FILED
United States Court of Appeals
Tenth Circuit
UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS April 17, 2008
Elisabeth A. Shumaker
TENTH CIRCUIT Clerk of Court
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,
Plaintiff - Appellee, No. 07-3260
v. (D. Kansas)
JOSE J. ALVARADO-VALENCIA, (D.C. No. 06-CR-20050-KHV)
Defendant - Appellant.
ORDER AND JUDGMENT *
Before TACHA, ANDERSON, and BRORBY, Circuit Judges.
After examining the briefs and appellate record, this panel has determined
unanimously that oral argument would not materially assist in the determination
of this appeal. See Fed. R. App. P. 34(a)(2); 10th Cir. R. 34.1(G). The case is
therefore ordered submitted without oral argument.
Defendant and appellant Jose Alvarado-Valencia pled guilty to the
following: one count of conspiracy to distribute more than five kilograms of
cocaine, in violation of 21 U.S.C. §§ 841(a)(1) and (b)(1)(A)(ii); three counts of
*
This order and judgment is not binding precedent except under the
doctrines of law of the case, res judicata, and collateral estoppel. It may be cited,
however, for its persuasive value consistent with Fed. R. App. P. 32.1 and 10th
Cir. R. 32.1.
possession with intent to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine, in violation
of 21 U.S.C. § 841(a)(1), (b)(1)(A)(ii) and 18 U.S.C. § 2; one count of attempted
possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine, in violation of
21 U.S.C. §§ 841(a)(1), (b)(1)(B)(ii) and 846; one count of being an alien in
possession of a firearm, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(5); one count of
possession of more than five grams of cocaine base, in violation of 21 U.S.C.
§ 844(a)and 18 U.S.C. § 2; one count of use of a communication facility to
facilitate drug trafficking, in violation of 21 U.S.C. § 843(b); and one count of
aiding and abetting the use of drug-involved premises, in violation of 21 U.S.C.
§ 856(a)(1) and 18 U.S.C. § 2. He was sentenced to 280 months’ imprisonment
on the first five counts, with lesser sentences on the remaining counts, all to run
concurrently. Alvarado-Valencia appeals his sentence, which we affirm.
BACKGROUND
The counts to which Alvarado-Valencia pled guilty stem from a large drug
distribution enterprise involving Alvarado-Valencia and a number of co-
defendants, pursuant to which they brought drugs, primarily cocaine, from
Mexico and distributed them in the Kansas City, Kansas, area. In preparation for
sentencing, the United States Probation Office prepared a presentence report
(“PSR”) which calculated an advisory United States Sentencing Commission,
Guidelines Manual (“USSG”), sentence of 262 to 327 months. At the sentencing
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hearing, neither party objected to the PSR. The government asked for a sentence
of 280 months, “towards . . . [but] less than the exact midpoint” of the Guidelines
range. Tr. of Sentencing at 6, R. Vol. III. Alvarado-Valencia asked for a
sentence at the low end of the advisory range. The district court listened to
arguments from both sides concerning the appropriate sentence.
The district court sentenced Alvarado-Valencia to 280 months, towards the
middle of the Guidelines sentencing range, and explained the sentence as follows:
In appropriating this sentence, I’m giving substantial weight to the
sentencing guidelines because they promote uniformity in sentencing
and also taking into account the aggravating and mitigating factors
including the defendant’s clean criminal history as well as the
seriousness of this offense.
And I also believe that a sentence in this range would promote
respect for the law, provide just punishment, afford adequate
deterrence, and protect the public from further crimes not only by
this defendant, but by others. So it seems to me this would be a
reasonable sentence considering all the factors under Section
3553(a).
Id. at 12-13. The district court then asked Alvarado-Valencia’s counsel if he had
any comment, to which counsel answered “No, Your Honor.” Id. at 13.
Alvarado-Valencia’s only argument on appeal is that the sentence was imposed in
a procedurally unreasonable manner because the district court failed to adequately
explain the chosen sentence.
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DISCUSSION
“In sentencing, the district court has a duty under 18 U.S.C. § 3553(c) to
show it has considered the sentencing factors set forth in § 3553(a).” United
States v. Tindall, No. 07-8038, ___F. 3d ___, 2008 WL 554821, at *6 (10th Cir.
March 3, 2008). See Rita v. United States, 127 S. Ct. 2456, 2468 (2007) (“The
sentencing judge should set forth enough to satisfy the appellate court that he has
considered the parties’ arguments and has a reasoned basis for exercising his own
legal decisionmaking authority.”). However, the Supreme Court “also made clear
that a district judge is not required to give an exhaustive list of reasons.” Tindall,
2008 WL, at *6. Indeed, ‘[a] one-sentence explanation accompanying a within-
guidelines sentence – in the absence of the need to address specific § 3553(a)
arguments brought to the district court’s attention – satisfies the district court’s
duty to impose a procedurally reasonable sentence.” Id. at *7; see also United
States v. Ruiz-Terrazas, 477 F.3d 1196, 1199 (10th Cir. 2007) (stating that
“Section 3553(c) requires the court to provide only a general statement” in
explaining the imposition of a sentence falling within the Guidelines range).
The district court did more than enough in this case to satisfy that standard.
Accordingly, the court committed no procedural error in explaining Alvarado-
Valencia’s sentence. 1
1
Alvarado-Valencia made no specific objection to the district court’s
methodology in arriving at the sentence. Thus, our standard of review would be
(continued...)
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CONCLUSION
For the foregoing reasons, we AFFIRM Alvarado-Valencia’s sentence.
ENTERED FOR THE COURT
Stephen H. Anderson
Circuit Judge
1
(...continued)
for plain error. See United States v. McComb, No. 07-5003, 2007 WL 4393142,
at *4 (10th Cir. Dec. 18, 2007). Alvarado-Valencia maintains that he made the
equivalent of an objection by arguing for a sentence at the bottom of the
Guidelines range. Alvarado-Valencia’s sentence is procedurally reasonable under
any standard.
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