Opinion ID: 201804
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: The Guidelines Sentence

Text: 10 Following this appeal, the United States Supreme Court held that the federal sentencing guidelines were advisory, rather than mandatory. United States v. Booker, ___ U.S. ___, 125 S.Ct. 738, 160 L.Ed.2d 621 (2005). As Baskin raised no constitutional challenge below to the Sentencing Guidelines themselves, we review these Booker claims for plain error only. See United States v. Antonakopoulos, 399 F.3d 68, 75 (1st Cir.2005). 1 11 In instances of unpreserved Booker error, the defendant must point to circumstances creating a reasonable probability that the district court would impose a different sentence more favorable to the defendant under the new `advisory Guidelines' Booker regime. Id. 2 Baskin has not met that threshold burden. 12 The district court sentenced Baskin at the middle ( viz., 180 months) of the applicable guidelines sentencing range (168-210 months). When, under a mandatory guidelines regime, a sentencing court has elected to sentence the defendant substantially above the bottom of the range, that is a telling indication that the court, if acting under an advisory guidelines regime, would in all likelihood have imposed the same sentence. United States v. Gonzalez-Mercado, 402 F.3d 294, 304 (1st Cir.2005); see United States v. McLean, 409 F.3d 492, 505 (1st Cir.2005). Here, the district court, acting well within the limits of its discretion under the mandatory guidelines, could have reduced the Baskin sentence by one full year. Instead, however, the court explicitly characterized the sentence as appropriate, adding that it was designed to protect society from danger. See United States v. Carpenter, 403 F.3d 9, 13-14 (1st Cir.), cert. denied, ___ U.S. ___, 125 S.Ct. 2284, 161 L.Ed.2d 1076 (2005); see also United States v. Mercado, 412 F.3d 243, 253 (1st Cir.2005). 3 13 Additionally, Baskin contends that the district court might have considered mitigating factors, such as family ties and responsibilities, which constitute discouraged grounds for departure under the Guidelines. See U.S.S.G. § 5H1.6. Although the district court permitted Baskin to recite the details of his family background and responsibilities during the sentencing proceedings, the district court nevertheless sentenced him at the middle of the guideline sentencing range. See United States v. Martins, 413 F.3d 139, 154 (1st Cir.2005) (rejecting same argument, and noting that [n]early all the [family circumstances] factors to which [defendant] alludes were limned in the PSI Report, yet the district court chose not to speak to them at sentencing); McLean, 409 F.3d at 505 (affirming sentence at middle of guideline range despite evidence of mitigating circumstances not cognizable under mandatory guidelines regime); United States v. Brennick, 405 F.3d 96, 102 (1st Cir.2005). Similarly, on appeal Baskin proffers no pertinent information regarding his family circumstances which had not been before the district court at sentencing. See Martins, 413 F.3d at 154 (considering proffer of new mitigating evidence on appeal). 14 For these reasons, we discern no reasonable prospect that the sentence imposed upon Baskin would be reduced were we to remand for resentencing. Accordingly, the district court judgment is affirmed.