United States v. Keith Haddock, II ( 2019 )


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  •                                     UNPUBLISHED
    UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS
    FOR THE FOURTH CIRCUIT
    No. 18-4928
    UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,
    Plaintiff - Appellee,
    v.
    KEITH ANDRE HADDOCK, II, a/k/a Keith Haddock, a/k/a Frank, a/k/a Frank
    White,
    Defendant - Appellant.
    Appeal from the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, at
    Alexandria. T.S. Ellis, III, Senior District Judge. (1:18-cr-00236-TSE-1)
    Submitted: November 26, 2019                                 Decided: December 9, 2019
    Before GREGORY, Chief Judge, and WYNN and RICHARDSON, Circuit Judges.
    Affirmed by unpublished per curiam opinion.
    Andrew M. Stewart, DENNIS, STEWART & KRISCHER PLLC, Arlington, Virginia, for
    Appellant. G. Zachary Terwilliger, United States Attorney, Nicholas Murphy, Assistant
    United States Attorney, OFFICE OF THE UNITED STATES ATTORNEY, Alexandria,
    Virginia, for Appellee.
    Unpublished opinions are not binding precedent in this circuit.
    PER CURIAM:
    Keith Haddock, II, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to make false
    statements in connection with firearms transactions, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 371 (2018);
    four counts of possession of a firearm by a felon, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(1)
    (2018); and two counts of making false statements to a federal firearms licensee, in
    violation of 18 U.S.C. §§ 2, 924(a)(1)(A) (2018). The district court calculated Haddock’s
    Sentencing Guidelines range as 188 to 135 months and sentenced him below the Guidelines
    to a total of 120 months’ imprisonment. * On appeal, Haddock contends that this sentence
    is procedurally unreasonable. We affirm.
    We review a defendant’s sentence “under a deferential abuse-of-discretion
    standard.” Gall v. United States, 
    552 U.S. 38
    , 41 (2007). Under the Gall standard, this
    court reviews a sentence for both procedural and substantive reasonableness. 
    Id. at 51.
    In
    determining procedural reasonableness, we consider whether the district court properly
    calculated the defendant’s advisory Sentencing Guidelines range, gave the parties an
    opportunity to argue for an appropriate sentence, considered the 18 U.S.C. § 3553(a) (2018)
    factors, and sufficiently explained the selected sentence. 
    Id. at 49-51.
    “When rendering a sentence, the district court must make an individualized
    assessment based on the facts presented.” United States v. Carter, 
    564 F.3d 325
    , 328 (4th
    *
    We recognize that Haddock’s sentence does not represent a mandatory minimum
    sentence, as the district court erroneously noted in its statement of reasons. The sentencing
    transcript makes clear that the district court was aware that a sentence of ten years
    represented the statutory maximum for each felon-in-possession count.
    2
    Cir. 2009) (emphasis omitted). “Where the defendant or prosecutor presents nonfrivolous
    reasons for imposing a different sentence than that set forth in the advisory Guidelines, a
    district judge should address the party’s arguments and explain why he has rejected those
    arguments.” United States v. Bollinger, 
    798 F.3d 201
    , 220 (4th Cir. 2015) (internal
    quotation marks omitted). An extensive explanation is not necessary so long as the
    appellate court is satisfied “that the district court has considered the parties’ arguments and
    has a reasoned basis for exercising its own legal decisionmaking authority.” United
    States v. Engle, 
    592 F.3d 495
    , 500 (4th Cir. 2010) (internal brackets and quotation marks
    omitted). However, the explanation should not be so brief that it requires this court “to
    guess at the district court’s rationale, searching the record for statements by the
    Government or defense counsel or for any other clues that might explain a sentence.”
    United States v. Blue, 
    877 F.3d 513
    , 521 (4th Cir. 2017) (internal quotation marks omitted).
    We conclude that Haddock’s sentence is procedurally reasonable. Haddock put
    forth several arguments in favor of a 72-month sentence which the district court considered
    and rejected. The district court instead decided that given the unique danger of firearms,
    the seriousness of the offenses, Haddock’s past criminal history, and the need for both
    specific and general deterrence, a sentence longer than that requested by Haddock—but
    still below the Guidelines range—was appropriate. Moreover, the district court provided
    a detailed explanation as to why it was imposing its sentence. This explanation was
    sufficient.
    3
    We therefore affirm the district court’s judgment. We dispense with oral argument
    because the facts and legal contentions are adequately presented in the materials before this
    court and argument would not aid the decisional process.
    AFFIRMED
    4
    

Document Info

Docket Number: 18-4928

Filed Date: 12/9/2019

Precedential Status: Non-Precedential

Modified Date: 12/9/2019