### IN THE UNI TED STAT ES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE FIF TH CIRCU IT

N o

. 0 8

- 3 0 9 9 9 C o n f e r e n c e C a l e n d a r

U N I T E D S T A T E S O F A M E R I C A
,

P l a i n t i f f

- A p p e l l e e

v

.

D A N N Y R A Y L Y N C H
,

D e f e n d a n t

- A p p e l l a n t

A p p e a l f

r o m t h e U n i t e d S t a t e s D i s t r i c t C o u r t f o r t h e W e s t e r n D i s t r i c t o f L o u i s i a n a U S D C N o

. 5 : 0 7

- C R

- 5 0 0 7 5

- 2

B e f o r e S M I T H
, P R A D O
, a n d H A Y N E S
, C i r c u i t J u d g e s

. P E R C U R I A M : *

D a n n y R a y L y n c h
, f e d e r a l p r i s o n e r # 1 3 7 5 8

- 0 3 5
, a p p e a l s t h e d i s t r i c t

c o u r t ’ s g r a n t o f h i s 1 8 U

. S

. C

. § 3 5 8 2 ( c ) ( 2 ) m o t i o n t o r e d u c e h i s s e n t e n c e b a s e d o n

t h e a m e n d m e n t s t o t h e c r a c k c o c a i n e G u i d e l i n e

. L y n c h a r g u e s t h a t t h e d i s t r i c t 1

c o u r t f a i l e d t o s t a t e t h a t i t h a d c o n s i d e r e d t h e 1 8 U

. S

. C

. § 3 5 5 3 ( a ) f a c t o r s a n d t o U n i te d S ta te s C o u rt o f A p p ea l s

F i ft h C i rc u i t 

### F I L E D April 20 , 20 10

Lyle W . Cayce Clerk

Pur sua nt to 5 T H C I R

. R. 47.5
, the cour t has det erm ined that this opi nion sho uld not * be publ ish ed and is not pr ece dent excep t unde r the lim ite d cir cum st ance s se t for th in 5 T H C I R

. R. 47.5 .4.

Lynch rec eived a sub st antia l ass ist ance red uct ion upon mo tio n of the Go vernm ent. 1 There for e, Lynch wa s ineli gible for Sec tio n 3582 reli ef unde r the law of this C i r c u i t

. See Uni ted States v. Carte r , 595 F.3d 575 (5t h Cir. 2010) (p er cur iam ). The Go vernm ent doe s not
app eal the grant of

t he Sec tio n 35 82 m oti on, ho we ver, s o w e a dd res s only Lynch's ap pea l. Case: 08-30999 Document: 00511085929 Page: 1 Date Filed: 04/20/2010N o

. 0 8

- 3 0 9 9 9

s t a t e t h e r e a s o n s f

o r t h e s e n t e n c e

. H e f u r t h e r c o n t e n d s t h a t h e w a s e n t i t l e d t o

a g r e a t e r r e d u c t i o n i n h i s s e n t e n c e o f i m p r i s o n m e n t

. W e r e v i e w a d i s t r i c t c o u r t ’ s d e c i s i o n w h e t h e r t o r e d u c e a s e n t e n c e u n d e r § 3 5 8 2 ( c ) ( 2 ) f

o r a n a b u s e o f d i s c r e t i o n , a n d i t s i n t e r p r e t a t i o n o f t h e S e n t e n c i n g
G u i d e l i n e s i s r e v i e w e d d e n o v o

. U n i t e d S t a t e s v

. D o u b l i n , 5 7 2 F

. 3 d 2 3 5
, 2 3 7 ( 5 t h

C i r

. )
, c e r t

. d e n i e d
, 1 3 0 S

. C t

. 5 1 7 ( 2 0 0 9 )

. “ [ T ] h e r e a r e c l e a r a n d s i g n i f i c a n t

d i f f e r e n c e s b e t w e e n o r i g i n a l s e n t e n c i n g p r o c e e d i n g s a n d s e n t e n c e m o d i f i c a t i o n

p r o c e e d i n g s

. ” U n i t e d S t a t e s v

. E v a n s , 5 8 7 F

. 3 d 6 6 7
, 6 7 2 ( 5 t h C i r

. 2 0 0 9 ) ( q u o t i n g
D o u b l i n , 5 7 2 F

. 3 d a t 2 3 8 )
, p e t i t i o n f o r c e r t

. f

i l e d ( J a n

. 2 8
, 2 0 1 0 ) ( N o

. 0 9

- 8 9 3 9 )

. W h e r e a s o r i g i n a l s e n t e n c i n g p r o c e e d i n g s a r e g o v e r n e d b y 1 8 U

. S

. C

. § 3 5 5 3
,

s e n t e n c i n g m o d i f

i c a t i o n p r o c e e d i n g s a r e g o v e r n e d b y § 3 5 8 2 ( c ) ( 2 )
, w h i c h r e q u i r e s

o n l y t h a t t h e d i s t r i c t c o u r t c o n s i d e r t h e § 3 5 5 3 ( a ) f a c t o r s

. I d

. a t 6 7 3

. L y n c h

s u b m i t t e d a s e n t e n c i n g b r i e f i n w h i c h h e “ d e s c r i b e d i n d e t a i l w h y t h e § 3 5 5 3 ( a )

f a c t o r s w e i g h e d i n f a v o r o f a s e n t e n c e a t t h e b o t t o m o f
, o r b e l o w , t h e s e n t e n c i n g

r a n g e

. ” S e e i d

. a t 6 7 3

. T h i s c o u r t “ c a n a s s u m e t h a t [ t h e d i s t r i c t c o u r t ]

c o n s i d e r e d ” L y n c h ’ s a r g u m e n t s r e g a r d i n g t h e § 3 5 5 3 ( a ) f a c t o r s a n d “ t h a t i t

c o n c l u d e d t h a t t h e § 3 5 5 3 ( a ) f a c t o r s w e i g h i n [ t h e d e f e n d a n t ’ s ] f a v o r

. ” E v a n s , 5 8 7 F

. 3 d a t 6 7 3 ( i n t e r n a l q u o t a t i o n s a n d c i t a t i o n s o m i t t e d )

. T h e d i s t r i c t c o u r t

i s “ n o t r e q u i r e d t o s t a t e f i n d i n g s o f f a c t s a n d c o n c l u s i o n s o f l a w ” w h e n g r a n t i n g

o r d e n y i n g a m o t i o n u n d e r § 3 5 8 2 ( c ) ( 2 )

. I d

. a t 6 7 4 ( i n t e r n a l q u o t a t i o n s a n d

c i t a t i o n o m i t t e d )

. M o r e o v e r , a d e f e n d a n t c a n n o t s u c c e s s f u l l y c h a l l e n g e a d i s t r i c t

c o u r t ’ s f a i l u r e t o p r o v i d e r e a s o n s “ f o r g r a n t i n g h i s [ § 3 5 8 2 ( c ) ( 2 ) ] m o t i o n b u t n o t

p r o v i d i n g a s a t i s f a c t o r i l y l o w e n o u g h s e n t e n c e w i t h i n t h e r e c a l c u l a t e d r a n g e

. ”

I d

. A F F I R M E D

.

2 Case: 08-30999 Document: 00511085929 Page: 2 Date Filed: 04/20/2010