United States Court of Appeals For the Eighth Circuit ___________________________ No. 23-3278 ___________________________ United States of America Plaintiff - Appellee v. Matthew Leroy Anderson Defendant - Appellant ____________ Appeal from United States District Court for the Southern District of Iowa - Central ____________ Submitted: May 6, 2024 Filed: July 16, 2024 [Unpublished] ____________ Before COLLOTON, Chief Judge, SHEPHERD and STRAS, Circuit Judges. ____________ PER CURIAM.

After Matthew Anderson pleaded guilty to three federal crimes, he received consecutive sentences totaling 321 months. He argues that his sentence was substantively unreasonable.

We conclude otherwise. Anderson received 24 months for trying to escape, see 18 U.S.C. § 371; 99 months for participating in a drug conspiracy, see 21 U.S.C. §§ 841(a)(1), (b)(1)(A), 846; and 198 months for possessing a firearm, see 18 U.S.C. § 924(c)(1)(A)(i), (B)(ii). The district court1 made the sentences consecutive because of the “separate serious offense” of trying to escape custody and his leadership role in a drug conspiracy that trafficked a “staggering” amount of drugs.

Its view was that a total of 321 months was “sufficient but not greater than necessary” given his “serious [criminal] conduct.” In reaching that conclusion, it sufficiently considered the statutory sentencing factors, id. §§ 3553(a), 3584(b), and did not rely on an improper factor or commit a clear error of judgment. See United States v. Boyum, 54 F.4th 1012, 1015 (8th Cir. 2022) (reviewing the concurrent-versus-consecutive decision for an abuse of discretion). We accordingly affirm the judgment of the district court. ______________________________

The Honorable Rebecca Goodgame Ebinger, United States District Judge for the Southern District of Iowa. -2-