NOT PRECEDENTIAL
UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS
FOR THE THIRD CIRCUIT
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No. 12-2876
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UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
v.
JAHLIL THOMAS,
Appellant
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On Appeal from the United States District Court
for the District of New Jersey
(D.C. Criminal No. 2-11-cr-00745-001)
District Judge: Honorable Esther Salas
Submitted Under Third Circuit LAR 34.1(a)
April 26, 2013
BEFORE: JORDAN, GREENBERG, and NYGAARD, Circuit Judges
(Filed: June 25, 2013)
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OPINION OF THE COURT
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NYGAARD, Circuit Judge.
Jahlil Thomas appeals from a judgment of sentence entered by the District Court,
challenging the substantive reasonableness of the District Court‟s 262-month term of
imprisonment. For the reasons set forth below, we will affirm.
Thomas pleaded guilty to a three-count criminal information that charged him
with conspiracy to commit carjacking, with the substantive offense of carjacking, and
with brandishing a weapon in furtherance of the carjacking. After a thorough sentencing
hearing, the District Court sentenced Thomas to a 262-month term of imprisonment.
Thomas filed a timely notice of appeal.1
We review sentences for both procedural and substantive unreasonableness, and
apply an abuse-of-discretion standard. Gall v. United States, 552 U.S. 38, 51 (2007);
United States v. Tomko, 562 F.3d 558, 567 (3d Cir. 2009) (en banc). District courts are
to follow a three-step sentencing process: (1) calculate the applicable Sentencing
Guidelines range; (2) formally rule on any departure motions; and (3) exercise their
discretion by considering the relevant 18 U.S.C. § 3553(a) factors. United States v.
Gunter, 462 F.3d 237, 247 (3d Cir. 2006). “We will affirm a procedurally sound
sentence as substantively reasonable „unless no reasonable sentencing court would have
imposed the same sentence on that particular defendant for the reasons the [D]istrict
[C]ourt provided.‟” United States v. Friedman, 658 F.3d 342, 360 (3d Cir. 2011)
(quoting Tomko, 562 F.3d at 568).
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The District Court had jurisdiction pursuant to 18 U.S.C. § 3231, and we have
jurisdiction to review the District Court‟s judgment of sentence pursuant to 28 U.S.C. §
1291 and 18 U.S.C. § 3742.
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The District Court in this case followed all three steps outlined above. After
discussing the factors it deemed relevant, and noting the defense‟s thoughtful and “well
put together sentencing memorandum,” the District Court acknowledged that it could
grant either a departure or a variance, but in the exercise of its discretion, chose to do
neither. The District Court imposed a bottom-of-the-Guidelines range sentence of 262
months‟ imprisonment.
On appeal, Thomas argues that his sentence was greater than necessary to satisfy
the § 3553(a) factors. While he conceded that the District Court‟s sentence was at the
bottom of his applicable Guidelines range, Thomas contends that the Career Criminal
Enhancement in the Guidelines is too harsh. His challenge fails because the District
Court was not required to engage in an independent analysis of the validity of a particular
Guideline. United States v. Lopez–Reyes, 589 F.3d 667, 671 (3d Cir. 2009). His
argument that he was entitled to some form of leniency is likewise meritless.
Thomas does not challenge the procedural reasonableness of his sentence. We
have little trouble holding that the District Court‟s sentence is substantively reasonable.
The record reflects the District Court‟s rational and meaningful application of the §
3553(a) factors to the circumstances of this case. The Court provided an evaluation of
the relevant § 3553(a) factors as applicable to Thomas and explained how it reached its
sentencing decision. The District Court fashioned its Guidelines sentence based on
“appropriate and judicious consideration of the relevant factors,” United States v.
Lessner, 498 F.3d 185, 204 (3d Cir. 2007) and imposed a bottom-of-the-Guidelines-range
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sentence. Accordingly, we cannot conclude that Thomas‟s sentence was substantively
unreasonable.
For the foregoing reasons, we will affirm the order of the District Court.
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