USA v. Luis Lara

Filing

Opinion issued by court as to Appellant Luis Lara. Decision: Affirmed. Opinion type: Non-Published. Opinion method: Per Curiam.

Case: 13-12575

Date Filed: 07/18/2014

Page: 1 of 3

[DO NOT PUBLISH]

IN THE UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS
FOR THE ELEVENTH CIRCUIT
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No. 13-12575
Non-Argument Calendar
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D.C. Docket No. 1:12-cr-20857-KMW-1

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,
Plaintiff-Appellee,
versus
LUIS LARA,
Defendant-Appellant.
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Appeal from the United States District Court
for the Southern District of Florida
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(July 18, 2014)
Before TJOFLAT, WILSON and PRYOR, Circuit Judges.
PER CURIAM:

Case: 13-12575

Date Filed: 07/18/2014

Page: 2 of 3

Luis Lara appeals his sentence of 72 months of imprisonment for possessing
child pornography. See 18 U.S.C. § 2252(a)(4)(B), (b)(2). Lara argues that his
sentence is unreasonable. We affirm.
Lara’s sentence is procedurally reasonable. Lara argues that the district
court failed to consider the statutory sentencing factors, but the district court
specifically stated that it considered those factors. See 18 U.S.C. § 3553(a). The
district court explained that it selected a sentence that would address the “horrible”
nature of Lara’s offense; the long-lasting negative repercussions to the victims and
their families; his dishonesty with investigators during a polygraph examination;
and his false assertion that he had complied fully with the law when he earlier had
admitted to investigators that he entered a fraudulent marriage to remain in the
United States. The record establishes that the district court had a “reasoned basis
for exercising [its] own legal decisionmaking authority.” United States v. Agbai,
497 F.3d 1226, 1230 (11th Cir. 2007) (internal quotation marks omitted).
Lara’s sentence of 72 months of imprisonment is also substantively
reasonable. Although the district court stated initially that Lara had an advisory
guideline range between 63 and 78 months of imprisonment, the district court
corrected that misstatement and explained that it had varied downward 25 months
from the low end of Lara’s guideline range of 97 to 121 months of imprisonment.
The district court reasonably determined that Lara’s possession of 600 or more
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Case: 13-12575

Date Filed: 07/18/2014

Page: 3 of 3

images of child pornography, which included 75 videos, some of which portrayed
sadistic and masochistic abuse, warranted a sentence of 72 months of
imprisonment. Lara argues that the district court failed to give adequate weight to
his otherwise clean criminal record, his acceptance of responsibility, and his
cooperation with the government, but the weight assigned to any particular
sentencing factor rests within the sound discretion of the district court. See United
States v. Irey, 612 F.3d 1160, 1190 (11th Cir. 2010) (en banc). The district court
imposed a sentence below the advisory guideline range and far below Lara’s
maximum statutory term of imprisonment of 120 months. See United States v.
Gonzalez, 550 F.3d 1319, 1324 (11th Cir. 2008). We cannot say that the district
court “commit[ted] a clear error of judgment” by refusing to vary downward
further, see Irey, 612 F.3d at 1189, particularly when Lara requested a sentence
“anywhere within the guidelines.”
We AFFIRM Lara’s sentence.

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