Opinion ID: 2784705
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: Jose’s Sentence

Text: After Jose pled guilty to count one, the district court held a sentencing hearing. Adopting the factual findings in Jose’s presentence investigation report without objection from either party, the district court calculated Jose’s advisory Guidelines range to be 151 to 188 months imprisonment (level 33, category II).5 The district court rejected Jose’s request for a mandatory minimum sentence of 120 months and 5 Jose’s range reflects a two-level reduction based on the parties’ stipulation regarding a proposed amendment to the Guidelines. -14- sentenced Jose to 175 months—near the middle of the range. On the government’s motion, the district court dismissed the remaining charges. On appeal, Jose contends the district court committed multiple procedural errors and imposed an unreasonable sentence driven in part by prejudice. In particular, Jose complains the district court (1) failed to correct the government’s alleged misstatement that he “had been involved in a sophisticated drug operation for twenty years”; (2) referred to his “uncounted ancient criminal history”; (3) decided Jose’s financial hardships did not justify the harm Jose’s activities caused the United States; (4) considered the 240-month mandatory sentence Jose would have faced if the government had filed notice under 21 U.S.C. § 851; and (5) said the court would “look forward to reducing” Jose’s sentence if he cooperated with the government and gave a truthful proffer. In Jose’s view, it was unreasonable for the district court to consider and discuss these factors. Jose did not raise any of the alleged procedural errors at sentencing, so we review for plain error. See United States v. Pirani, 406 F.3d 543, 549 (8th Cir. 2005) (en banc) (“Errors not properly preserved are reviewed only for plain error under Rule 52(b) of the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure.”). Absent significant procedural error, we review the substantive reasonableness of the sentence imposed for abuse of discretion. See United States v. Feemster, 572 F.3d 455, 461 (8th Cir. 2009) (en banc). Our review of the sentencing record reveals Jose’s arguments are without merit and his confused accusation of prejudice utterly unfounded. Most of Jose’s misguided complaints relate to the district court’s thorough consideration of the 18 U.S.C. § 3553(a) factors. In essence, Jose argues it was unreasonable for the district court to consider the § 3553(a) sentencing factors and explain his sentence as required by law. The argument obviously fails. -15- Jose’s cursory reliance on United States v. Stokes, 750 F.3d 767, 772 (8th Cir. 2014), also fails. In Stokes, we concluded the sentencing judge plainly erred by (1) assuming the defendant had sold drugs for ten years despite a lack of record support, and (2) using that fact as “a principal basis for denying” a downward variance. Id. Unlike Stokes, there is nothing in the record here to indicate the district court concluded Jose sold drugs for twenty years, much less that any such fact was a principal basis for imposing Jose’s within-Guidelines sentence. Contrary to Jose’s unsupported assertion, the district court need not “disavow” purportedly “erroneous statements” made by the government or otherwise separately address every argument made at sentencing. See, e.g., United States v. Black, 670 F.3d 877, 882 (8th Cir. 2012). The district court did not plainly err in calculating Jose’s sentence, and Jose abjectly “fails to overcome” the presumption of reasonableness we afford his within-Guidelines sentence. United States v. Wanna, 744 F.3d 584, 589 (8th Cir. 2014).