Court Opinion

ID: 9371233
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-02-15 20:00:21.822344+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T17:16:26.236471
License: Public Domain

NOT RECOMMENDED FOR PUBLICATION
                                File Name: 23a0091n.06

                                           No. 22-3160

                          UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS
                               FOR THE SIXTH CIRCUIT

                                                                                  FILED
                                                                            Feb 15, 2023
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,                           )
                                                                        DEBORAH S. HUNT, Clerk
                                                    )
       Plaintiff-Appellee,
                                                    )
                                                    )       ON APPEAL FROM THE UNITED
v.
                                                    )       STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR
                                                    )       THE NORTHERN DISTRICT OF
IVEN BOOKER,
                                                    )       OHIO
       Defendant-Appellant.                         )                          OPINION
                                                    )

Before: SUHRHEINRICH, COLE, and MURPHY, Circuit Judges.

       MURPHY, Circuit Judge. Iven Booker brandished a loaded pistol while drunk at a bar

and became combative with the responding police. He pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession

of a firearm, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(1). The district court imposed a 71-month prison

term that exceeded Booker’s guidelines range by 14 months. The court reasoned that Booker’s

dangerous conduct in this case fit a “pattern” in which he would drink to excess and threaten or hit

others, including the mothers of his two children. The court also imposed special conditions on

Booker’s ensuing term of supervised release that restricted his contact with these two women and

that permitted him to visit his children only with a court’s approval. Booker now appeals the

upward variance and the special conditions.        But the upward variance was substantively

reasonable. And Booker waived his right to appeal the special conditions. We thus affirm.
No. 22-3160, United States v. Booker

                                                I

       Booker has a long list of offenses, many of which involved domestic violence or excessive

drinking in Ashtabula, Ohio. In 2011, after Booker’s then-girlfriend tried to get her phone back

from him during an argument, he grabbed her wrist and shoved her against a wall. He was

convicted of a domestic-violence misdemeanor. Two months later, he threatened to “punch” his

then-girlfriend “in the face” during an argument over the phone. PSR, R.24, PageID 120. This

threat led to a misdemeanor conviction for making threatening phone calls. The next year, his

then-girlfriend found an intoxicated Booker in her apartment holding their child. He broke the

glass on her screen door, tried to spit on her, and threatened to hit her. Booker was convicted of

another domestic-violence misdemeanor.

       In 2015, Booker had two encounters with a different girlfriend (and the mother of his

second child). In the first, Booker refused to leave this woman’s apartment after an argument.

This incident resulted in a misdemeanor conviction for criminal trespassing. Two months later,

he committed a more serious crime. According to his girlfriend, he entered her apartment by

breaking a window, punched her and her mother in their faces, and spat on them both. Booker

again appeared intoxicated. He was convicted of a domestic-violence felony.

       Given this felony offense, Booker could not possess firearms. On September 25, 2020,

however, the owner of an Ashtabula bar spotted him with a gun. After the owner called the police,

officers observed Booker pointing a pistol at the ground while outside. Although Booker initially

cooperated, his demeanor soon changed. Officers had to force a combative Booker into a police

cruiser. They also could not book him at the police station due to his lack of cooperation. Booker

admitted that he was intoxicated. The police later discovered that Booker’s pistol had been stolen

the previous year.

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No. 22-3160, United States v. Booker

       A grand jury indicted Booker for illegally possessing a firearm as a felon in violation of

18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(1). He agreed to plead guilty. In his plea agreement, Booker generally waived

his appellate rights but preserved the right to appeal, among other things, an above-guidelines

sentence. In exchange, the government agreed to recommend a within-guidelines sentence.

       At sentencing, the district court calculated Booker’s guidelines range as 46 to 57 months’

imprisonment. But it decided to vary upward from this range. It imposed a 71-month sentence

because of the circumstances of Booker’s offense and his criminal history. It next imposed a three-

year term of supervised release. As a condition of supervised release, the court explained to

Booker that he could not contact the victims of his domestic violence (the mothers of his two

children). This condition caused Booker to interject that it would bar him from seeing his children.

The court responded that Booker could see his children if the juvenile court granted him visitation

in a supervised setting. But Booker continued to argue. The court decided to reschedule Booker’s

sentencing so that it could consider whether to impose a higher prison term in light of his conduct

at the hearing.

       At a second hearing, the court chose the same sentence. It imposed a 71-month term of

imprisonment. It also imposed the same supervised-release conditions. When on supervised

release, Booker can have no contact with the mothers of his children unless his probation officer

approves. Judgment, R.31, PageID 300. Booker also can have “[s]upervised visitation” with his

children only if he obtains “prior approval” from the appropriate juvenile court. Id.

                                                 II

       On appeal, Booker challenges both his above-guidelines prison term and the supervised-

release conditions limiting his access to his former girlfriends and children.

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No. 22-3160, United States v. Booker

       Term of Imprisonment. Booker first argues that the district court’s 71-month sentence is

“too long” because it exceeded the upper end of his guidelines range (46 to 57 months) by 14

months. See United States v. Thomas, 933 F.3d 605, 612 (6th Cir. 2019) (citation omitted). He

faces a high bar to succeed on this substantive-reasonableness challenge because we give

significant “deference” to the district court’s conclusion that the sentencing factors in 18 U.S.C.

§ 3553(a) warranted the variance. Gall v. United States, 552 U.S. 38, 51 (2007). Thus, although

an above-guidelines sentence does not receive the presumption of reasonableness that applies to a

within-guidelines sentence, we still review it under a forgiving abuse-of-discretion standard. See

Thomas, 933 F.3d at 613. We will uphold a variance as long as a court adequately explains why

a defendant’s unique circumstances make the case unlike the “mine-run,” “typical,” or “heartland”

case for which the Sentencing Commission has designed the relevant guidelines. United States v.

Burkey, 2023 WL 652812, at *5 (6th Cir. Jan. 27, 2023) (citation omitted); see United States v.

Lee, 974 F.3d 670, 676–77 (6th Cir. 2020).

       Here, the district court offered two valid reasons why Booker’s case did not fit the typical

factual mold for which his guidelines range was best suited. For one thing, the district court relied

on the nature of Booker’s current felon-in-possession offense. Booker did not simply possess a

firearm in his home. He took a “fully loaded” pistol to a bar, drank alcohol until he was “clearly

intoxicated,” started brandishing the gun, and “placed customers in the bar at danger.” Sent. Tr.,

R.37, PageID 371. Booker then became combative with the officers who arrested him. Id. The

district court could reasonably find that these “specific facts” made Booker’s crime an atypical

felon-in-possession offense. United States v. McClain, 858 F. App’x 905, 907 (6th Cir. 2021).

       For another thing, the district court explained that Booker’s present offense followed an

“alcohol and anger” pattern of criminal activity in which Booker would commit or threaten

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No. 22-3160, United States v. Booker

violence and resist responding officers. Sent. Tr., R.37, PageID 372–75. Most seriously, Booker

had several domestic-violence convictions in which he angrily threatened or hit the mothers of his

children, sometimes while intoxicated. PSR, R.24, PageID 120–24. Although Booker did not

have a prior firearms conviction, the court reasonably recognized that his conduct in this case

(drinking to excess and creating a danger to others) bore a “relationship” to his past crimes. Lee,

974 F.3d at 677. And despite Booker’s many previous sentences and correctional programs, the

court reasonably found that Booker’s past punishments had not sent “the appropriate message” to

him that our society will not tolerate his dangerous conduct. Sent. Tr., R.37, PageID 375. The

court thus could rationally conclude that Booker’s criminal history showed a “specific need for

deterrence beyond that already captured by the guidelines[.]” Lee, 974 F.3d at 677.

       When we account for the substantial (but not eyebrow-raising) size of the variance, these

two reasons sufficed. See Burkey, 2023 WL 652812, at *5. A small sampling of our precedent

shows that the 14-month variance falls well within the range of upward variances that we have

upheld. See id. at *3, *7 (22-month variance up to a 63-month sentence); United States v. Zabel,

35 F.4th 493, 507–08 (6th Cir. 2022) (6-month variance up to an 18-month sentence); United

States v. Reese, 2022 WL 612807, at *12 (6th Cir. Mar. 2, 2022) (8-month variance up to an 18-

month sentence); United States v. Day, 2022 WL 523564, at *2 (6th Cir. Feb. 22, 2022) (10-month

variance up to a 24-month sentence); United States v. Gray, 2021 WL 4963366, at *7 (6th Cir.

Oct. 26, 2021) (25-month variance up to a 96-month sentence); United States v. Wilson, 2021 WL

3017276, at *1–4 (6th Cir. July 16, 2021) (10-month variance up to a 51-month sentence);

McClain, 858 F. App’x at 906 (8-month variance up to a 65-month sentence); United States v.

Cechini, 834 F. App’x 201, 205–06 (6th Cir. 2020) (21-month variance up to a 54-month

sentence); United States v. Dunnican, 961 F.3d 859, 880–81 (6th Cir. 2020) (21-month variance

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No. 22-3160, United States v. Booker

up to an 84-month sentence); United States v. Williams, 807 F. App’x 505, 509 (6th Cir. 2020)

(20-month variance up to a 36-month sentence); United States v. Williams, 664 F. App’x 517, 519–

20 (6th Cir. 2016) (27-month variance up to a 60-month sentence).

       In response, Booker cites our decision in Lee to argue that the district court failed to explain

why the guidelines did not already account for his criminal history. But the 23-month variance

that we reversed in Lee substantially exceeded the 14-month variance in Booker’s case. See 974

F.3d at 677. The district court in Lee also imposed a much larger increase from the upper end of

the defendant’s guidelines range (62%) than the district court in this case imposed (25%). See id.

Perhaps most significantly, the defendant’s prior criminal history in Lee had no “relationship” to

his current offense. Id. at 677–78. In this case, by contrast, the court found that Booker’s current

offense fit a consistent “pattern” of alcohol-fueled violence and encounters with the police. Sent.

Tr., R.37, PageID 373; cf. Cechini, 834 F. App’x at 205–07.

       In fact, Booker himself concedes that his crimes have a “common thread of alcohol

addiction,” but he asserts that the district court should have treated his alcohol problem as a

mitigating factor rather than an aggravating one. Appellant’s Br. 13–14. Yet the court could

reasonably conclude that his use of “intoxicating substances” during his crimes increased the

danger that he posed to the community and to his domestic-violence victims. See United States v.

Goode, 834 F. App’x 218, 221 (6th Cir. 2020); Cechini, 834 F. App’x at 206–07; see also United

States v. Miller, 646 F.3d 1128, 1133–34 (8th Cir. 2011).

       Supervised-Release Conditions. Booker next disputes two conditions of his supervised

release. One condition required him to have no contact with the mothers of his children without

his probation officer’s approval. The other permitted him to visit his children only with the

                                                  6
No. 22-3160, United States v. Booker

approval of a juvenile court. Booker contends that these conditions implicate his right to parental

association with his children and have no rational connection to his felon-in-possession offense.

       A district court may impose any supervised-release “condition” that “it considers to be

appropriate[.]” 18 U.S.C. § 3583(d)(3). But the court must ensure that any condition “is

reasonably related” to the § 3553(a) factors, “involves no greater deprivation of liberty” than

necessary, and adheres to the Sentencing Commission’s “policy statements[.]” Id. § 3583(d)(1)–

(3). Because the statute gives district courts discretion to impose these conditions, we review them

for an abuse of discretion. See United States v. Brogdon, 503 F.3d 555, 563 (6th Cir. 2007). And

while we review conditions that limit constitutional rights more closely, we have upheld those

conditions when a court provided an adequate justification for them, such as the need to rehabilitate

the defendant or protect the public. See United States v. Faber, 718 F. App’x 349, 351–52 (6th

Cir. 2017); United States v. Widmer, 785 F.3d 200, 207–10 (6th Cir. 2015); cf. United States v.

Stelmacher, 891 F.3d 730, 733–35 (8th Cir. 2018).

       Here, however, we need not reach the merits of Booker’s challenge to the special

conditions. He waived his right to appeal this part of his sentence in his plea agreement.

Defendants may waive any constitutional right, including an appellate right, in a valid plea

agreement. See United States v. Calderon, 388 F.3d 197, 199 (6th Cir. 2004). And we review

de novo whether the language of a plea agreement’s appeal waiver covers a particular appellate

argument. See United States v. Ferguson, 669 F.3d 756, 764 (6th Cir. 2012).

       In the plea agreement, Booker “expressly and voluntarily waive[d]” his right “to appeal the

conviction or sentence in this case[.]” Plea Agreement, R.17, PageID 46–47. But the agreement

carved out three categories of claims he could still pursue. Id., PageID 47. He could appeal “any

                                                 7
No. 22-3160, United States v. Booker

punishment in excess of the statutory maximum,” “any sentence” that exceeds his guidelines range,

and any claim of “ineffective assistance of counsel or prosecutorial misconduct.” Id.

       When examining plea agreements that use this standard waiver language, we have

recognized that a waiver of the right to appeal a “sentence” covers more than just a prison term.

See United States v. Nykoriak, 803 F. App’x 919, 921 (6th Cir. 2020). It also covers restitution

orders. See United States v. Riccardi, 989 F.3d 476, 489 (6th Cir. 2021) (citing cases). Even more

relevant here, it covers the lengths and conditions of supervised release, which likewise qualify as

part of the sentence. See Nykoriak, 803 F. App’x at 921 (quoting United States v. Krul, 774 F.3d

371, 374 (6th Cir. 2014)); see also United States v. Miller, 755 F. App’x 440, 445–46 (6th Cir.

2018); United States v. Rand, 536 F. App’x 571, 576–77 (6th Cir. 2013); United States v. Kidd,

2013 WL 870263, at *1 (6th Cir. 2013) (per curiam); Ferguson, 669 F.3d at 764–67; United States

v. Meeks, 290 F. App’x 896, 904–05 (6th Cir. 2008); United States v. McIntosh, 2003 WL

22435676, at *1 (6th Cir. Oct. 23, 2003) (order). So appeal waivers have barred defendants from

appealing such supervised-release conditions as a limit on the use of cellphones, see Rand, 536

F. App’x at 576–77, a restriction on the use of the internet, see Ferguson, 669 F.3d at 765–66, and

a requirement to receive mental-health treatment, see Kidd, 2013 WL 870263, at *1.

       Many other courts apply similar rules. See Ferguson, 669 F.3d at 766 n.2. They agree that

an appeal waiver covering a sentence includes a supervised-release condition. See United States

v. Dallman, 886 F.3d 1277, 1279, 1280–81 (8th Cir. 2018); United States v. Santiago, 769 F.3d 1,

7 (1st Cir. 2014); United States v. Goodson, 544 F.3d 529, 537–38 (3d Cir. 2008); United States

v. Sandoval, 477 F.3d 1204, 1207 (10th Cir. 2007); United States v. Joyce, 357 F.3d 921, 923–24

(9th Cir. 2004); United States v. Sines, 303 F.3d 793, 798–99 (7th Cir. 2002). So they have

likewise held that an appeal waiver covered such supervised-release conditions as those requiring

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No. 22-3160, United States v. Booker

a defendant to attend sex-offender treatment, see Sines, 303 F.3d at 798–99, or barring the

defendant from contacting minors, see Santiago, 769 F.3d at 6–8.

       Under this caselaw, Booker’s appeal waiver covers his current challenge to his supervised-

release conditions. He agreed to waive his right to appeal his “sentence,” which includes the

supervised-release conditions. See Nykoriak, 803 F. App’x at 921. And his challenge to the

supervised-release conditions does not fall within any of his appeal waiver’s carveouts. He does

not claim that his sentence exceeds the statutory maximum or guidelines range, and he does not

raise an ineffective-assistance claim. See Ferguson, 669 F.3d at 766.

       In response, Booker does not even dispute that the appeal waiver applies. He instead argues

that he did not knowingly waive his right to appeal the supervised-release conditions because he

“could not have known” that the district court would impose them when he pleaded guilty. Reply

Br. 3. It is not clear that he preserved this argument because he never asserted in the district court

that his appeal waiver had been unknowing and involuntary. See Goodson, 544 F.3d at 538–39;

see also United States v. Rupp, 2023 WL 370908, at *3 (6th Cir. Jan. 24, 2023). His claim fails

under de novo review, though, so we need not resolve this issue.

       Booker is correct that we could not enforce his appeal waiver if he did not knowingly and

voluntarily agree to it. See Ferguson, 669 F.3d at 765. Yet both the plea agreement and the plea

colloquy show that he knowingly and voluntarily waived his right to appeal. He initialed every

page of the agreement to “signify” that he approved each page’s provisions, including the pages

with the appeal waiver. Plea Agreement, R. 17, PageID 47, 51. He also made clear that he had

read the entire agreement, discussed it with his attorney, and “enter[ed]” it “voluntarily and of [his]

own free will.” Id., PageID 51. During the plea colloquy, he confirmed his understanding that he

would “be required to abide by a number of conditions” on supervised release, including that he

                                                  9
No. 22-3160, United States v. Booker

“not commit any new criminal offenses, not use drugs, report to [his] probation officer, get a

legitimate job, [and] things of that nature.” Plea Tr., R.38, PageID 395. He also confirmed his

understanding that “there will be no basis for an appeal” of his sentence except for the specific

grounds that his plea agreement preserved. Id., PageID 400.

       Booker nevertheless argues that his lack of knowledge of the specific conditions that the

district court imposed rendered his appeal waiver unknowing and involuntary. We and other courts

have rejected similar claims. The defendant in Ferguson, for instance, “did not receive prior

notice” of the condition restricting his internet access. 669 F.3d at 765. Yet we enforced the

appeal waiver because he knew generally that the court would impose supervised-release

conditions. Id. at 766. Similarly, the defendant in Sandoval (who had been convicted of property

crimes) did not know that the court would limit his access to children. 477 F.3d at 1206. But the

Tenth Circuit enforced his appeal waiver because he knew generally that he could not appeal his

sentence. Id. at 1207–08. As the Seventh Circuit has said, “unanticipated sentences do not create

grounds for negating the terms of a plea agreement.” Sines, 303 F.3d at 799. And here, Booker

had the same knowledge that these decisions found sufficient: He knew that he would be subject

to supervised-release conditions and that he generally could not appeal his sentence.

       That said, some courts have suggested that a “miscarriage of justice” exception could

invalidate an appeal waiver for some supervised-release conditions. See, e.g., Santiago, 769 F.3d

at 8–11; Sandoval, 477 F.3d at 1208. We need not reach this issue because Booker did not raise

it. He argued only that his waiver was unknowing and involuntary. He is wrong.

       We affirm.

                                               10