United States v. Doucet
Opinion of the Court
SUMMARY ORDER
Defendant-appellant Joseph Doucet was convicted, pursuant to a guilty plea, of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and to distribute marijuana and more than 500 grams of cocaine, in violation of 21 U.S.C. § 841(a)(1), (b)(1)(B) and § 846. The district court sentenced Doucet principally to 30 months’ imprisonment. Doucet challenges his sentence on two grounds. We assume the parties’ familiarity with the underlying facts and procedural history of the case.
Second, Doucet asserts that his sentence is unreasonably long given his lack of a prior criminal history and his family circumstances. This argument is also unpersuasive. There is nothing in the record that suggests that the ultimate sentence was not reasonable under the circumstances presented. The relevant Guidelines range took into account the defendant’s minimal prior criminal history. As to the defendant’s family situation, although it is certainly sympathetic, it is not out of the ordinary for the imprisonment of one parent in a two-parent, two-income household to impose financial and caretaking burdens on the other parent. It was therefore not unreasonable for the district court to decline to impose a non-Guidelines sentence on the basis of Doucet’s family circumstances. Cf. United States v. Smith, 831 F.3d 292, 294 (2d Cir. 2003);' United States v. Madrigal, 331 F.3d 258, 260 (2d Cir. 2003) (per curiam).
The judgment of the district court is therefore AFFIRMED,
Reference
- Full Case Name
- United States v. Joseph DOUCET, David Fusco, Angela Fusco, Clinton Kenfield, Judson Creasy, Adrian Jessop, Michael J. Luffman
- Status
- Published