Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Before
Lynch, Kayatta, and Barron,
Circuit Judges.
April 1, 2016
KAYATTA,
Circuit
Judge.
After
pleading
guilty
to
to
60-month
term
of
imprisonment.
Pedroza
his
unreasonable.
sentence
as
procedurally
and
substantively
Background1
backup and, while they waited, they observed Pedroza slam his
firearm on the roof of a car, get inside the car, and prepare to
leave the scene.
in
possession
922(g)(1).2
of
firearm
in
violation
of
18
U.S.C.
At the
same time, the agreement made clear that ultimately "the sentence
[would] be left entirely to the sound discretion of the Court."
The district court accepted Pedroza's guilty plea and
ordered the preparation of a Presentence Investigation Report
("PSR").
3037
months'
imprisonment.
The
PSR
also
noted
that
clinical
Pedroza's
total
neuropsychologist.
IQ
at
60,
and
it
The
placed
evaluation
placed
Pedroza's
global
that
to
these
judgment"
characteristics
and
inadequate
contributed
"behavioral
Pedroza's
control"
and
"poor
to
the
keeping
with
the
plea
agreement,
both
parties
agreed "that [Pedroza] has an issue" but found that his mental
condition "work[ed] in a sense against society" because "[a]n
individual with that kind of situation has less acumen to make
decisions, correct decisions regarding firearms and firearms use"
and so poses "a bigger danger than an individual who has an IQ of
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court
determinative.
turned
to
the
factors
that
it
regarded
as
Analysis
Legal Standards
Appellate review of a criminal sentence proceeds in two
steps.
proceed
standard.5
B.
under
the
deferential
abuse
of
discretion
Id.
Procedural Reasonableness
Pedroza makes three claims of procedural error.
We
its
choice
to
impose
an
upwardly
variant
60-month
sentence.
Where, as
that
the
justification
is
sufficiently
Id. at 50.
compelling
to
But although
"the court ordinarily should identify the main factors upon which
the
district
court
explained
its
decision
to
The district
fact that Pedroza had committed the instant offense within a year
of his release from incarceration for a prior firearms offense-an
offense
for
which
Pedroza
had
received
an
unrealized
of
particular
crimes
in
the
relevant
community
- 7 -
and
discussing
of
Pedroza's
community-based
criminal
history.
considerations,
And
the
even
district
when
court
sum,
"the
claim
individualized
unfounded."
that
attention
[the
to
district
the
(Emphases supplied.)
court]
sentencing
did
not
give
determination
is
Id.
court
did
rely
on
individualized
considerations
in
[G]uidelines calculation."
F.3d
57,
60
(1st
Cir.
Again,
however,
the
court
In
sum, the district court adequately explained the basis for its
upwardly variant sentence.
2.
account
his
"history
and
characteristics,"
18
U.S.C.
mental
and
cognitive
conditions."
Pedroza
bases
this
offer
to
present
live
testimony
from
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wished
to
do
so,
it
could
have
opted
to
postpone
or
But it was
See id.
In any event,
mental
retardation."
The
district
court
rejected,
district
considering
court
and
was
simply
discussing
the
saying
that,
evidence
after
expressly
concerning
Pedroza's
that
Pedroza
urged.
In
short,
the
court
clearly
18 U.S.C. 3553(a)(1).
And even
- 11 -
Jess, 589 F.3d 22, 29 (1st Cir. 2009); see also United States v.
Rivera-Gonzlez, 776 F.3d 45, 50 (1st Cir. 2015) (district court
entitled to weigh certain factors "less heavily than [defendant]
would have liked"); United States v. Prosperi, 686 F.3d 32, 43
(1st Cir. 2012) ("[A] district court's 'choice of emphasis' when
considering relevant factors is not a ground for vacating a
sentence." (quoting United States v. Zapata, 589 F.3d 475, 488
(1st Cir. 2009))).
Pedroza responds that even if the district court was not
required to give his mental condition mitigating force, the court
was not entitled to give it any aggravating force.
Pointing to
careful
reading
of
the
record,
however,
belies
We read
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The
court
rejected
that
argument,
noting
that
the
This was
In short, we are
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reasons form."
18 U.S.C. 3553(c)(2).
But it is
In
Substantive Reasonableness
Finally, Pedroza argues that his 60-month sentence is
substantively
unreasonable.
"[T]he
linchpin
of
reasonable
- 14 -
'extraordinary'
circumstances
are
required
to
justify
Conclusion
- 15 -