More tough post-Booker sentences

I spotlighted in this post the number of above-guideline sentences being imposed post-Booker, and this morning I see in the papers more examples of tough sentencing by federal judges.  Though the articles are not entirely clear as to whether these sentences involved upward departures or upward variances,  they spotlight that the new post-Booker federal sentencing world is not necessarily a more lenient world:

• This story from Michigan reports on an 80-month sentence in a gun case in which the guideline range was 51 to 63 months.

• This story from Pennsylvania reports on a 499-month sentence in a bank robbery case that was “five years more than was recommended by sentencing guidelines.”

• This story from New Jersey reports on a sentence in a fraud case which was even longer than the government sought because prosecutors believed the defendant should get a greater reduction due to his cooperation.