Opinion ID: 201597
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Booker sentencing claim

Text: 42 The district court sentenced Meada to 108 months in prison under the mandatory guidelines in accordance with then-prevailing law. 5 The Supreme Court's subsequent decision in Booker, applicable to all cases on direct review, rendered the guidelines advisory rather than mandatory. Meada now asserts that he should be resentenced in light of this development. Because Meada failed to preserve serve this claim by arguing in the district court that the guidelines were unconstitutional, our review is for plain error. See United States v. Antonakopoulos, 399 F.3d 68, 76 (1st Cir.2005). Under the plain error standard, we may vacate a sentence imposed pursuant to the mandatory guidelines where, either in the existing record or by plausible proffer, there is reasonable indication that the district judge might well have reached a different result under advisory guidelines. United States v. Heldeman, 402 F.3d 220, 224 (1st Cir. 2005). 43 There are such indications in this case. While we have little doubt that the district court, had it recognized the guidelines were advisory, would have found the pertinent sentencing facts much as it did, see Antonakopoulos, 399 F.3d at 80, the further question arises whether the court would have attached the same sentencing consequences to those facts. Under the dictates of the guidelines, Meada's perjury had a substantial impact on his sentence. It resulted in the addition of two levels for obstruction of justice. Furthermore, his subsequent failure to correct the perjury when given the opportunity to do so may well have caused the related denial of a three-level adjustment for acceptance of responsibility. The addition of five levels exposed Meada to an increased minimum sentencing range of nearly four years. While the district court made clear that for other reasons Meada should receive a long sentence, the court did not indicate that nine years, the lowest sentence permitted under his sentencing range, was the appropriate sentence. Taking all this into account, we think there is a reasonable probability that the district court would have sentenced Meada to less time if it had known that the guidelines were advisory, rather than compulsory. We therefore vacate and remand for resentencing. However, this remand should not be taken as either a suggestion or a prediction that the sentence will necessarily be altered. Heldeman, 402 F.3d at 224.