Document ID: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-ca8-06-03917/USCOURTS-ca8-06-03917-0/pdf.json

Parties Involved:
James Russell Jackson
Appellant
United States of America
Appellee

Document Text:

United States Court of Appeals

FOR THE EIGHTH CIRCUIT

___________

No. 06-3917

___________

United States of America, *

*

Plaintiff - Appellee, *

* Appeal from the United States

v. * District Court for the

* District of North Dakota.

James Russell Jackson, *

* [UNPUBLISHED]

Defendant - Appellant. *

___________

Submitted: September 28, 2007

 Filed: October 2, 2007

___________

Before LOKEN, Chief Judge, WOLLMAN and RILEY, Circuit Judges.

___________

PER CURIAM.

On January 13, 2005, James Russell Jackson e-mailed three sexually explicit

images of children to an undercover FBI agent in the Innocent Images Unit. A

subsequent warrant search of Jackson’s computer and compact disc storage devices

uncovered approximately 1,500 child pornography images and 265 child pornography

movie files, including pictures and film files portraying adult males sexually

assaulting prepubescent children and infants. Jackson pleaded guilty to distributing

and possessing materials involving the sexual exploitation of minors in violation of

18 U.S.C. §§ 2252(a)(2), (b)(1), (a)(4)(B), and (b)(2). The Presentence Investigation

Report (PSR) computed a total offense level of thirty-seven and a criminal history

category of I, resulting in an advisory guidelines sentencing range of 210-262 months.

Appellate Case: 06-3917 Page: 1 Date Filed: 10/02/2007 Entry ID: 3357792
1

The HONORABLE RALPH R. ERICKSON, United States District Judge for

the District of North Dakota. 

-2-

At sentencing, Jackson did not object to the PSR's fact recitations and guidelines range

computation but requested a downward departure. The district court1

 declined to

depart and sentenced Jackson to 210 months in prison followed by a lifetime of

supervised release. Jackson appeals the sentence.

Jackson argues that the district court failed to sufficiently explain the necessity

of a 210-month sentence as required by 18 U.S.C. § 3553(a), erroneously relied upon

disputed fact allegations by the government concerning the extent to which Jackson

traded pornographic materials, and abused its discretion in denying his motion for a

downward departure. After careful review of the sentencing transcript and the PSR,

we conclude that the district court fully considered the § 3553(a) factors and did not

rely on fact allegations by the prosecutor not fairly supported by the PSR. The court

understood it had the authority to depart, so its decision not to depart downward is not

reviewable on appeal. 

A sentence at the bottom of the advisory guidelines range is presumptively

reasonable. Jackson has not overcome the presumption. Accordingly, the judgment

of the district court is affirmed. 

______________________________

Appellate Case: 06-3917 Page: 2 Date Filed: 10/02/2007 Entry ID: 3357792