Opinion ID: 4239837
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Other Procedural Errors

Text: Next, we turn to the other procedural errors alleged by Hatley. He claims the district court erred in failing to explain its consideration of the Section 3553(a) factors. Relatedly, he argues he did not receive an individualized sentence. He also challenges the district court’s decision to run the sentences consecutively. Last, he contends the district court did not give him credit for his substantial assistance.
Hatley argues the district court erred when it failed “to state or mention on the record that it had considered the §3553(a) factors, and it failed to articulate any analysis of the §3553(a) factors.” In response, the Government argues the district court did sufficiently consider the Section 3553(a) factors. Because Hatley did not preserve this error for review, we review for plain error. Section 3553(a) requires a sentencing court to consider the following factors: (1) “the nature and circumstances of the offense and the history and characteristics of the defendant;” (2) “the need for the sentence imposed[;]” (3) “the kinds of sentences available;” (4) “the kinds of sentence and the sentencing range established for” the offense; (5) any relevant policy statements from the United States Sentencing Commission; (6) avoiding unwarranted disparities among similarly situated defendants; and (7) whether restitution is necessary. 18 U.S.C. § 3553(a). Further, the district court must offer an explanation of the sentence that is sufficient to enable appellate review. Gall v. United States, 552 U.S. 38, 50 (2007). We have found error where the district court ignored 11 Case: 17-30288 Document: 00514324698 Page: 12 Date Filed: 01/26/2018 No. 17-30288 the defendant’s argument for a downward departure and failed to give any reasons for its sentence. See United States v. Mondragon-Santiago, 564 F.3d 357, 363 (5th Cir. 2009). We do not, though, require the district court to provide “robotic incantations that each statutory factor has been considered.” United States v. Smith, 440 F.3d 704, 707 (5th Cir. 2006) (quoting United States v. Lamoreaux, 422 F.3d 750, 756 (8th Cir. 2005)). “If the sentencing judge exercises her discretion to impose a sentence within a properly calculated Guideline range, in our reasonableness review we will infer that the judge has considered all the factors for a fair sentence set forth in the Guidelines.” United States v. Mares, 402 F.3d 511, 519 (5th Cir. 2005). The district court listened to statements from counsel and from Hatley himself before imposing the sentence. Then, explaining its sentence, the district court stated, “I selected this based on your personal history and personal characteristics and involvement in the current offense as well as the 5K motion and your service to your country.” We do not require a district court to explicitly cite Section 3553(a), but the record must reflect its consideration of the factors. The district court referenced the language from the first Section 3553(a) factor. Further, because the district court imposed a withinGuidelines sentence, it was not required to provide an extensive analysis at sentencing. Because the record reflects the district court considered the Section 3553(a) factors, we find no error.
We start by pointing out that Hatley’s sentencing hearing was held simultaneously with the sentencing of at least six of the other defendants, each of whom played different roles in the IPJ abuses. A district judge must be sure that what he is recalling is related to the particular defendant being sentenced 12 Case: 17-30288 Document: 00514324698 Page: 13 Date Filed: 01/26/2018 No. 17-30288 as opposed to some other defendant. This is made more difficult by the process of group sentencing. Hatley argues he did not receive an individualized sentence because the district court misidentified him. Although he did not contemporaneously object, Hatley preserved this error by filing a postsentencing motion for reconsideration. Post-sentencing motions for reconsideration can preserve sentencing errors. See United States v. Watkins, 450 F.3d 184, 185 (5th Cir. 2006). Rule 35 motions are appropriate for “arithmetical, technical, or other clear error[s.]” FED. R. CRIM. P. 35(a). They are not intended to provide a means to re-argue discretionary decisions. See United States v. Ross, 557 F.3d 237, 242 (5th Cir. 2009). Here, the alleged error is reliance on a clearly erroneous fact. In arguing the district court misidentified him, Hatley references the district court’s statement that Hatley testified at Sheriff Ackal’s trial. It is undisputed that Hatley did not testify at that trial. The district court referenced Hatley’s testimony as one of two reasons that it was overruling several of Hatley’s objections to the PSR. In response, the Government argues that other statements from the sentencing (such as statements about Hatley’s military service) reveal he received an individualized sentence. Further, the Government explains that statement could have been in reference to testimony about Hatley rather than testimony from Hatley. Sentencing courts “must make an individualized assessment based on the facts presented.” Gall, 552 U.S. at 50. The Court in Gall included “selecting a sentence based on clearly erroneous facts” in a list of “significant procedural error[s.]” Id. at 51. Even if we determine the sentencing court erred, though, we must also determine whether it would have imposed the same sentence notwithstanding the error. United States v. Johnson, 648 F.3d 273, 278 (5th Cir. 2011). The proponent of the sentence has the burden to show 13 Case: 17-30288 Document: 00514324698 Page: 14 Date Filed: 01/26/2018 No. 17-30288 that district court would have imposed the same sentence even without the consideration of the erroneous fact. See id. We have required resentencing before where the district court erred in its reliance on facts about the defendant. Id. In Johnson, we held that the district court erred in considering Johnson’s arrest record (without more) at sentencing even after Johnson offered explanations for the arrests besides his guilt. Id. There, the Government failed to establish that the district court would have imposed the same sentence without the error. Id. at 279. We could “not definitively rule out that the arrests were considered in sentencing.” Id. We also rejected the argument that the error might not have affected the length of the sentence because, after reviewing the record, we lacked “the certainty we are required to have.” Id. Importantly, we stated that in our review of the district court’s decision, “we must rely on the explanation the district court actually gave; it is not enough to hypothesize some other explanation that might render the sentence reasonable.” Id. at 279–80. Based on our review of the sentencing transcript, we cannot accept the argument that the erroneous recollection might not have affected the sentence with the certainty that we require. 2 Although there are explanations for the statement other than misidentification, we are not permitted to speculate or hypothesize about what the district court meant. We must rely on the 2 Hatley’s appeal is distinguishable from two other appeals from his co-defendants, which also made misidentification arguments. One case was recently affirmed by this court. See United States v. Bergeron, 17-30280, 2017 WL 6547640, at  (5th Cir. Dec. 21, 2017). There, the defendant argued that the disparity between his conduct and the sentence received suggested misidentification. To support his argument, he claimed that there was a lack of statements made by the sentencing court specific to him and that the sentencing court’s misidentification of Hatley gave weight to the argument that Bergeron too was misidentified. A similar but less developed argument was raised in United States v. Broussard, No. 17-30298. There were no facts in either case to suggest the district court had misidentified the defendant. 14 Case: 17-30288 Document: 00514324698 Page: 15 Date Filed: 01/26/2018 No. 17-30288 statements made by the district court. Here, the erroneous recollection was one of two reasons that the district court gave for overruling at least three objections to the PSR. Like in Johnson, resentencing is required here because we cannot definitively rule out that the district court did not rely on its erroneous recollection that Hatley testified at the Ackal trial. We vacate his sentence and remand.
Hatley argues the district court erred in ordering the terms to run consecutively without analysis of the Section 3553(a) factors. Because Hatley did not preserve this error, the issue is reviewed for plain error. 18 U.S.C. § 3584(a) permits multiple terms to run either concurrently or consecutively. Here, the district court imposed a within-Guidelines sentence, which is presumed reasonable. See United States v. Candia, 454 F.3d 468, 473 (5th Cir. 2006). The only basis for Hatley’s argument is his claim that the district court failed to consider the Section 3553(a) factors, which we reject. It was thus not plain error to impose consecutive terms.
Hatley argues the district court did not credit him for substantial assistance after granting the Government’s Section 5K1.1 motion, and even if it did, he did not receive the proper credit because the Guidelines range was incorrectly calculated. Because Hatley did not preserve this error, we review for plain error. Hatley’s offense level in the PSR was 26 and his resulting Guidelines range was 63–72 months. After the district court granted the Government’s Section 5K1.1 motion for a seven-level reduction, the new Guidelines range 15 Case: 17-30288 Document: 00514324698 Page: 16 Date Filed: 01/26/2018 No. 17-30288 was 30–37 months. Hatley’s sentence of 36 months was within the Guidelines range as modified by granting the Government’s motion. Even though the district court did not explicitly state the result of granting the Section 5K1.1 motion during sentencing, the district court’s written reasons reflect the credit. The district court did not err because the Section 5K1.1 motion was granted and credited to Hatley’s sentence.