13-399-cr
United States v. Hodge
UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS
FOR THE SECOND CIRCUIT
SUMMARY ORDER
RULINGS BY SUMMARY ORDER DO NOT HAVE PRECEDENTIAL EFFECT. CITATION
TO A SUMMARY ORDER FILED ON OR AFTER JANUARY 1, 2007 IS PERMITTED
AND IS GOVERNED BY FEDERAL RULE OF APPELLATE PROCEDURE 32.1 AND THIS
COURT'S LOCAL RULE 32.1.1. WHEN CITING A SUMMARY ORDER IN A
DOCUMENT FILED WITH THIS COURT, A PARTY MUST CITE EITHER THE FEDERAL
APPENDIX OR AN ELECTRONIC DATABASE (WITH THE NOTATION "SUMMARY
ORDER"). A PARTY CITING TO A SUMMARY ORDER MUST SERVE A COPY OF IT
ON ANY PARTY NOT REPRESENTED BY COUNSEL.
At a stated term of the United States Court of Appeals for
the Second Circuit, held at the Thurgood Marshall United States
Courthouse, 40 Foley Square, in the City of New York, on the 17th
day of March, two thousand fourteen.
PRESENT: PIERRE N. LEVAL,
DENNY CHIN,
SUSAN L. CARNEY,
Circuit Judges.
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UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,
Appellee,
-v-
CH'KHAN HODGE, a.k.a. Shock Rock,
Defendant-Appellant,
and 13-399-cr
CARLOS MARTE SANTOS, a.k.a. Shorty, a.k.a.
Julio Cesar Santos, a.k.a. Cesar, RICHARD
CASTRO, a.k.a. Tyson, SANDLEY ALEXIS,
RONALD BALLARD, CLIVE DAVIS, a.k.a. Link,
a.k.a. Little B, ANDRE MALCOLM, a.k.a. Dre,
JAMES MCCOY, GLEN THOMAS, a.k.a. G,
Defendants.*
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*
The Clerk of the Court is directed to amend the official caption as
noted above.
FOR APPELLEE: Sandra S. Glover and Jonathan
Freimann, Assistant United States
Attorneys, for Deirdre M. Daly,
Acting United States Attorney for
the District of Connecticut,
New Haven, Connecticut.
FOR DEFENDANT-APPELLANT: Charles F. Willson, Nevins Law
Group LLC, East Hartford,
Connecticut.
Appeal from the United States District Court for the
District of Connecticut (Burns, J.).
UPON DUE CONSIDERATION, IT IS ORDERED, ADJUDGED, AND
DECREED that the judgment of the district court is AFFIRMED.
Defendant-appellant Ch'khan Hodge appeals from the
judgment of the district court entered January 18, 2013, sentencing
him to 46 months' imprisonment and a five-year term of supervised
release.
We assume the parties' familiarity with the facts and
procedural history of the case, which we summarize as follows:
On February 9, 2010, Hodge pled guilty to possession of
five grams or more of cocaine base with the intent to distribute in
violation of 21 U.S.C. § 841(a)(1), (b)(1)(B).
On December 8, 2010, the district court (Droney, J.)
imposed a mandatory minimum sentence of 60 months' imprisonment and
four years of supervised release, concluding that the Fair
Sentencing Act of 2010 (the "FSA"), Pub. L. No. 111–220, 124 Stat.
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2372, which reduced the quantities for triggering certain mandatory
minimums in crack cocaine cases, did not apply retroactively.
On December 21, 2010, Hodge appealed his sentence. On
December 5, 2011, this Court held Hodge's appeal in abeyance pending
the Supreme Court's decision in Dorsey v. United States on the issue
of the retroactive effect of the FSA. United States v. Hodge,
U.S.C.A. Dkt. No. 10-5189, doc. 26 (Motion Order). The Supreme
Court thereafter ruled that the FSA applies retroactively.
Dorsey v. United States, 132 S. Ct. 2321, 2326 (2012). This Court
then granted the Government's motion to vacate the sentence and
remand the matter for "de novo resentencing." United States v.
Hodge, U.S.C.A. Dkt. No. 10-5189, doc. 56 (Motion Order).
At the resentencing hearing on January 18, 2013, the
district court (Burns, J.) sentenced Hodge principally to 46 months'
imprisonment -– the bottom of the Guidelines range -- and five
years' supervised release. This appeal followed.
Hodge argues that his sentence was procedurally and
substantively unreasonable because the district court increased the
term of his supervised release from four years to five years (1)
without addressing the 18 U.S.C. § 3553(a) sentencing factors, and
(2) vindictively and in violation of the "law of the case" doctrine.
We review a sentence for both substantive and procedural
unreasonableness under a "deferential abuse-of-discretion" standard.
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United States v. Cavera, 550 F.3d 180, 189 (2d Cir. 2008) (quoting
Gall v. United States, 552 U.S. 38, 41 (2007)); United States v.
Watkins, 667 F.3d 254, 260 (2d Cir. 2012).
1. Procedural Reasonableness
Hodge argues that the imposition of a five-year term of
supervised release was procedurally unreasonable because the
district court failed to properly consider the § 3553(a) factors,
the Sentencing Guidelines, and the newly calculated minimum term of
supervised release as identified by the presentence report. The
addendum to the presentence report noted that Hodge was subject to
three years to life of supervised release, pursuant to 21 U.S.C. §
841(b)(1)(C).
When reviewing whether a sentence is procedurally
reasonable, "we presume, in the absence of record evidence
suggesting otherwise, that a sentencing judge has faithfully
discharged her duty to consider the statutory factors." United
States v. Legros, 529 F.3d 470, 478 (2d Cir. 2008) (alteration
omitted). Hodge has not presented any evidence or arguments to
overcome that presumption.
To the contrary, at Hodge's sentencing hearing, counsel
discussed the § 3553(a) factors at length -– including Hodge's
personal background, his criminal record, and the nature and
circumstances of his offense. Indeed, Hodge's counsel even
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emphasized the assistance that the probation office would provide
Hodge after his release. Furthermore, the court discussed the
presentence report and acknowledged that it had "read the respective
memoranda" filed in the case.
The imposition of the five-year term of supervised release
was therefore procedurally reasonable. See United States v.
Fernandez, 443 F.3d 19, 29 (2d Cir. 2006).
2. Substantive Reasonableness
When reviewing a sentence for substantive reasonableness,
we ask whether the sentence "can[] be located within the range of
permissible decisions." Watkins, 667 F.3d at 261 (quotation marks
omitted). "In the overwhelming majority of cases, a Guidelines
sentence will fall comfortably within the broad range of sentences
that would be reasonable in the particular circumstances." Id.
(alteration and quotation marks omitted).
First, Hodge's reliance on the vindictiveness presumption
set forth in North Carolina v. Pearce, 395 U.S. 711, 723 (1969), is
misplaced. Citing Pearce, Hodge argues that the increased term of
supervised release was unwarranted, absent any new facts to support
an increase in punishment on a resentencing. In Pearce, the Supreme
Court applied a presumption of unconstitutional vindictiveness when,
on remand, the same sentencing judge increased a sentence absent a
basis in any new record facts. Id. at 726. But here, Pearce is
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inapplicable. There was a substantial change in the facts between
the imposition of the first sentence and the sentence from which
Hodge now appeals. The Supreme Court's decision in Dorsey led to
the district court's imposing a substantially reduced prison
sentence. The new sentence imposed on Hodge was, accordingly, not
an increased sentence, but a sentence involving an increase in one
aspect, and a substantial decrease in a more important aspect.
Furthermore, the subsequent sentence was imposed by a different
judge. See United States v. Perez, 904 F.2d 142, 146 (2d Cir.
1990).
Second, Hodge's reliance on the "law of the case" doctrine
is likewise misplaced. Hodge argues that the initial term of four
years' supervised release controls. But Hodge ignores this Court's
prior order, which remanded the matter, in light of Dorsey, for de
novo resentencing. United States v. Hodge, U.S.C.A. Dkt. No. 10-
5189, doc. 56 (Motion Order). The district court therefore owed no
duty to adhere to the initial sentence, as the remand for de novo
resentencing "effectively wiped the slate clean." Pepper v. United
States, 131 S. Ct. 1229, 1251 (2011).
Third, the court concluded -- as Hodge's counsel
suggested -- that Hodge would benefit from the probation office's
guidance. The court noted Hodge's tendency to "go[] off the
appropriate behavior every once in a while" and that, in the court's
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view, Hodge "really . . . needs" guidance "for that period of time."
A term of five years' supervised release, therefore, was not
"shockingly high" so as to render the sentence substantively
unreasonable. United States v. Rigas, 583 F.3d 108, 123 (2d Cir.
2009). In light of the decrease in the term of incarceration, the
district court's decision to increase the period of supervised
release was not unreasonable.
Accordingly, we find that the imposition of five years'
supervised release was substantively reasonable "as explained by the
district court, [and] can bear the weight assigned it under the
totality of circumstances in the case." Id. at 122 (quoting Cavera,
550 F.3d at 191).
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We have considered Hodge's remaining arguments and
conclude they are without merit. For the foregoing reasons, we
AFFIRM the judgment of the district court.
FOR THE COURT:
Catherine O'Hagan Wolfe, Clerk
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