent enci ng err orunder 2 8 U . S . C . § 1 2 9 1 an d 1 8 U . S . C . § 3 7 4 2 (a). O urs t andar d of r evi ew di ffe r s bas ed on w hethert he al l eged s ent enci ng err orw as r ai s ed bel ow . I f s o, w e r evi ew forabus e of d is c re tio n ; if

n o t, w e re v ie w f

o r p la in e rr o r. See U

ni t ed Stat es v. Ll oyd , 469 F. 3d 319, 320 (3 d C ir . 2 0 0 6 ). W h e re w e re v ie w f

o r a b u s e o f

d is c re tio n , “ o u r r o le is tw o -f o ld .” U ni t ed Stat es v.- 9-

W ise , 5 1 5 F . 3 d 2 0 7 , 2 1 7 (3d C ir . 2 0 0 8 ). F ir st, w e m u st “en su re tha t th e d istri ct co u rt c o m m itte d n o s ig n if

ic a n t p ro c e d u ra l e rr o r” in im p o s in g s e n te n c e . I d. S e c o n d , “ [ i ] f

we det erm i ne thatt he di s t r i ctcour thas comm i t t ed no s i gni fi cantpr ocedur al err or , w e then r evi ew t he s ubs t ant i ve r eas onabl enes s of the s ent ence [. ] ” Id . at218. W i t h r es pectt o t he f ir s t in q u ir y , a d is tr ic t c o u rt c o m m its s ig n if ic a n t p ro c e d u ra l e rr o r b y , in tera lia , fai l i ng t o cal cul at e ( ori m pr oper l ycal cul at i ng) the G ui del i nes r ange, t r eat i ng t he G ui del i nes as m andat ory , fai l i ng t o cons i derthe § 3553( a) f a c to rs, s e lec tin g a se n ten c e b a se d o n c lea rlye rro n e o u s f a c ts, o r f a ili n g to adequa t el yexpl ai n t he chos en s ent ence — i ncl udi ng an expl anat i on forany devi at i on fr om t he G ui del i nes r ange. G al lv. U ni t ed Stat es , 1 2 8 S . C t. 5 8 6 , 5 9 7 (2 0 0 7 ), qu oted i n W ise , 515 F. 3d a t2 1 7 . Of c o u rse , “w e d o n o t d e f

e r to a d istric t co u rt w h e n th e a ss e rte d p ro c e d u ra l er ro r is p u re ly l egal , ” and “ a di s t r i ctcour tw i l l be hel d t o have a bus ed i t s di s cr et i on i f i t s deci s i on w as bas ed on . . . an err oneous l egal concl us i on. ” W ise , 515 F. 3d at217 ( ci t i ng Koon v. U ni t ed Stat es , 518 U . S. 81, 100 ( 1996) ) . W i t h r es pectt o the s econd i nqui r y— r evi ew of a s ent ence ’ s s ubs t ant i ve r eas onabl enes s — w e r evi ew forabus e of di s cr et i on “r egar dl es s of w hether[the s ent ence ] fal l s w i t hi n t he G ui del i nes r ange. ” I d. at218 ( ci t i ng G a ll , 12 8 S. C t. at 5 9 7 ). A c c o rd in g ly , “[ a ]s lo n g a s a se n ten c e f a lls w ith in th e b ro a d ra n g e o f p o ss ib le sent ences t hat can be co nsi dered reasonab l e i n li gh tof the § 3 55 3(a) fact ors, w e m ust aff i r m . ” I d. W here w e revi ew for pl ai n err or, w e hav e descri bed the an al y si s as fol l ow s: T her e mustbe an e r r ort hati s pl ai n and thataff ect s s ubs t ant i al r i ght s . T he devi at i on fr om a l egal rul e i s err or , and an e r r ori s pl ai n i f i ti s cl earor- 10-

o b v io u s. In m o st c a se s, a n e rro r a f f e c ts s u b sta n tial rig h ts if it i s p re ju d icia l, i . e. , af f e c ted th e o u tco m e o f

th e d istric t co u rt p ro c e e d in g s. . . . W e w ill exer ci s e ourdi s cr et i on and vac at e the s ent ence i f the pl ai n err oraff ect i ng su b sta n tial rig h ts a lso se rio u slya f f e c ts th e f a irn e ss , inte g rity , o r p u b lic reput at i on of judi ci al proceed i ng s. U ni t ed Stat es v. E vans , 155 F. 3d 245, 251 ( 3d C i r . 1998) ( i nt ernal quot at i ons and c ita tio n s o m itte d ), quot ed i n U ni t ed Stat es v. V

oelker , 4 8 9 F . 3 d 1 3 9 , 1 5 3

– 5 4 (3d C ir . 2 0 0 7 ). W ith thes e p ri n ciples in m ind , w e turn to C o rbin ’s all eg ati o n s o f se n tenc ing erro r.

III . C orbi n’ s fi r s tar gum ent , di s t i l l ed t o i t s es s ence , i s thatthe D i s t r i ctC our tcomm i t t ed si gn i fi cant pr oced ural err or byi m po si ng sent ence b ased on C orbi n’s per sonal val ues, c h a ra c ter , m a tu ritylev e l, an d a tti tu d e to w a rd s p e rso n a l re latio n sh ip s— f a c to rs th a t C o rb in ar gues ar e i r r el evantunder§ 3553( a) . W e di s agr ee. Speci fi cal l y , w e s ee no di s t i nct i on betw een § 3553( a) ( 1) ’ s s peci fi c mandat e thatdi s t r i ctcour t s cons i derthe “hi s t oryand char act er i s t i cs of the def endant ” and the D i s t r i ctC our t ’ s eval uat i on i n t hi s cas e of C orbi n’s val ues, charact er, m aturi t yl evel, and at t i tud e t ow ards pers on al rel at i on shi ps. I ndeed, i ti s cl eart hatt he D i s t r i ctC our t ’ s fi ndi ngs w i t h r es pectt o C orbi n’ s hi s t oryand per s onal char act er i s t i cs w er e r el evantt o t he det erm i nat i on thata var i ants ent ence w as n e c e ss a ryto re f

lec t th e se rio u sn e ss o f

th e o f f e n se , to a f

f o rd a d e q u a te d e ter re n c e , an d to p ro te c t th e p u b lic . See § 3553( a) ( 2) ( A ) –( C ) . Speci fi cal l y , the D i s t r i ctC our tr el i ed uponN o t su rp risin g ly , C o rb in c ites n o a u th o rity , n o r h a v e w e f o u n d a n y , su p p o rtin g h is 3 ar gum entt hatt he D i s t r i ctC our t ’ s cons i der at i on of hi s hi s t oryand per s onal char act er i s t i cs w as i nappr opr i at e. T hi s i s s ens i bl e, as C orbi n’ s ar gum ent , i f ac cept ed, w oul d l ead t o an u n w a rra n ted , res trictiv e in terp re tatio n o f C o n g re ss ’s b ro a d m a n d a te in § 3 5 5 3 (a )(1 ) th a t a di s t r i ctcour tcons i dera def endant ’ s per s onal hi s t oryand cha r act er i s t i cs i n t ai l or i ng a s e n te n c e th a t f

u rt h e rs th e g o a ls e n u m e ra te d b y§ 3 5 5 3 (a )( 2 ). A l t hough t he part i es devot e s ubs t ant i al eff or tt o t he appr opr i at e s t andar d of 4 r e v i e w f o rt h i s a r g u me n t , we n e e d n o tr e s o l v e th e p a r t i e s ’ d i s p u t e i n th i s r e g a r d , a s we fi nd t hatt he D i s t r i ctC our tcomm i t t ed no err or— pl ai n orot herw i s e— i n cons i der i ng C o rb in ’s v a lu e s, c h a ra c ter , m a tu ritylev e l, an d a tti tu d e to w a rd s p e rso n a l re latio n sh ip s in i m pos i ng s ent ence .

- 11- a n a ss e ss m e n t o f

C o rb in ’s c re d ib ili tyin re jec tin g h is “ h yp o c ritica l” a ttem p t to m iti g a te t he s er i ous nes s of hi s offe ns e conduc tbyar gui ng thathe made the thr eat s outof frus t r at i on and l ove forhi s s on. A pp. 6. T he D i s t r i ctC our tal s o r el i ed on obs ervat i ons a b o u t C o rb in ’s v a lu e s, c h a ra c ter , an d m a tu ritylev e l in f in d in g th a t h is “ p ro c liv ityto viol ence” j ust i fi ed an i ncreased sent ence f or both deterrence and i ncap aci t at i on pu rposes. 3 I d. A cc o rdin g ly , b ec au se th e D istri ct C o u rt ’s co n side rati o n o f C o rbin ’s va lues , ch ara cter, m aturityleve l, an d att itu d e tow ard s p erso n al relat ion sh ips w as c o n sist en t w ith § 3 5 5 3 (a)’s m a n d a tes , w e f

in d n o p ro c e d u ra l er ro r— let a lo n e a sig n if ica n t p ro c e d u ra l er ro r— in th is r egar d. 4 I V. W e fi nd C orbi n’ s s econd a r gum ent

— t hatthe D i s t r i ctC our tcomm i t t ed s i gni fi cant pr ocedur al err orbyi m pos i ng a l ongert erm of i ncar cer at i on bas ed on C orbi n’ s need f or m ent al heal t h t r eatm ent

— t o be equa l l yw i t houtm er i t . T o be s ur e, C orbi n corr ect l yci t es ourhol di ng i n U

n itedS ta tes v . M

a n ze lla , 475 F. 3d 152, 162 ( 3d C i r . 2007) , thatdi s t r i ctA gai n, al t hough t he part i es devot e s ubs t ant i al eff ortt o t he appr opr i at e s t andar d of 5 r evi ew , w e nee d notr es ol ve the part i es ’ di s put e i n t hatr egar d, as w e fi nd thatthe D i s tr i ct C our tdi d notr el yon C orbi n’ s need f orm ent al heal t h t r eatm enti n i m pos i ng a t erm of in c a rc e ra tio n o r i n f

ix in g th e le n g th o f

th a t te rm .

- 12- cour t s ar e pr ohi bi t ed fr om “ef fec t i ng . . . r ehabi l i t at i ve goal s . . . ei t heri n s ent enci ng a defe ndantt o a t erm of i m pr i s onm entor , i f a t erm of i m pr i s onm enti s ot herw i s e t o be im p o se d , in d e ter m in in g th e len g th o f th a t term .” Y e t, ou r re v iew o f th e re c o rd m a k e s it p ell u cidlyclea r th at th e D istri ct C o u rtd id n o t do so h ere . R athe r, the D istri ct C o u rt m er el yobs erved thatdur i ng anyt erm of i ncar cer at i on, C orbi n w oul d benef i tfr om m ent al h e a lth tr e a tm e n t a n d c o u n s e lin g . See U ni t ed Stat es v. W

at s on , 4 8 2 F . 3 d 2 6 9 , 2 7 5 (3d C ir . 2007) ( obs ervi ng t hatt he “mer e fa ctthata [di s t r i ct ] cour tm ayt ake i nt o acc ountor m ent i on corr ect i on orr ehabi l i t at i on al ong w i t h otherfac t or s i n arr i vi ng atorexpl ai ni ng it s [o v era ll ] s ent ence ” does notdemonstr at e thatthe di s t r i ctcour ti m pos ed a t erm of i ncar cer at i on , o r d e ter m in e d th e len g th o f th a t term , fo r re h a b ili tativ e p u rp o se s (e m p h a sis in o rig in a l)). M o re o v e r, b o th C o rb in a n d h is c o u n se l r ais ed h is n e e d f

o r m e n tal h e a lth t r eatm entats ent enci ng as a m i t igat i ng fac t or , and the D i s t r i ctC our t ’ s obs ervat i on that C orbi n coul d r ece i ve s uch tr eatm entw hi l e i ncar cer at ed w as nota pr ocedur al err or— l et al one a s i gni fi cantpr ocedur al err or— i n i m pos i ng s ent ence . 5 V. N ext , w e fi nd i tunnece s s aryt o addr es s C orbi n’ s thi r d ar gum ent

— t hats ent enci ng C orbi n bas ed on the ac qui t t ed conduc tchar ged i n C ountO ne cons t i tut ed s i gni fi cant p r o c e d u r a l e r r o rb e c a u s e i tv i o l a t e d h i s S i x t h Am e n d me n tj u r ytr i a l r i g h t s — b e c a u s e weI ti s w or t h not i ng t hati tappea r s a di s t r i ctcour tm ay , i n fac t , bas e a s ent ence on 6 acqui t t ed conduc tpr ovi ded thatconducthas been pr oven bya pr eponder ance of the evi dence and the s ent ence i m pos ed i s w i t hi n t he s t atut oryr ange f orthe convi ct ed off

ens e. See, e. g. , U

ni t ed Stat es v. G r i er , 4 7 5 F .3 d 5 5 6 , 5 6 7

– 6 8 (3 d C ir. 2 0 0 7 ) (re lian c e o n f a c ts that m ayco n sti tute a “ sep ara te of fe n se,” if co n side red in se n tenc ing w ith in the statu tory r ange f ort he convi ct ed off

ens e, “do[e s ] noti m pl i cat e the r i ght s t o a j urytr i al and pr oof bey ond a r eas onabl e doubt ” bec aus e thos e fa ct s “do notcons t i tut e ‘ el ement s ’ of a ‘ cr i m e’ ” ( quot i ng Appr endiv. N ew Jer s ey , 5 3 0 U .S . 4 6 6 , 4 9 0 (2 0 0 0 )) ), q u o tedin U ni t ed Stat es v. Ji m i nez , 5 1 3 F . 3 d 6 2 , 8 8 (3d C ir . 2 0 0 8 ) a n d U n itedS ta tes v . A li , 508 F. 3d 136, 145–46 (3d C ir . 2 0 0 7 ); se e a lso U n itedS ta tes v . W

a tts , 5 1 9 U .S . 1 4 8 , 1 5 7 (1 9 9 7 ); U ni t ed Stat es v. Mar t i nez , 525 F. 3d 211, 215 ( 2d C i r . 2008) ( ci t i ng G r i er , 4 7 5 F .3 d a t 5 6 7

– 6 8 ); U ni t ed S ta tes v . W

h ite , 5 5 1 F . 3 d 3 8 1 , 3 8 4

– 8 5 (6th C ir . 2 0 0 8 ) (sam e).

- 13- f in d th a t th e D istric t C o u rt d id n o t im p o se th e v a ria n t se n ten c e b a se d o n th a t co n d u c t. I ndeed, t he D i s t r i ctC our ts t at ed ats ent enci ng thati tw as notnece s s aryt o r el yon t hat conduct , and the D i s t r i ctC our t ’ s w r i t t en s t at ementof r eas ons pl ai nl yconfi r m ed thatt he a c q u i t t e d c o n d u c twa s n o tt h e b a s i s f o rth e v a r i a n ts e n t e n c e i mp o s e d . Ac c o r d i n g l y , we need notaddr es s t he part i es ’ ar gum ent s w i t h r es pectt o t he appr opr i at enes s of cons i der i ng acqui t t ed conduc tats ent enci ng. 6 V I. C o rbin ’s fina l argu m en t i s tha t eve n ab sen t a find ing that the D istri ct C o u rt c o m m itt e d sig n if

ica n t p ro c e d u ra l er ro r, w e sh o u ld n o n e th e les s re v e rse th e 5 0 -m o n th v a r i a n ts e n t e n c e i m p o s e d h e r e o n t h e b a s i s th a ti tw a s s u b s t a n t i v e l yu n r e a s o n a b l e . We di s agr ee. I m por t ant l y , w e ar e mi ndful of the Supr eme C our t ’ s hol di ng i n G a llth a t in r evi ew i ng var i ants ent ence s fors ubs t ant i ve r eas onabl enes s underthe appr opr i at e abus eof- di s cr et i on s t andar d, w e must“gi ve due de fer ence t o [a] di s t r i ctcour t ’ s deci s i on that t he § 3553( a) fac t or s , on a w hol e, j us t i fythe ext entof the var i ance . ” 128 S. C t . at597.- 14-

T hi s i s s ens i bl e, as “ ‘ t he s ent enci ng j udge has acc es s t o, and gr eat erfami l i ar i t yw i t h, t he i ndi vi dual cas e and the i ndi vi dual defe ndant [. ] ’ ” Id . at597–98 ( quot i ng R i ta v. U ni t ed Stat es , 1 2 7 S . C t. 24 5 6 , 2 4 6 9 (2 0 0 7 )). In d e e d , in d e ter m in in g w h e th e r a v a ria n c e is j us t i fi ed by“the t ot al i t yof the ci r cumst ance s , ” i ti s cl earthat“ ‘ [d] i s t r i ctcour t s have a n i ns t i tut i onal advant age ove rappel l at e court s [. ] ’ ” I d. at597, 598 ( quot i ng Koon , 51 8 U. S. at98) . A ccor di ngl y , “[t ] he fa ctt hat[an] appel l at e courtm i ghtr eas onabl y. . . concl ude[] t hata di ffe r ents ent ence w as appr opr i at e i s i ns uffi ci entt o j us t i fyr ever s al of the di s t r i ct cour t . ” I d. a t 5 9 7 . W i t h t hes e pr i nci pl es i n m i nd, w e fi nd thatthe D i s t r i ctC our ti m pos ed a s ubs t ant i vel yr eas onabl e s ent ence w hen i tfound thata var i ants ent ence of 50 m onths w as su f f icie n t, bu t n o t g re a ter th a n n e c e ss a ry , to r e f lec t th e se rio u sn e ss o f

C o rb in ’s d e a th th re a t, t o p ro v id e ju st p u n ish m e n t f o r th a t th re a t, t o a f

f o rd a d e q u a te d e ter re n c e , an d to pr ot ectt he publ i c. I ndeed, w e fi nd i tdi ffi cul tt o i m agi ne a mor e s er i ous thr eat eni ng comm uni cat i on t han the one Corbi n m ade— t o m ur derhi s ex- gi r l fr i end and he r fam i l y— and i ti s und ers t and able that the D i stri ctC ou rtfou nd a vari ant s entence t o b e j ust puni s hm entfort hatt hr eat . M or eover , i n l i ghtof the D i s t r i ctC our t ’ s s uper i ori ns t i tut i onal p o sitio n f

ro m w h ich to a ss e ss th e im p o rt o f C o rb in ’s tria l tes tim o n y , w e se e n o re a so n to di s agr ee w i t h t he fi ndi ng t hatC orbi n’ s appar entpr ocl i vi t yt o vi ol ence , i m m atur i t y , l ack of v a lu e s, a n d p o o r a tti tu d e to w a rd s p e rso n a l re latio n sh ip s ju stif ied a v a ria n t se n ten c e to aff or d adequa t e det err ence and t o pr ot ectthe publ i c fr om fur t hercr i m es byC orbi n.A ccor di ngl y , w e fi nd t hatt he 50- m ont h var i ants ent ence i m pos ed her e, r evi ew ed for

a b u s e o f d is c re tio n , w a s s u b s ta n tiv e ly re a s o n a b le . V II. F o r t h e f o re g o in g re a s o n s , w e a f f ir m th e D is tr ic t C o u rt ’s ju d g m e n t.

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