# U ni te d S ta te s Co ur t of A pp ea ls For the Eig hth Circu it

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__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ _ Uni te d S ta te s o f Am eri ca

ll ll ll ll ll ll ll ll ll ll l Pla in ti

ff - App el le e

v.

Don qu av io us Marc el lu s Dav is

ll ll ll ll ll ll ll ll ll ll l Defe nd

an t - Ap pe ll an t

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Uni te d S ta te s Di st ric t Co ur t fo r th e Nor th ern Dis tri ct of I owa , W at erl oo

__ __ __ __ __ __ Su bm it te d: Feb ru ary 8, 2 01 6 Fil ed : J ul y

26 , 20 16 [Un pu bl is he d]

__ __ __ __ __ __ Befo re SM ITH, MELLOY, an d C OLLOTO N, Circ ui t J ud ge s.

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PER CURI AM.The di st ric t co ur t se nt en ced Do n q u a vi ou s Mar cel lu s Dav is to 96 m on th s' 1 i mp ris on m en t. Dav is ap pe al s th e su bs ta nt iv e reas on ab le ne ss of hi s se nt en ce. We affi rm

.

Dav is was ch arg ed w i t h , a nd pl ead ed gu il ty t o, on e co un t of be in g a fel on in
po ss es si on of a fir earm an d am m un it io n, in vi ol at io n of 18 U.S.C. §§ 92 2( g) (1 ) an d 9 24 (a)( 2)

. At se nt en ci ng , th e go ve rn m en t so ug ht a fo ur -le ve l en ha nc em en t u n d e r U.S.S.G. § 2K2 .1(b )(6 )(B)

. Dav is co nc ed ed th at th e § 2K2 .1(b )(6 )(B) en ha nc em en t

was ap pl ic ab le un de r ou r rece nt de ci si on in Uni te d St a t es v. W al ker , 7 71 F.3 d 44 9, 45 3 (8t h Ci r. 20 14 ) (h ol di ng th at th e of fen se of carr y in g weapo ns un de r Io wa Co de § 72 4.4 (1 ) qu al ifi ed as "an ot he r fel on y of fen se "). Nev ert he le ss , Dav is ob jecte d to th e

en ha nc em en t on th e gr ou nd th at W al ker was wro ng ly de ci de d. The di st ric t co ur t fo un d th at Dav is po ss es se d th e fir earm in co nn ect io n wit h an ot he r fel on y of fen se an d ad jus te d Dav is 's of

fen s e l e v e l to refl ect th e fo ur -le ve l en ha nc em en t. W it h th e

en ha nc em en t, Dav is 's Gui de li ne s ran ge was 77 to 96 m on th s

. D a v i s m ov ed fo r a do wnwar d va ria nc e to a se nt en ce wit hi n th e pr e-en ha nc ed Gui de li ne s ran ge of 51 to 63 m on th s, la rg el y be cau se of wha t he de em ed th e un fai r im pa ct of th e § 2K2 .1(b )(6 )(B) en ha nc em en t. The di st ric t co ur t refu se d to va ry do wnwar d an d

se nt en ced Davi s t o 9 6 m on th s' i m pr is on m en t.

On ap pe al , Dav is ack no wled ge s th at W al ker co nt ro ls , bu t he wan ts to pr es erv e hi s rig ht to ap pe al th e co rrec tn es s of W al ker to th e en ba nc co ur t. Dav is 's o bjec ti on is pr es erv ed , an d he is co rrec t th at we are po werl e s s t o ov erru le a pr io r pa ne l's de ci si on

. Se e Uni te d St at es v. Reyn ol ds , 11 6 F

. 3 d 32 8, 32 9 (8 th Ci r. 19 97 ) ("On e pa ne l m ay no t ov erru le an ot he r."). Dav is 's m ai n arg um en t on ap pe al is th at th e di st ric t

co ur t ab us ed it s di sc ret io n by im po si ng a su bs t a n t i ve ly un reas on ab le se nt en ce.

The Hon or ab le Lin da R. Rea de , Ch ie f Ju dg e, Uni te d St at es Dis tri ct Co ur t fo r 1 th e Nor th ern Dis tri ct of I owa

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-Acco rd in g to Dav is , th e fo ur -le ve l en ha nc em en t di st or te d th e na tu re of hi s cri m e by

cau si ng it to see m

m or e ag gr av at ed th an it real ly w as

.

W e rev ie w a di st ric t co ur t's se nt en ce un de r a de fere n t i a l ab us e-o f-d is cret io n

s t a n d ard

. Uni te d St at es v. For d , 70 5 F.3 d 38 7, 38 9 (8 th Ci r. 20 13 ). A se nt e n c i n g

co ur t's di sc ret io n is cab in ed by th e fact or s se t fo rth in 18 U.S.C. § 35 53 (a). The co ur t ab us es it s d is cret io n wh en :

1) [it ] fai ls to co ns id er a rel ev an t fact or th at sh ou ld h a v e r e c ei ve d si gn ifi can t weig ht ; 2) [it ] gi ve s s ig ni fic an t weig ht to an im pr op er or irr el ev an t fact or ; or 3) [it ] co ns id ers on ly th e ap pr op ria te fact or s bu t in weig hi ng th em

co m m it s a c le ar err or of ju dg m en t.

Uni te d St at es v. Far mer , 64 7 F.3 d 11 75 , 11 79 (8 th Ci r. 20 11 ) (ci ta ti on o mi t t e d )

. W he re "a se nt e nc e im

po se d is wit hi n th e ad vi so ry gu id el in e ran ge , we typic al ly

acco rd it a pr es um

pt io n of reas on ab le ne ss ." Uni te d St at es v. Deeg an , 60 5 F.3 d 62 5, 63 4 (8 th Ci r. 20 10 ) (ci t i ng Uni te d St at es v. Har ri s , 49 3 F.3 d 92 8, 93 2 (8 th Ci r. 20 07 )); se e a ls o Un it ed

St at es v. Goo da le , 73 8 F .3d 91 7, 9 26 (8t h C ir. 2 01 3)

.

Dav is 's se nt en ce was wit hi n th e cal cu la te d Gui de li ne s ran ge

. Mo reo ve r, at th e

se nt en ci ng he ari ng , th e di st ric t co ur t pr op erl y m ad e an in di vi du al iz ed as se ss m en t of th e fac ts an d care fu ll y co ns id ered th e § 3 55 3( a) fa ct or s. Se e Uni te d S ta te s v. S tu lt s , 57 5 F.3 d 83 4, 84 9 (8 th Ci r. 2 0 09 ). Afte r ap pl y in g th e fo ur -le ve l en ha nc em en t, th e di st ric t co ur t ou tl in ed th e fact s of th e of fen se an d ad dr es se d Dav is 's pe rs on al hi st or y , ch arac te ris ti cs , an d cri m in al hi st or y

. The co ur t al so no te d Dav is 's ris k of reci di vi sm

an d hi s ris k to th e pu bl ic

. The di st ric t co ur t co ns id ered each of th e § 35 53 (a) fact or s af te r ap pl y in g th e en ha nc em en t. The di st ric t co ur t di d no t ab us e it s di sc ret io n i n weig hi ng th e fact or s as it di d. Acco rd in gl y , we af f i r m D a v is 's co nv ic ti on an d

se nt en ce.

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