Opinion ID: 171226
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Failure to Adequately Address Sells's Variance Request

Text: A sentencing court is required to state in open court the reasons for its imposition of the particular sentence. 18 U.S.C. § 3553(c); see also Gall v. United States, ___ U.S. ___, 128 S.Ct. 586, 597, 169 L.Ed.2d 445 (2007). This requirement is an aspect of procedural reasonableness. United States v. Romero, 491 F.3d 1173, 1175-76 (10th Cir.), cert. denied, ___ U.S. ___, 128 S.Ct. 319, 169 L.Ed.2d 225 (2007). Although the district court need not march through [18 U.S.C.] § 3553(a)'s sentencing factors, United States v. Rines, 419 F.3d 1104, 1107 (10th Cir.2005), it must provide [this court] with a record by which [we] can discern whether the district court considered the [§ 3553(a)] factors. United States v. Traxler, 477 F.3d 1243, 1249 (10th Cir.), cert. denied, ___ U.S. ___, 128 S.Ct. 254, 169 L.Ed.2d 186 (2007). In his opening brief on appeal, Sells asserted his sentence was procedurally unreasonable because the district court did not adequately address his request for a variance. In particular, Sells asserted he made non-frivolous arguments in support of a downward variancehis age and the assertion his criminal history was not as serious as Guidelines calculations made it appearwhich the district court did not specifically address. He recognized, however, that because he did not raise the issue before the district court, he was entitled to relief on this issue only if he could demonstrate the district court committed plain error. See United States v. Ruiz-Terrazas, 477 F.3d 1196, 1199 (10th Cir.), cert. denied, ___ U.S. ___, 128 S.Ct. 113, 169 L.Ed.2d 80 (2007). Plain error occurs when (1) the district court errs, (2) the error is obvious, and (3) the error affects a defendant's substantial rights. United States v. Olano, 507 U.S. 725, 732, 113 S.Ct. 1770, 123 L.Ed.2d 508 (1993). If these three prerequisites are met, this court should exercise its discretion to correct the forfeited error only if the error seriously affects the fairness, integrity, or public reputation of judicial proceedings. Id. At oral argument and in a post-argument filing, Sells conceded this claim of error is foreclosed by our recent opinion in United States v. Cereceres-Zavala, 499 F.3d 1211, 1216-18 (10th Cir.2007). We agree that Cereceres-Zavala forecloses Sells's assertion that the district court committed plain procedural sentencing error when it failed to offer a detailed explanation of its denial of Sells's request for a downward variance. Cereceres-Zavala held that in a run-of-the-mill case involving a sentence within the advisory guidelines range, it is unnecessary for the district court to specifically address on the record, by reference to the factors set out in 18 U.S.C. § 3553(a), a request for a sentence outside the Guidelines range. 499 F.3d at 1216-18. Instead, it is sufficient for the district court to state how it had arrived at the advisory Guidelines range and generally note it had considered in gross the factors set out in § 3553(a). Id. at 1217-18; see also Rita v. United States, ___ U.S. ___, 127 S.Ct. 2456, 2468, 168 L.Ed.2d 203 (2007) (Circumstances may well make clear that the judge rests his decision upon the [United States Sentencing] Commission's own reasoning that the Guidelines sentence is a proper sentence (in terms of § 3553(a) and other congressional mandates) in the typical case, and that the judge has found that the case before him is typical.). Sells's arguments in support of a variance were not complex. Instead, he simply argued that (1) a sentence at the bottom of the Guidelines range was too severe a penalty for a man of his age and (2) his criminal history was not as serious as it might appear at first blush. Rita, 127 S.Ct. at 2468-69 (noting the existence of a relationship between the complexity of a case and the obligation of a district court to more extensively detail its sentencing rationale). Before imposing sentence, the district court specifically stated it had considered these arguments and had concluded they did not justify, either singly or considered together, a downward variance. Furthermore, the sentence ultimately imposed by the district court was based on a correctly calculated Guidelines range, a stated consideration of the § 3553(a) factors, and an understanding that the Guidelines are advisory. In the context of this particular case, the district court's statements are sufficient and Sells's sentence is procedurally reasonable. See id. at 2468 (holding that the law vests discretion in a sentencing judge as to how much is necessary to say in explaining the reasons for imposing a particular sentence).