Document ID: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-ca8-05-04391/USCOURTS-ca8-05-04391-0/pdf.json

Parties Involved:
David Malsch
Appellant
United States of America
Appellee

Document Text:

1

The Honorable Carol E. Jackson, Chief Judge, United States District Court for

the Eastern District of Missouri.

United States Court of Appeals

FOR THE EIGHTH CIRCUIT

___________

No. 05-4391

___________

United States of America, *

*

Appellee, *

* Appeal from the United States

v. * District Court for the Eastern

* District of Missouri.

David Malsch, *

* [UNPUBLISHED] 

Appellant. *

___________

Submitted: February 16, 2007 

Filed: February 26, 2007

___________

Before WOLLMAN, BYE, and SMITH, Circuit Judges.

___________

PER CURIAM.

David Malsch appeals the sentence imposed after he pleaded guilty to one count

of receipt of child pornography in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 2252A(a)(2). He argues

the district court1

 erred in finding a preponderance of the evidence showed one of the

pictures attributed to Malsch portrayed sadistic conduct which warranted a four-level

increase in his base offense level under the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines (U.S.S.G. or

Guidelines). We affirm the judgment of the district court. 

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"On appeal of a sentence, we review de novo the district court's application of

the sentencing guidelines and its factual findings for clear error." United States v.

Davidson, 437 F.3d 737, 739-40 (8th Cir. 2006). Section 2G2.2(b)(3) of the 2003

Guidelines provides: "If the offense involved material that portrays sadistic or

masochistic conduct or other depictions of violence, increase by 4 levels." "We have

defined the term sadism as the infliction of pain on a love object to obtain sexual

release, and as delight in physical or mental cruelty" and "violence as the exertion of

physical force to injure or abuse." United States v. Diaz, 368 F.3d 991, 992 (8th Cir.

2004). Images depicting an adult penetrating or attempting to penetrate a minor are

per se sadistic because "[s]uch images portray conduct sufficient to presume the

infliction of mental or physical coercion or abuse upon a minor." United States v.

Belflower, 390 F.3d 560, 562 (8th Cir. 2004) (per curiam).

The district court determined the picture in question depicted an adult male

sexually penetrating a minor. Malsch concedes the picture depicts a minor, "who

appears to be around twelve years old," being penetrated by a male penis. Appellant's

Br. 8. But Malsch argues it is impossible to tell if the male penetrating the minor is

an adult, because the picture is of poor quality and the male is positioned below the

minor leaving his face and much of his body obscured. The district court found the

male penetrating the minor possessed a quantity of pubic hair, mature genitalia, and

a mature hand inconsistent with a child's anatomy and consistent with an adult's

anatomy. 

On clear error review, we will not reverse "the district court's account of the

evidence" if it "is plausible in light of the record viewed in its entirety." Anderson v.

City of Bessemer City, 470 U.S. 564, 574 (1985). "Where there are two permissible

views of the evidence, the factfinder's choice between them cannot be clearly

erroneous. . . . This is so even when the district court's findings . . . are based . . . on

physical or documentary evidence or inferences from other facts." Id. (citations

omitted). After a review of the record, we find the district court's determination the

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picture showed an adult male penetrating a minor is a permissible view of the

evidence. Therefore, under Belflower, the image is per se sadistic and application of

the specific offense adjustment set forth in U.S.S.G. § 2G2.2(b)(3) was not error.

Accordingly, we affirm.

______________________________

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