Opinion ID: 4239837
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Individualized sentence

Text: 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.