Opinion ID: 2816319
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Reasonableness of Fountain and Johnson’s

Text: Sentences 21 Fountain and Johnson both argue that their sentences were procedurally and substantively unreasonable. We review a criminal sentence for an abuse of discretion and proceed in two stages. United States v. Wright, 642 F.3d 148, 152 (3d Cir. 2011). First, we review for procedural error, including failure to give meaningful consideration to a defendant’s arguments or the factors listed in 18 U.S.C. § 3553(a). Id. Second, if there is no such error, we review for substantive reasonableness, and “we will affirm [the sentence] unless no reasonable sentencing court would have imposed the same sentence on that particular defendant for the reasons the district court provided.” Id. (alteration in original) (quoting United States v. Tomko, 562 F.3d 558, 568 (3d Cir. 2009) (en banc)) (internal quotation marks omitted). Sentences that fall within the applicable Guidelines range are more likely to be reasonable than those that do not. United States v. Woronowicz, 744 F.3d 848, 852 (3d Cir. 2014).
Fountain contends the District Court committed procedural error by placing undue weight on the Guidelines and on deterrence interests while minimizing the offenderspecific considerations in this case, including that she was a first-time offender and the sole caregiver of four children, one of whom received a terminal medical diagnosis during the course of this prosecution. But the District Court gave adequate consideration to all of these factors, finding they were not “sufficiently extraordinary” to warrant a variance, and noted that they did not deter Fountain from her “egregious and protracted criminality.” Fountain’s App. 1008-09. 22 Fountain’s argument ultimately amounts to a challenge of substantive unreasonableness, as a complaint that a district court’s choice of sentence did not afford certain factors enough weight “is a substantive complaint, not a procedural one.” United States v. Merced, 603 F.3d 203, 217 (3d Cir. 2010); see also United States v. Bungar, 478 F.3d 540, 546 (3d Cir. 2007) (“Nor do we find that a district court’s failure to give mitigating factors the weight a defendant contends they deserve renders the sentence unreasonable.”). As such, notwithstanding the tragic circumstances facing Fountain’s family, Fountain cannot meet her heavy burden of showing that a sentence within the applicable Guidelines range was substantively unreasonable in light of the sophisticated nature of her crimes, her lack of remorse, her abuse of her position with the IRS, and the need to deter other public employees from taking advantage of sensitive information.
Johnson argues the District Court committed procedural error by cutting off his counsel’s arguments at his sentencing hearing. But the District Judge merely declined to allow Johnson’s attorney to cite an additional case in support of his sophisticated means objection. The District Judge only did so, moreover, after noting that all of Johnson’s objections had been briefed ad nauseam. Thus, we find no abuse of discretion in that decision. Johnson also contends the District Court erred in treating a sentence within the applicable Guidelines range as presumptively correct, and by failing to address some of Johnson’s arguments at sentencing. This contention, however, ignores the protracted exchange between the District Judge and Johnson’s counsel on the question of whether to grant a departure or variance. The District Court also heard allocution from Johnson himself. 23 On the whole, Johnson cannot show the District Court failed to give meaningful consideration to any of his arguments or any sentencing factor, nor can he show any other procedural error. Finally, given the District Court’s findings that Johnson grew from a relatively small player in the TETR scheme to a major player in the conspiracy associated with the FTHBC and the AOTC, that he continued to commit offenses while he was on pretrial release, and that he failed to appreciate the magnitude of his crimes, Johnson cannot show that a sentence within the applicable Guidelines range was substantively unreasonable.