Document ID: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-ca8-05-03780/USCOURTS-ca8-05-03780-0/pdf.json

Parties Involved:
United States of America
Appellee
John Douglas Whitrock
Appellant

Document Text:

1

The Honorable Richard H. Kyle, United States District Judge for the District

of Minnesota. 

United States Court of Appeals

FOR THE EIGHTH CIRCUIT

___________

No. 05-3780

___________

United States of America, * 

* 

Appellee, * 

* Appeal from the United States 

v. * District Court for the 

* District of Minnesota.

John Douglas Whitrock, * 

* 

Appellant. *

___________

Submitted: June 14, 2006

Filed: July 21, 2006

___________

Before SMITH, HEANEY, and GRUENDER, Circuit Judges.

___________

SMITH, Circuit Judge.

John Douglas Whitrock pleaded guilty without a plea agreement with the

United States to twenty-two counts of actual or attempted robbery of twenty-two

financial institutions, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 2113(a). The district court1

 calculated

an initial advisory Guidelines range of 87 to 108 months' imprisonment. The court

then departed upward by six offense levels, which resulted in an advisory Guidelines

range of 168 to 210 months' imprisonment. The court sentenced Whitrock to 180

Appellate Case: 05-3780 Page: 1 Date Filed: 07/21/2006 Entry ID: 2069910
2

At sentencing, the district court noted how Whitrock's series of bank robberies

caught widespread public and media attention. (Sent. Tr. 27). 

-2-

months' imprisonment. Whitrock appeals the reasonableness of his sentence. We

affirm. 

I. Background

Over an eighteen-month period, Whitrock robbed fourteen credit unions and

seven banks. He also attempted an additional credit union robbery. The robberies

followed a similar pattern. Whitrock would enter the financial institution dressed in

outdoorsman's garb. He would then approach a teller and inform him or her that a

robbery was taking place and to hand over the money. The demand was usually

spoken, but Whitrock occasionally used written demand notes. During most of the

robberies, Whitrock informed the teller that he had a gun or made gestures towards

his waistband area as if to indicate that he had a gun. Due to the number of robberies

and Whitrock's distinctive sportsman's attire, his crime spree became rather notorious,2

gaining him the epithet "the fishing hat bandit." In total, Whitrock stole over $87,000

during his eighteen-month spree.

Whitrock's spree came to an end after the twenty-second robbery. After this

robbery, the president of the heisted credit union followed Whitrock to a garage in an

apartment complex and notified law enforcement. Police surrounded the garage and

ultimately found Whitrock hiding in the trunk of the vehicle inside the garage.

Whitrock pleaded guilty without a plea agreement. At sentencing, the district

court calculated a total offense level of 27. The base offense level for a violation of

18 U.S.C. § 2113(a) is 20. United States Sentencing Guidelines Manual ("U.S.S.G.")

§ 2B3.1(a). Whitrock received upward adjustments pursuant to U.S.S.G. § 2B3.1(b)

because: (1) the amount of loss in one of the robberies exceeded $10,000; (2)

Whitrock brandished a gun or made a threat of death in several of the robberies; and

Appellate Case: 05-3780 Page: 2 Date Filed: 07/21/2006 Entry ID: 2069910
-3-

(3) the property of a financial institution was taken in each robbery. These facts

increased the offense level to 25. Pursuant to U.S.S.G. § 3D1.4, the district court

added 5 offense levels because there were more than 5 offenses, resulting in a

combined adjusted offense level of 30. Whitrock then received a three-level reduction

for acceptance of responsibility. As a result, his total offense level was 27. The district

court then calculated a criminal history category of III. The advisory Guidelines range

thus became 87 to 108 months' imprisonment. 

The district court then considered the magnitude of Whitrock's crime spree,

finding that the Guidelines did not adequately account for such prolific purloining.

The district court noted that because the Guidelines stopped counting at more than five

offenses, "the person who committed six bank robberies, for purposes of the

[G]uidelines, is treated just the same as the person who had robbed 22 banks." The

court also considered the impact of Whitrock's threats of violence on bank personnel

and the community as a whole. (Sent. Tr. 25–26). Consequently, the court imposed

a six-level upward departure under U.S.S.G. § 5K2.0, establishing the advisory

Guidelines range as 168 to 210 months' imprisonment. The district court sentenced

Whitrock to 180 months' imprisonment and 36 months' supervised release, which is,

in effect, a sentence of about 8 months' imprisonment per robbery. 

II. Discussion

In sentencing a defendant, the district court must begin by calculating the

advisory Guidelines range. United States v. Haack, 403 F.3d 997, 1002–03 (8th Cir.

2005). We have stated that a departure under Chapter 5, Part K is part of the

determination of the advisory Guidelines range. United States v. Sitting Bear, 436

F.3d 929, 934–35 (8th Cir. 2006). A sentence within the advisory Guidelines range

is presumptively reasonable. United States v. Lincoln, 413 F.3d 716, 717–18 (8th Cir.

2005).

Appellate Case: 05-3780 Page: 3 Date Filed: 07/21/2006 Entry ID: 2069910
-4-

Whitrock fails to demonstrate that his sentence is unreasonable. As recognized

by the district court, the Guidelines do not adequately account for the circumstances

presented in this case. Section 3D1.4 provides for a five-level increase for "[m]ore

than 5" offenses. Thus, § 3D1.4 treats a person who commits six robberies the same

as one who commits twenty-two. The commentary to § 3D1.4 contemplates, and

indeed invites, an upward departure where the grouping provided in that section

would result in inadequate punishment. § 3D1.4, cmt. background ("Situations in

which there will be inadequate scope for ensuring appropriate additional punishment

for the additional crimes are likely to be unusual and can be handled by departure

from the guidelines."). 

Section 5K2.0(a)(3), allows for departures based on exceptional circumstances

not adequately taken into consideration by the Guidelines. The robbery of twenty-two

banks represents an exceptional circumstance for which the Guidelines do not

adequately account. We hold, therefore, the district court acted within its discretion

in granting the government's request for an upward departure. The ultimate sentence,

roughly eight months' imprisonment for each robbery, is reasonable. We affirm

Whitrock's sentence. 

______________________________

Appellate Case: 05-3780 Page: 4 Date Filed: 07/21/2006 Entry ID: 2069910