Opinion ID: 169936
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: appellant's offense and sentencing

Text: On Nov. 21, 2006, Gustavo Angel-Guzman pleaded guilty to knowingly transporting eight illegal aliens within the United States, in violation of 8 U.S.C. §§ 1324(a)(1)(A)(ii) and (a)(1)(A)(v)(II). In his plea agreement, Mr. Angel-Guzman acknowledged that he knew each of them had entered the United States illegally and . . . knew that at least some of them would be required to pay money when they arrived at their final destination as a smuggling fee. R. Vol. I, at 4. The total offense level appropriate for illegally transporting between six and twenty-four illegal aliens for private financial gain is 15. U.S.S.G. §§ 2L1.1. The Probation Office prepared a presentence report (PSR) detailing the defendant's six prior misdemeanor convictions, which included four alcohol-related offenses, assault with a deadly weapon, and infliction of corporal injury on a spouse. The resulting criminal history score of 11 included two points for committing offenses while on parole and one point for committing offenses less than two years after being released from confinement. This put Mr. Angel-Guzman in criminal history category V. The Guidelines range thus calculated was 30 to 37 months' imprisonment. At the sentencing hearing, Mr. Angel-Guzman requested a downward departure, claiming that the PSR exaggerated the seriousness of his criminal history. He argued that his criminal history is not prolific, and that he does not merit treatment as if he was one of the worst of the worst. R. Vol. I, Doc. 4, at 2. He claimed that his assault charge was a result of throwing a bottle in self-defense, and that his spousal injury conviction stemmed from an incident in which he pulled his wife's hair. The government, in response, noted both the seriousness of the underlying crimes and the fact that Mr. Angel-Guzman had, despite his multiple arrests, thus far avoided deportation. The district court sentenced the defendant to 30 months' incarceration, the low end of the applicable Guidelines range. It offered that the defendant has been somewhatI won't say luckyfortunate in that his record is not worse, given the nature of the offenses, and I don't think that these alcohol related incidents involving driving should be diminished in terms of the danger they impose to the community. R. Vol. III, at 10. Mr. Angel-Guzman timely appealed his sentence, raising both procedural and substantive claims.