2008 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 5-21-2008 

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w . vi l l a nova . e du . Re c omme nde d C it at ion " U SA v . Tin a j e r o -R ive r a" (2008). 2008 D e cisio n s . P ape r 1169. http://d i git alc ommon s .l a

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OF A PP EALS F O R T H E T H IR D C IR C U IT N O . 07- 2414 UNI TE D ST ATE S OF AM ERI CA

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D istri ct C o u rt Fort he M i ddl e D i s t r i ctof Penns y l vani a ( D . C . C r i m . A ct i on N o. 06- cr - 00282) D istric t Ju d g e : H o n . M a lco lm M u ir Subm i t t ed Pur s uantt o T hi r d C i r cui tL A R 34. 1( a)

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and R E ST A N I , * Judge ( Fi l ed: M ay21, 2008 )

*H on. J ane A . R es t ani , C hi ef J udge, U ni t ed St at es C our tof I nt ernat i onal T r ade, s i t t i ng by des i gnat i on.2 OPI NI ON O F THE COURT

ST A PL E T O N , C i r cui tJ udge: Pr i s on s t aff

att he Feder al C or r ect i onal I ns t i tut i on i n A l l enw ood, Penns y l vani a, found def

endant , R uben Ti naj er o- R i ver a, i n pos s es s i on of a f i ve and thr ee- quar t eri nch hom emade kni fe w hi l e he w as an i nm at e att hati ns t i tut i on. T i naj er o- R i ver a w as char ged w i t h pos s es s i on of a w eapon byan i nm at e i n vi ol at i on of 18 U . S. C . § 1791( a) ( 2) , and he pl ed gui l t yt o t hatoffe ns e. A ts ent enci ng, couns el forT i naj er o- R i ver a and the pr os ecut i on eac h fi l ed sen tenc ing m em o ran d a w ith the C o u rt . T h e D istri ct C o u rtca lculated T inajero -R ivera ’s sen tenc ing ran g e u n d er the ad v isoryS en tenc ing G u idelines at tw o to tw o -an d -a-h alf y ea rs and s ent ence d hi m t o a t erm of i ncar cer at i on of tw o y ear s , att he l ow end of the G ui del i nes r ange. T he C our tal s o or der ed hi m t o paya s peci al as s es s m entof $100 and o rd e re d a tw o -ye a r t e rm o f s u p e rv is e d re le a s e f

o llo w in g h is in c a rc e ra tio n . I n t hi s appea l , defe ndantar gues t hathi s s ent ence w as unr eas onabl e bec aus e the D i s t r i ctC our tfai l ed ade quat el yt o t ake i nt o cons i der at i on cert ai n fac t s he pr es ent ed t o t he C o u rt in su p p o rt o f

a d isc re tio n a ryd o w n w a rd se n ten c in g v a ria n c e . D e f e n d a n t as k s u s to vaca t e hi s s ent ence and r emand t he ca s e t o t he D i s tr i ctC our tfora new s ent enci ng pr ocee di ng. W e w i l l decl i ne t o do s o and i ns t ead w i l l aff i r m defe ndant ’ s s ent ence .3

W e i nt erpr ett he Supr eme C our t ’ s deci s i on i n U ni t ed Stat es v. B ooker , 54 3 U. S. 220 ( 2005) , t o r equi r e di s t r i ctcour t s t o under t ake the fol l ow i ng t hr ee s t eps w hen s ent enci ng defe ndant s undert he G ui del i nes : ( 1) cal cul at e the appl i cabl e G ui del i nes r ange; ( 2) for m al l yrul e on anym ot i ons underpar t i cul arG ui del i nes pr ovi s i ons pr ovi di ng fordepartur es fr om t he G ui del i nes r ange; and ( 3) aft ercons i der i ng t he part i cul arfac t s of th e c a se a n d th e se n ten c in g f a c to rs s e t f

o rth in 1 8 U .S .C . § 3 5 5 3 (a ), ex e rc ise its p o stB ookerdi s cr et i on t o det erm i ne w hethert he ca s e w arr ant s a devi at i on fr om t he G ui del i nes ra n g e . U

ni t ed Stat es v. G unt er , 462 F. 3d 237, 247 ( 3d C i r . 2006) . W e have t erm ed di s cr et i onarydevi at i ons fr om t he G ui del i nes r ange unde rs t ep thr ee “ var i ance s . ” Id . at 247 n. 10. W e r evi ew al l cr i m i nal s ent ence s i m pos ed byt he di s t r i ctcour t s undert he G ui del i nes , w hethert he s ent ence i s w i t hi n t he G ui del i nes r ange orout s i de of i t , for re a s o n a b le n e s s . U

ni t ed Stat es v. C ooper , 437 F. 3d 324, 326 ( 3d C i r . 2006) . O ur r e a s o n a b l e n e s s r e v i e w i s g u i d e d b yt h e f a c t o r s s e tf

o r t h i n 1 8 U. S . C. § 3 5 5 3 ( a ) , t h e s a me f a c to rs th a t d is tr ic t c o u rt s a re to c o n s id e r. Id . at327. B efor e w e ca n det erm i ne w hether t he D i s t r i ctC our ti m pos ed an unr eas onabl e s ent ence , w e mustfi r s ts at i s fyour s el ves t hat th e C o u rt e x e rc is e d its d is c re tio n b yc o n s id e ri n g th e re le v a n t s e n te n c in g f a c to rs . Id . at 3 2 9 . See al

s o U ni t ed Stat es v. C har l es , 4 6 7 F .3 d 8 2 8 , 8 3 1 (3 d C ir . 2 0 0 6 ). Sent enci ng cour t s m us ts t at e thei rr eas ons fori m pos i ng a part i cul ars ent ence , 18 U . S. C . § 3553( c) , and w hen i m pos i ng t he s ent ence cour t s m us tgi ve meani ngful4

c o n s id e ra tio n to th e re le v a n t § 3 5 5 3 (a ) f a c to rs , C ooper , 437 F. 3d at329, butcour t s need not“s t at e on the r ecor d t hat[they ] ha[ve ] expl i ci t l ycons i der ed ea ch of the § 3553( a) fac t or s or[] di s cus s eac h of the § 3553( a) fac t or s . . . . R ather , cour t s s houl d obs erve the r equi r ementt o s t at e ade quat e r eas ons fora s ent ence on t he r ecor d s o t hat[w e] can e ngage i n m eani ngful appel l at e r evi ew . ” C har l es , 467 F. 3d at831 ( i nt ernal quot at i on m arks and c itatio n s o m itt e d ). F u rth e rm o re , “w h e n a ju d g e d e c id e s s im p lyto a p p lyth e G u id e lin e s to a part i cul arcas e, doi ng s o w i l l notnece s s ar i l yr equi r e l engthyexpl anat i on. ” R i t a v. U ni t ed Stat es , 127 S. C t . 2456, 2468 ( 2007) . I ti s t rue that“[w ] her e the def endantor pr os ecut orpr es ent s nonfr i vol ous r eas ons fori m pos i ng a di ffe r ents ent ence . . . t he j udge w i l l nor m al l ygo fur t herand expl ai n w hyhe has r ej ect ed thos e ar gum ent s . ” Id ., a t 2 4 6 8 . H ow ever , “[t ] he courtneed notdi s cus s everyar gum entm ade bya l i t i ganti f an a r gum ent i s cl ear l yw i t houtm er i t . ” C ooper , 4 3 7 F .3 d a t 3 2 9 (i n te rn a l c ita tio n o m itte d ). T inajero -R ivera arg u es th at his sen tenc e w as u n rea so n ab le be ca u se th e C o u rt f a ile d a d e q u a te ly to a d d re s s h is a rg u m e n ts f o r a d o w n w a rd s e n te n c in g v a ri a n c e . T i naj er o- R i ver a emphas i zes t hathe had a r gued t o t he C our tt hatpos s es s i on of the hom emade kni fe w as notunus ual gi ven the pot ent i al forvi ol ence i n t he pr i s on, and that pos s es s i on w as s ol el yfordefe ns i ve purpos es . H e al s o ar gued thathe di d notus e or br andi s h t he w eapon, and he a s ked the C our tt o t ake i nt o cons i der at i on t he fa ctt hathe w as found w i t h t he w eapon w hi l e he w as r ece i vi ng i ns t i tut i onal admi ni s t r at i ve puni s hm entt hathad i s ol at ed hi m fr om hi s fami l y , and thathe w as goi ng t o be deport ed5

a f te r s e rv in g h is te rm . A ft err ece i vi ng ar gum ent s fr om bot h par t i es , t he D i s t r i ctC our ti s s ued a “ St at ement o f R ea so n s” in w h ich it setfo rth the f ac ts an d h ist o ryo f th is case an d d etail ed d ef en d an t’ s l engthypr i orcr i m i nal r ecor d and i m m i gr at i on hi s t or y . T he C our ts t at ed that“[t ] he G overnm entand D efe ndanthave s ubm i t t ed br i efs addr es s i ng t he fa ct or s s etfor t h i n 18 U . S. C . § 3553( a) and w e have t hor oughl yr evi ew ed thos e br i efs . ” St at ementof R eas ons a t 1 . T h e C o u rt c o n c lu d e d :

W e h a v e c o n s i d e r e d c a r e f u l l ya l l o f

t h e f a c t o r s s e tf

o r t h i n 1 8 U. S . C. § 3553( a) , i ncl udi ng defe ndant ’ s age, fami l y , educa t i onal and empl oym ent backgr ound, hi s pr i orcr i m i nal r ecor d, and the advi s or ygui del i ne i m pr i s onm entr ange of

2 y ear s t o 2 1⁄2 y ear s . W e have al s o cons i der ed the n e e d to a v o id u n w a rra n ted se n ten c in g d isp a rities a m o n g d e f e n d a n ts w ith s i m i l arr ecor ds w ho have be en found gui l t yof s i m i l arconductand the nee d to im p o se a se n ten c e th a t is su f f icie n t, bu t n o t g re a ter , tha n n e c e ss a ryto c o m p ly w ith th e p u rp o s e s s e t f o rt h in 1 8 U .S .C . § 3 5 5 3 (a ). T he r eas ons fort he s ent ence i m pos ed i n t hi s cas e ar e t o r efl ectt he ser i ou sness of t he o ffen se, t o p rom ote r espectfor t he law , t o p rovi de just puni s hm entfort he off

ens e, and t o det ert he D efe ndantand otherper s ons s i m i l ar l ys i tuat ed. W e di s cern no r eas on t o devi at e fr om t he gui del i ne i m pr i s onm entr ange a nd concl ude thata s ent ence att he bot t om of the r ange i s r eas onabl e. Id . at 3-4 . A lth o u g h the C o u rtd id n o t i n d ividu all yrec it e a n d resp o n d to ea ch an d ev ery ar gum entpr es ent ed bydefe ndant , t he C our tcons i der ed the § 3553( a) fac t or s and the a rg u m e n ts o f

b o th p a rt ie s , a n d it f

o u n d n o re a s o n to d e v ia te f ro m th e G u id e lin e s ra n g e . T h e C o u rt c lea rlysta ted its re a so n s f o r im p o sin g th e se n ten c e th a t itim p o se d , an d its opi ni on w as adequa t e forus t o engage i n m eani ngful r evi ew of the r eas onabl enes s of6

defe ndant ’ s s ent ence . W e agr ee thatdefe ndant ’ s s ent ence w as r eas onabl e bas ed on the fac t or s s etfor t h i n 18 U . S. C . § 3553( a) . T her efor e, w e w i l l aff i r m t he j udgm entof the D istric t C o u rt.