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United States V Anthony Hargett

USCA4 Appeal: 24-4091      Doc: 22         Filed: 07/23/2025     Pg: 1 of 4




                                             UNPUBLISHED

                               UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS
                                   FOR THE FOURTH CIRCUIT


                                               No. 24-4091


        UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,

                             Plaintiff - Appellee,

                      v.

        ANTHONY HARGETT,

                             Defendant - Appellant.



        Appeal from the United States District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina, at
        Greenville. Louise W. Flanagan, District Judge. (4:94-cr-00068-FL-11)


        Submitted: June 13, 2025                                          Decided: July 23, 2025


        Before KING, QUATTLEBAUM, and BENJAMIN, Circuit Judges.


        Affirmed by unpublished per curiam opinion.


        ON BRIEF: G. Alan DuBois, Federal Public Defender, Eric Joseph Brignac, Chief
        Appellate Attorney, OFFICE OF THE FEDERAL PUBLIC DEFENDER, Raleigh, North
        Carolina, for Appellant. Michael F. Easley, Jr., United States Attorney, David A. Bragdon,
        Assistant United States Attorney, Kristine L. Fritz, Assistant United States Attorney,
        OFFICE OF THE UNITED STATES ATTORNEY, Raleigh, North Carolina, for Appellee.


        Unpublished opinions are not binding precedent in this circuit.
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        PER CURIAM:

               Anthony Hargett appeals the 60-month sentence imposed upon revocation of his

        supervised release. On appeal, Hargett contends that the revocation sentence is plainly

        unreasonable considering that he served a long sentence in state custody for the revocation

        conduct and that his original crime of conviction would support only a 24-month maximum

        revocation sentence if committed today. ∗ We affirm.

               “A district court has broad discretion when imposing a sentence upon revocation of

        supervised release.” United States v. Patterson, 957 F.3d 426, 436 (4th Cir. 2020). “We

        affirm a revocation sentence so long as it is within the prescribed statutory range and is not

        plainly unreasonable.” United States v. Coston, 964 F.3d 289, 296 (4th Cir. 2020) (internal

        quotation marks omitted). When reviewing whether a revocation sentence is plainly

        unreasonable, we first “determine whether the sentence is unreasonable at all.” Id. (internal

        quotation marks omitted).      “In making this determination, we follow generally the

        procedural and substantive considerations that we employ in our review of original

        sentences, with some necessary modifications to take into account the unique nature of

        supervised release revocation sentences.” United States v. Slappy, 872 F.3d 202, 207

        (4th Cir. 2017) (citation modified). A revocation sentence is procedurally reasonable if the


               ∗
                  Hargett had moved in the district court for a sentence reduction under § 404(b) of
        the First Step Act of 2018, Pub L. No. 115-391, 132 Stat. 5194, which, if applicable to
        revocation proceedings, would allow the district court to retroactively apply the Fair
        Sentencing Act of 2010, Pub. L. 111-220, 124 Stat. 2372, when determining an appropriate
        sentence upon revocation of Hargett’s supervised release. The district court found that
        Hargett was eligible for a reduction to a maximum revocation sentence of 24 months’
        imprisonment but declined to grant his motion. Hargett has not challenged on appeal the
        district court’s denial of his sentence reduction motion.
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        district court adequately explains the sentence after considering the Chapter Seven policy

        statements and the applicable 18 U.S.C. § 3553(a) factors. Id.; see 18 U.S.C. § 3583(e). A

        revocation sentence is substantively reasonable if the court states a proper basis for

        concluding that the defendant should receive the sentence imposed, up to the statutory

        maximum. United States v. Crudup, 461 F.3d 433, 440 (4th Cir. 2006).

              Our review of the record confirms that Hargett’s revocation sentence is procedurally

        and substantively reasonable. The district court correctly identified the policy statement

        range and the revised policy statement range under the Fair Sentencing Act, considered the

        relevant statutory factors, and adequately explained its determination that a sentence

        reduction and any sentence less than 60 months’ imprisonment would not satisfy the

        relevant § 3553(a) factors. We conclude Hargett’s revocation sentence is not plainly

        unreasonable.

              Additionally, a sentence imposed upon revocation of supervised release is a sanction

        on the defendant’s breach of trust, United States v. Webb, 738 F.3d 638, 641 (2013), and

        is separate from and in addition to any sentence imposed as punishment for the new

        criminal conduct, see U.S. Sentencing Guidelines Manual § 7B1.3(f) & cmt. n.4 (2024).

        Accordingly, the district court appropriately imposed a sentence within the policy

        statement range for Hargett’s violation of the terms of his supervision although he served

        a lengthy state sentence for the new criminal conduct.




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              We therefore affirm the district court’s revocation judgment. We dispense with oral

        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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