Filed: Feb. 16, 2018
Latest Update: Mar. 03, 2020
Summary: UNPUBLISHED UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE FOURTH CIRCUIT No. 17-4527 UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, Plaintiff - Appellee, v. ALLEN JAMAL HUBBARD, Defendant - Appellant. Appeal from the United States District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina, at Greensboro. Catherine C. Eagles, District Judge. (1:17-cr-00051-CCE-1) Submitted: February 15, 2018 Decided: February 16, 2018 Before WILKINSON, FLOYD, and THACKER, Circuit Judges. Affirmed by unpublished per curiam opinion. Louis C, Al
Summary: UNPUBLISHED UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE FOURTH CIRCUIT No. 17-4527 UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, Plaintiff - Appellee, v. ALLEN JAMAL HUBBARD, Defendant - Appellant. Appeal from the United States District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina, at Greensboro. Catherine C. Eagles, District Judge. (1:17-cr-00051-CCE-1) Submitted: February 15, 2018 Decided: February 16, 2018 Before WILKINSON, FLOYD, and THACKER, Circuit Judges. Affirmed by unpublished per curiam opinion. Louis C, All..
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UNPUBLISHED
UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS
FOR THE FOURTH CIRCUIT
No. 17-4527
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,
Plaintiff - Appellee,
v.
ALLEN JAMAL HUBBARD,
Defendant - Appellant.
Appeal from the United States District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina, at
Greensboro. Catherine C. Eagles, District Judge. (1:17-cr-00051-CCE-1)
Submitted: February 15, 2018 Decided: February 16, 2018
Before WILKINSON, FLOYD, and THACKER, Circuit Judges.
Affirmed by unpublished per curiam opinion.
Louis C, Allen, Federal Public Defender, Tiffany T. Jefferson, Assistant Federal Public
Defender, OFFICE OF THE FEDERAL PUBLIC DEFENDER, Greensboro, North
Carolina, for Appellant. Kyle David Pousson, Assistant United States Attorney, OFFICE
OF THE UNITED STATES ATTORNEY, Greensboro, North Carolina, for Appellee.
Unpublished opinions are not binding precedent in this circuit.
PER CURIAM:
Allen Jamal Hubbard pled guilty, pursuant to a written plea agreement, to
possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, in violation of 21 U.S.C. §§ 922(g)(1),
924(a)(2) (2012). The district court sentenced Hubbard to 96 months’ imprisonment, a
term in the middle of the 84- to 105-month advisory Sentencing Guidelines range. On
appeal, counsel has filed a brief pursuant to Anders v. California,
386 U.S. 738 (1967),
stating that there are no meritorious grounds for appeal, but questioning whether
Hubbard’s sentence is greater than necessary to accomplish the sentencing goals
enumerated in 18 U.S.C. § 3553(a) (2012). Although advised of his right to do so,
Hubbard has not filed a pro se supplemental brief. The Government declined to file a
brief. After a thorough review of the record, we affirm.
We review Hubbard’s sentence for procedural and substantive reasonableness,
applying “a deferential abuse-of-discretion standard.” United States v. McDonald,
850
F.3d 640, 643 (4th Cir.) (internal quotation marks omitted), cert. denied,
138 S. Ct. 208
(2017). First, we “ensure that the district court committed no significant procedural error,
such as . . . improperly calculating[] the Guidelines range, treating the Guidelines as
mandatory, failing to consider the § 3553(a) factors, selecting a sentence based on clearly
erroneous facts, or failing to adequately explain the chosen sentence.” Gall v. United
States,
552 U.S. 38, 51 (2007). If there is no procedural error, we must also consider the
substantive reasonableness of Hubbard’s sentence, “examin[ing] the totality of the
circumstances to see whether the sentencing court abused its discretion in concluding that
the sentence it chose satisfied the standards set forth in § 3553(a).” United States v.
2
Gomez-Jimenez,
750 F.3d 370, 383 (4th Cir. 2014) (internal quotation marks omitted). A
sentence must be “sufficient, but not greater than necessary,” to accomplish the § 3553(a)
sentencing goals. “Any sentence that is within . . . a properly calculated Guidelines range
is presumptively reasonable.” United States v. Louthian,
756 F.3d 295, 306 (4th Cir.
2014). “Such a presumption can only be rebutted by showing that the sentence is
unreasonable when measured against the 18 U.S.C. § 3553(a) factors.”
Id.
Here, the court correctly calculated Hubbard’s advisory Guidelines range, heard
argument from counsel, provided Hubbard an opportunity to allocute, and considered the
§ 3553(a) sentencing factors. Because Hubbard has not demonstrated that his sentence
“is unreasonable when measured against the . . . § 3553(a) factors,” he has failed to rebut
the presumption of reasonableness accorded his within-Guidelines sentence.
Louthian,
756 F.3d at 306. We conclude that Hubbard’s sentence is both procedurally and
substantively reasonable.
Accordingly, we affirm the judgment of the district court. In accordance with
Anders, we have reviewed the record in this case and have found no meritorious issues
for appeal. This court requires that counsel inform Hubbard, in writing, of the right to
petition the Supreme Court of the United States for further review. If Hubbard requests
that a petition be filed, but counsel believes that such a petition would be frivolous, then
counsel may move in this court for leave to withdraw from representation. Counsel’s
motion must state that a copy thereof was served on Hubbard. We dispense with
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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
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