Opinion ID: 216062
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Sentencing Discrepancy

Text: Borrasi finally argues that his sentence was unreasonable because it was much longer than that imposed on his co-defendant. We review the district court's sentencing procedures, including its consideration of the 18 U.S.C. § 3553(a) factors, de novo. United States v. Pulley, 601 F.3d 660, 664 (7th Cir.2010). If the court properly applied those procedures, we review the sentence's substantive reasonableness for an abuse of discretion. Id. When determining the appropriate sentence for a given defendant, the district court should consider the need to avoid unwarranted sentence disparities among defendants with similar records who have been found guilty of similar conduct. 18 U.S.C. § 3553(a)(6). The district court found that the guidelines range was reasonable and fair for Borrasi, but gave him a minimal downward adjustment accounting for his medical service to under-served groups; it ultimately sentenced him to 72 months' incarceration. By contrast, the district court found Mamoon's case to be outside the heartland of the statute, found her to be the critical caregiver for her profoundly disabled son, and found the guidelines range to be considerably longer than necessary to prevent Mamoon from re-offending; it ultimately sentenced her to 6 months' incarceration. In denying Borrasi's motion to reconsider his sentence based on this disparity, the district court explained that the discrepancy in sentencing was not only justified but demanded by their respective actions and circumstances. Borrasi now argues that a plain application of § 3553(a)(6) mandates vacature of his sentence in light of Mamoon's, which he complains was markedly lenient compared to his own. We disagree because § 3553(a)(6) allows for warranted disparities among co-defendants' sentences. Pulley, 601 F.3d at 668. Here, the district court made individual, particularized sentencing determinations based on the § 3553(a) factors as to Borrasi and Mamoon during both the sentencing hearing and the hearing on Borrasi's motion for reconsideration. It followed the appropriate procedures and considered the avoidance of disparity in arriving at its sentences. We find that the district court properly calculated the guidelines range in Borrasi's case and that the below-guidelines sentence it imposed is reasonable. See id. at 668 ([I]f the district court provides an adequate statement of reasons, consistent with § 3553(a), for believing that the sentence is appropriate, and it is within the Guidelines range, we presume the sentence is substantively reasonable.). Accordingly, the district court did not err in sentencing Borrasi.