US v. Bryan Huntley

Filing

UNPUBLISHED PER CURIAM OPINION filed. Originating case number: 0:13-cr-00555-TLW-1 Copies to all parties and the district court/agency. [999485008].. [14-4325]

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UNPUBLISHED
UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS
FOR THE FOURTH CIRCUIT

No. 14-4325

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,
Plaintiff – Appellee,
v.
BRYAN YARNELL HUNTLEY,
Defendant - Appellant.

Appeal from the United States District Court for the District of
South Carolina, at Rock Hill.
Terry L. Wooten, Chief District
Judge. (0:13-cr-00555-TLW-1)

Submitted:

October 31, 2014

Decided:

December 2, 2014

Before KING, GREGORY, and FLOYD, Circuit Judges.

Affirmed by unpublished per curiam opinion.

Kimberly H. Albro, FEDERAL PUBLIC DEFENDER’S OFFICE, Columbia,
South Carolina, for Appellant.
William N. Nettles, United
States Attorney, Jamie Lea Nabors Schoen, Assistant United
States Attorney, Columbia, South Carolina, for Appellee.

Unpublished opinions are not binding precedent in this circuit.

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PER CURIAM:
Bryan

Yarnell

Huntley

pled

guilty

to

failure

to

register as a sex offender, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 2250(a)
(2012).

In addition to a term of imprisonment, the district

court sentenced Huntley to fifteen years of supervised release.
The court also ordered that Huntley comply with certain special
conditions of supervised release, notably including vocational
training,

substance

abuse

treatment,

and

mental

health

treatment, to include sex offender evaluation and polygraph as
deemed
appeals,

necessary

by

challenging

conditions.

the

mental

only

his

health

evaluator.

supervised

release

Huntley
term

and

For the reasons that follow, we affirm.

We review a sentence for reasonableness, applying a
deferential
States,

552

abuse
U.S.

of

discretion

38,

51

standard.

(2007).

We

Gall
first

v.

United

review

for

“significant procedural error,” such as improperly calculating
the

Guidelines

range,

inadequately

considering

the

18

U.S.C.

§ 3553(a) (2012) factors, and providing insufficient explanation
for the sentence imposed.
575 (4th Cir. 2010).

United States v. Lynn, 592 F.3d 572,

If we find no such procedural error, we

consider the substantive reasonableness of the sentence under
the totality of the circumstances.

Id. at 578.

The sentence

must be “sufficient, but not greater than necessary, to comply
with the purposes” of sentencing.
2

18 U.S.C. § 3553(a).

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We generally review conditions of supervised release
for abuse of discretion.
407 (4th Cir. 2012).

United States v. Worley, 685 F.3d 404,

However, conditions not challenged by the

defendant in the district court are reviewed for plain error.
United States v. Wesley, 81 F.3d 482, 484 (4th Cir. 1996).
establish
district

plain
court

error,
erred,

Huntley
the

must

error

affected his substantial rights.
133 S. Ct. 1121, 1126 (2013).

was

demonstrate
plain,

and

that
the

To
the

error

Henderson v. United States,

If these requirements are met, we

will exercise our discretion to correct the error only if it
“seriously affects the fairness, integrity or public reputation
of judicial proceedings.”

Id. at 1126-27 (internal quotation

marks and alterations omitted).
“District courts have broad latitude with regard to
special

conditions

of

supervised

release

.

.

.

.”

United

States v. Holman, 532 F.3d 284, 288 (4th Cir. 2008) (internal
quotation

marks

omitted).

The

court

may

impose

any

special

condition that is “reasonably related” to the factors set forth
in

18

U.S.C.

circumstances

§ 3583(d)(1)
of

the

(2012),
offenses

including
and

the

“the

nature

history

and
and

characteristics of the defendant; providing adequate deterrence;
protecting the public from further crimes; and providing the
defendant with training, medical care, or treatment.”

United

States v. Dotson, 324 F.3d 256, 260 (4th Cir. 2003) (internal
3

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quotation marks and citations omitted).

The condition also must

“‘involve[] no greater deprivation of liberty than is reasonably
necessary’
United

to

States

(quoting

18

consistent

achieve
v.

Armel,

U.S.C.
with

the

goals

585

enumerated

F.3d

182,

186

§ 3583(d)(2)
Sentencing

Commission

related to supervised release.

§ 3553(a).”

(4th

(2012)).

the

in

It

Cir.

also

policy

2009)

must

be

statements

Dotson, 324 F.3d at 260-61.

The sentencing court must explain its reasons for the
conditions

it

imposes,

supported

justify those conditions.

by

factual

findings

Armel, 585 F.3d at 186.

that

The court’s

explanation must at least be adequate “to allow for meaningful
appellate

review

sentencing.”

and

to

promote

the

perception

See Gall, 552 U.S. at 50.

of

fair

Nevertheless, those

reasons need not establish “an offense-specific nexus,” as long
as the court’s rationale is adequate to support the condition
imposed in light of the applicable § 3553(a) factors.
685

F.3d

at

407

(4th

Cir.

2012)

(internal

Huntley

first

asserts

Worley,

quotation

marks

omitted).
On

appeal,

that

the

district

court failed to provide adequate reasons to enable appellate
review

or

to

justify

release it imposed.

the

special

conditions

of

supervised

He focuses particularly on the conditions

of substance abuse treatment and mental health treatment with

4

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sex offender evaluation. 1

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The Guidelines recommend a substance

abuse treatment condition where “the court has reason to believe
that the defendant is an abuser of narcotics, other controlled
substances

or

alcohol.”

U.S.

Sentencing

(“USSG”) § 5D1.3(d)(4) (2013) (p.s.).
health
believe

treatment
that

condition

the

where

defendant

psychiatric treatment.”

is

Manual

It recommends a mental

“the

in

Guidelines

need

court
of

has

reason

to

psychological

or

USSG § 5D1.3(d)(5) (p.s.).

Our review of the record reveals no plain error in the
special

conditions

of

supervised

release.

First,

although

little of the court’s explanation was applicable only to the
supervised release conditions, we find the court’s explanation
of the sentence as a whole was adequate to support appellate
review of all special conditions of supervised release.

We also

conclude that these conditions are reasonably related to the
applicable sentencing factors and involve no greater deprivation
of liberty than reasonably necessary.
Huntley
Springston,

650

analogizes
F.3d

1153

his

(8th

1

case
Cir.

to

2011),

United
vacated

States
on

v.

other

For the first time in reply, Huntley argues that the court
improperly delegated to the probation office the final decision
about whether sex offender treatment was appropriate, thereby
violating the separation of powers principle.
(Reply at 5-6).
This argument is not properly before us.
See United States v.
Brooks, 524 F.3d 549, 556 & n.11 (4th Cir. 2008) (deeming claim
raised for first time in reply brief abandoned).

5

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grounds, 132 S. Ct. 1905 (2012) (non delegation challenge to
offense), reissued in relevant part, 534 F. App’x 576 (8th Cir.
2013) (No. 13-1624), in which the court vacated a supervised
release condition requiring the defendant to submit to mental
health counseling, after concluding that the condition was not
sufficiently related to the specific facts of the defendant’s
criminal history or particular offense.

650 F.3d at 1156-57.

The court recognized that a sentencing court is authorized to
impose

a

special

condition

related

to

a

defendant’s

prior

offense, but “may not impose a special condition on all those
found

guilty

of

a

particular

offense,”

as

it

must

“make

a

particularized showing of the need for the condition in each
case.”
while

Id. at 1156 (internal quotation marks omitted).
special

conditions

requiring

mental

health

Thus,

testing

and

treatment—including sex offender treatment as necessary—could be
warranted in certain failure-to-register cases, “such as when
there

is

evidences

reason

to

believe

recalcitrance

and

that
an

the

ongoing

failure

to

proclivity

register
to

commit

sexual crimes,” no such conditions warranted such conditions in
Springston’s case.
Contrary
factors

were

specifically

Id. at 1157.
to

present
referred

Huntley’s
in
to

his

assertions,
case.

Huntley’s

The

numerous

such

additional

sentencing
prior

court

convictions

and violations of his release terms, his multiple failures to
6

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comply
with

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with
sex

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sex

offender

offender

Additionally,

registration,

treatment

Huntley

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had

a

mandated
history

of

and
by

his
the

noncompliance
state

substance

court.

abuse

and

multiple convictions of offenses related to the distribution and
possession of controlled substances.

Based on these facts, we

find the substance abuse and mental health conditions adequately
supported by both the court’s analysis and the record.

See,

e.g., United States v. Morales-Cruz, 712 F.3d 71, 72-75 (1st
Cir. 2013); United States v. Moran, 573 F.3d 1132, 1139 (11th
Cir. 2009); United States v. Kreitinger, 576 F.3d 500, 505-06
(8th Cir. 2009).
Huntley also asserts that the supervised release term
imposed by the court was procedurally unreasonable because the
court did not calculate the Guidelines range, and thus did not
have an appropriate starting point from which to calculate its
variance

sentence.

In

sentencing

a

defendant,

the

court

is

first required to calculate the applicable Guidelines range, as
this range is to be used as “the starting point and the initial
benchmark” in selecting a sentence.
603

F.3d

omitted).

267,
The

270

(4th

parties

Cir.

United States v. Hernandez,

2010)

agree

that

supervised release is five years.

(internal
the

quotation

appropriate

marks

term

of

See United States v. Segura,

747 F.3d 323, 329-31 (5th Cir. 2014); United States v. Goodwin,
717 F.3d 511 (7th Cir.), cert. denied, 134 S. Ct. 334 (2013).
7

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Because we are satisfied, despite any ambiguity in the court’s
explanation and written statement of reasons, that the court
adopted a Guidelines range of five years, we discern no error
based

on

the

court’s

failure

to

calculate

this

range

before

district

court

determining the extent of its variance.
Huntley

further

asserts

that

the

considered an improper factor under 18 U.S.C. § 3553(a)(2)(A),
and

reasons

not

particular

to

Huntley,

when

imposing

the

sentence, and thus failed to provide an explanation adequate to
justify

the

extent

considering

the

required

“make

to

facts presented.”

of

the

upward

§ 3553(a)
an

variance

factors,

the

individualized

he

received.

sentencing

assessment

be

court

based

on

is
the

United States v. Evans, 526 F.3d 155, 161

(4th Cir. 2008) (internal quotation marks omitted).
may

In

substantively

unreasonable

if

the

court

“A sentence
relies

on

an

improper factor or rejects policies articulated by Congress or
the Sentencing Commission.”
F.3d

375,

omitted).
§ 3553(a)

378

(4th

United States v. Montes-Pineda, 445

Cir.

2006)

Additionally,
factors

without

“a

(internal

talismanic

application

to

quotation

recitation
the

of

defendant

marks
the
being

sentenced” is inadequate to support a sentence because it “does
not demonstrate reasoned decisionmaking or provide an adequate
basis for appellate review.”

United States v. Carter, 564 F.3d

325, 329 (4th Cir. 2009).
8

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“The court, in determining whether to include a term
of supervised release, and . . . the length of the term . . . ,
shall

consider

(a)(2)(B),
(a)(7).”

the

factors

(a)(2)(C),
18

set

forth

(a)(2)(D),

U.S.C.

in

(a)(4),

§ 3583(c)

(2012).

section

3553(a)(1),

(a)(5),
Not

(a)(6),
among

and

these

enumerated factors is § 3553(a)(2)(A), which includes “the need
for

the

sentence

.

.

.

to

reflect

the

seriousness

of

the

offense, to promote respect for the law, and to provide just
punishment for the offense.”
in

the

imposed

context
under

§ 3553(a)(2)(A)]
sentence

of
18

However, as we recently concluded

supervised
U.S.C.

§ 3583,

considerations

procedurally

release
“mere

does

unreasonable

not
when

revocation
reference
render
those

a

sentences
to

[the

revocation

factors

are

relevant to, and considered in conjunction with, the enumerated
§ 3553(a)

factors,”

as

long

as

the

sentence

“predominately on the § 3553(a)(2)(A) factors.”

is

not

based

United States

v. Webb, 738 F.3d 638, 642 (4th Cir. 2013). 2

2

Although Huntley claims that Webb is not persuasive
authority because it conflicts with United States v. Crudup, 461
F.3d 433 (4th Cir. 2006), we find any conflicting language in
Crudup to be dictum and thus not binding on subsequent panels of
this court. See Webb, 738 F.3d at 641 (“[I]n Crudup, we stated,
without analysis or explanation, that a district court is not
permitted to impose a revocation sentence based upon these
omitted conditions.”).

9

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Here,

although

the

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court

relied

in

part

on

the

§ 3553(a)(2)(A) factors in justifying Huntley’s sentence, it did
not

primarily

rely

on

these

factors,

but

instead

explicitly

considered Huntley’s history and characteristics, the need for
deterrence

and

protection

of

the

public,

and

the

need

for

treatment, when selecting the length of his supervised release
term.

Thus,

we

discern

no

procedural

error

in

Huntley’s

sentence.
Turning

to

substantive

reasonableness,

we

conclude

that the court’s explanation adequately supported the extent of
its variance.
and

serious

supervision,

The court specifically cited Huntley’s lengthy
criminal
his

history,

failure

to

his

comply

repeated
with

violations

court-mandated

of
sex

offender treatment, his repeated noncompliance with sex offender
registration requirements, his age, and the circumstances of his
underlying sex offense.
criminal

history

and

The court described at length Huntley’s
the

seriousness

of

that

conduct.

We

conclude this explanation was more than sufficient to justify
the court’s decision to impose a fifteen-year term of supervised
release,

and

was

sufficiently

grounded

in

Huntley’s

personal

circumstances to support the court’s sentence.
Because we discern no abuse of discretion, plain or
otherwise, in Huntley’s supervised release term and conditions,
we affirm the district court’s judgment.
10

We dispense with oral

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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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