Opinion ID: 790998
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Booker/Blakely Issues

Text: 26 Lopez and Cervantes also maintain that they were sentenced in violation of their Sixth Amendment rights due to the enhancements assessed by the district court. Neither Lopez nor Cervantes raised Apprendi or Blakely claims in the district court or argued that the Sentencing Guidelines were unconstitutional. We therefore review their sentences for plain error. United States v. Pirani, 406 F.3d 543, 549-50 (8th Cir.2005) (en bane). Before an appellate court can correct an error not raised at trial, there must be plain error that affects substantial rights. When that occurs, an appellate court may then exercise its discretion to notice a forfeited error, if the error seriously affects the fairness, integrity, or public reputation of judicial proceedings. Id. at 550. The burden is on Lopez and Cervantes to prove plain error. Id. Appellate review under the plain-error doctrine, of course, is circumscribed and we exercise our power under Rule 52(b) sparingly. Jones v. United States, 527 U.S. 373, 389, 119 S.Ct. 2090, 144 L.Ed.2d 370 (1999). 27 As in Pirani, the district court committed an error that was plain because it engaged in fact-finding under a mandatory Sentencing Guidelines scheme. Pirani, 406 F.3d at 550. To establish that this error affected their substantial rights, Lopez and Cervantes must demonstrate a reasonable probability that they would have received more favorable sentences without the Booker error, under an advisory guidelines scheme. Id. at 552. 28 Lopez cannot meet this heavy burden with regard to the two-level enhancement for obstruction of justice. Our review of the sentencing proceeding reveals no indication that, absent the Booker error, the district court would have sentenced Lopez to a lower sentence. And although the district court sentenced Lopez at the bottom of the applicable guidelines range, the record as a whole provides no basis for concluding that the district court would have imposed a lesser sentence under advisory guidelines. Id. at 553. In fact, the district court sua sponte increased Lopez's base offense level for obstruction of justice, contrary to the government's and the PSI's recommendations. On these facts, Lopez cannot demonstrate a reasonable probability that the district court would have sentenced him to a lower sentence under an advisory sentencing scheme. Accordingly, we affirm Lopez's sentence. 29 Similarly, Cervantes cannot establish that, absent the Booker error, there is a reasonable probability that he would have received a lesser sentence. When sentencing Cervantes to life imprisonment, the district court stated, [a]nd this may be a harsh sentence, I don't know, but Congress makes those determinations, I don't. And this defendant clearly has a lengthy criminal history. This statement is not enough to carry Cervantes' substantial burden to show that his substantial rights were affected by the Booker error. United States v. Hill, 410 F.3d 468, 473 (8th Cir.2005) (finding no plain error even though the district court noted that it took no pleasure in giving a life sentence, but did not otherwise indicate that the life sentence was unwarranted or unfair). In fact, the district court's statement tends to indicate that it concurred in the harshness of the sentence because it mentioned Cervantes' extensive criminal history. Cervantes cannot show a reasonable probability that he would have received a lower sentence than life imprisonment had the district court used advisory guidelines. We affirm Cervantes' sentence.