N O T FO R PUB L ICAT IO N UNITED STATES C OUR T OF APPEALS FOR THE NINTH C IR C UIT
UNITED STATES OF AM ER IC A,

Pla i ntiff-Appe lle e , v. C ASEY R

AY C ULP, De fe nda nt-Appe l la

nt. No. 20-30167

D.C . No. 6:20-c r-00002-SEH-1
M EM O R ANDUM *

Appe a l from

the Unite d

Stat e s Distric t C ourt for the Distric t of M o nta

na Sam E. Ha ddon, Distric t

Judge , Pre siding Subm itte d

June 10, 2021 ** Se attle , W a s hington B e fore : W . FLETC HER , WATFORD, a nd C OLLINS, C irc uit Judge s. C a se y R ay C u l p c ha lle n ge s the se nte nc e im pose d following his guilty ple a for posse ssion of a

fire arm by a fe lon, in viola

tion of 18 U.S.C . § 922(g)(1). De spite the a

p pe a l wa ive r c onta ine d in C ulp’ s ple a a gre e m e nt, we have jurisdic tion



# FIL ED JUN 24 2021 M OLLY C. DW Y E R, CLERK U. S. CO URT O F APPEALS

* This disposition is not a ppropria te for public at ion a

nd is not pre c e de nt e xc e pt a s provide d

by Ninth C irc uit R

ule 36-3.

* * The pa

ne l una nim ously c onc lude s this c a se is suita ble for de c ision without oral a

rgum e nt. Se e Fe d. R . App. P. 34(a)(2).to de te rm ine whe t he r his se nte nc e viola

te d the C onstitution. Unite d State s v . Torre s , 828 F.3d 1113, 1124–25 (9th C ir. 2016). B e c a use it did not, we

dism iss. C ulp is a 42-y e ar-old re side nt of M onta na . On July

4, 2019, while

drunk
and high on marijua

na , C ulp a

tte m p te d to e nte r a

re side nc e in Dunde e , Iowa
. During a pat down c onduc te d in c onne c tion with Culp’ s e nsuing a rre st, the c ounty she riff’ s de putie s disc o ve re d a .25-c a libe r pistol in his shorts. Afte r the c a se wa s transfe rre d to theDistric t of M onta na pursua nt to Fe de ra l R

ule of C rim ina l Proc e d ure 20, C ulp ple d guilty

to posse s sion of a

fire a rm by a fe lon, in viola

tion of 18 U.S.C . § 922(g)(1). In theple a a gre e m e nt, C ulp knowingly and volunta

rily
wa ive d his right to a

ppe a l his se nte nc e , unle ss tha t se nte nc e wa s “ c onstitutiona lly de fe c tive .” C ulp ha d pre viously

be e n c onvic te d

of a fe lony punisha ble by a te rm of im prisonm e nt of m ore tha

n one y e ar. Give n his c rim ina l history and the fa c ts to whic h he stipula

t e d, the Se nte nc ing Guide line s ra nge wa s 70 to 87 mo nths. C ulp subm itte d nine le tte rs from his fa m ily , frie nds, a

nd e m ploy e r. The s e le tte rs e xpla ine d tha

t C ulp ha d re c o nne c te d with his fa m ily , ha d se c ure d c onsiste nt
e m ploy m e nt, ha d spe nt one y e ar sobe r, and ha d be c om e a produc tive m e m be r of
soc i e ty . Som e of the se witne sse s te stifie d. C u l p took full re sponsibility for his
c rim e . The distric t judge i m p ose d a 75-m o nth se nte nc e . 21. C ulp’ s se nte nc e did not viola t e the Eighth Am e ndm e nt. In non-c a pita l
c a se s, the Eighth Am e ndm e nt “ forbids only e xtre m e se nte nc e s tha

t a re grossly disproportiona

t e to the c rim e . ” Graham v . Florida , 560 U.S. 48, 60 (2010) (quoting Harme l in v . Mic h igan , 501 U.S. 957, 1001 (1991) (Ke nne d y , J.,
c onc urring in pa

rt a nd c onc urring in thejudgm e nt)). A se nte nc e within sta tutory lim its will gene ra lly

not viola te the Eighth Am e ndm e nt. Se e Unite d State s v . Park e r , 241 F.3d 1114, 1117–18 (9th C i r. 2001). Though a diffe re nt judge m ight have give n m ore we ight to the le tte rs a nd the te stim ony

atte sting to C ulp’ s re ha bilita tion, the75-m onth se nte nc e wa s within the Guide line s ra

nge and the lim its im pose d by the C o nstitution. 2. Nor wa s the re any viola tion of C ulp’ s Fifth Am e ndm e nt right to due proc e s s. The judge e va luate d the e vide nc e , inc luding thepre se ntations from C ulp’ s fam ily

and frie nds, a

nd m a de an individualiz e d a sse ssm e nt a s our pre c e de nt
re quire s. Se e Unite d State s v . C arty , 520 F.3d 984, 990–93 (9th C ir. 2008) (e n ba nc ). B e c a use the re wa s no c onstitutiona l de fe c t, the a

ppe a l wa ive r a

pplie s. DISM I SSE D.

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