United States v. Ermes Moreno-Meras , 256 F. App'x 882 ( 2007 )


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  •                     United States Court of Appeals
    FOR THE EIGHTH CIRCUIT
    ___________
    No. 07-1041
    ___________
    United States of America,               *
    *
    Appellee,                   *
    * Appeal from the United States
    v.                                * District Court for the
    * District of Nebraska.
    Ermes Moreno-Meras,                     *
    * [UNPUBLISHED]
    Appellant.                  *
    ___________
    Submitted: December 5, 2007
    Filed: December 13, 2007
    ___________
    Before WOLLMAN, COLLOTON, and BENTON, Circuit Judges.
    ___________
    PER CURIAM.
    Ermes Moreno-Meras pleaded guilty to possessing, with intent to distribute,
    500 grams or more of a mixture or substance containing a detectable amount of
    methamphetamine, in violation of 
    21 U.S.C. § 841
    (a)(1) and b(1). The district court1
    calculated an advisory Guidelines range of 135-168 months in prison and sentenced
    Moreno-Meras at the bottom of the range. On appeal, Moreno-Meras argues for the
    first time that the court’s decision to give the Guidelines “substantial weight” was
    contrary to the Supreme Court’s holding in United States v. Booker, 
    543 U.S. 220
    (2005). He also asserts that his sentence is unreasonable because it is greater than
    1
    The Honorable Richard G. Kopf, United States District Judge for the District
    of Nebraska.
    necessary to promote the statutory goals of sentencing. We reject these arguments and
    affirm.
    We review for plain error the district court’s decision to give the Guidelines
    substantial weight. See United States v. Patterson, 
    481 F.3d 1029
    , 1034 (8th Cir.
    2007) (failure to raise issue at sentencing results in plain-error review on appeal).
    Assuming, without deciding, that the district court committed plain error by according
    the advisory Guidelines more weight than the other 
    18 U.S.C. § 3553
    (a) factors, see,
    e.g., United States v. Sachsenmaier, 
    491 F.3d 670
    , 685 (7th Cir. 2007) (district courts
    must calculate advisory Guidelines range accurately, but ultimately must sentence
    based on § 3553(a) factors “without any thumb on the scale favoring a guideline
    sentence”), we conclude that Moreno-Meras has failed to establish a reasonable
    probability that he otherwise would have received a more favorable sentence, cf.
    United States v. Pirani, 
    406 F.3d 543
    , 552-53 (8th Cir. 2005) (en banc) (under plain-
    error review defendant must show reasonable probability that, but for Booker error,
    he would have received more favorable sentence under advisory Guidelines).
    We also conclude that Moreno-Meras’s sentence is not unreasonable. See Rita
    v. United States, 
    127 S. Ct. 2456
    , 2462 (2007) (approving appellate presumption of
    reasonableness); United States v. Garlewicz, 
    493 F.3d 933
    , 938 (8th Cir. 2007)
    (presumption of reasonableness is accorded sentence within properly calculated
    Guidelines range); United States v. Long Soldier, 
    431 F.3d 1120
    , 1123 (8th Cir. 2005)
    (reasonableness of sentence is reviewed for abuse of discretion, which occurs if court
    fails to consider relevant factor that should have received significant weight, gives
    significant weight to improper or irrelevant factor, or considers only appropriate
    factors but commits clear error of judgment in weighing factors); see also United
    States v. Turbides-Leonardo, 
    468 F.3d 34
    , 41 (1st Cir. 2006) (it is rare for Guidelines
    sentence to be higher than necessary to achieve statutory goals of sentencing), cert.
    denied, 
    127 S. Ct. 3064
     (2007).
    Accordingly, the judgment is affirmed.
    ______________________________
    -2-
    

Document Info

Docket Number: 07-1041

Citation Numbers: 256 F. App'x 882

Judges: Wollman, Colloton, Benton

Filed Date: 12/13/2007

Precedential Status: Non-Precedential

Modified Date: 11/5/2024