United States v. Williams

MEMORANDUM *

The government appeals the sentence imposed on Demond Whitney Williams, arguing that the district court failed to provide an adequate justification and that the sentence was unreasonable. We have jurisdiction pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1291 and 18 U.S.C. § 3742 (b) and affirm.

At Williams’s sentencing, the district court adopted the factual recitals included in the presentence investigation report and although it recognized that the probation officer’s sentencing recommendation differed greatly from the guidelines range, chose to impose on Williams the recommended sentence of 15 months imprisonment followed by three years of supervised release and six months of home detention with electronic monitoring. In imposing its sentence, the district court recognized the need to provide “serious punishment” for Williams’s conduct but selected the sentence imposed in order to avoid “setting [him] on a course that would lead to his further involvement in criminal activity,” which might occur if he were to spend several years in prison. Providing further support for the sentence, the district court remarked on Williams’s young age, his past good behavior, high educational…