# U ni te d S ta te s Co ur t of A pp ea ls For the Eig hth Circu it

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__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ _ Uni te d S ta te s o f Am eri ca

ll ll ll ll ll ll ll ll ll ll l Pla in ti

ff - App el le e

v.

Ch arl es Edward Brac ke n

ll ll ll ll ll ll ll ll ll ll l Defe nd

an t - Ap pe ll an t

__ __ __ __ __ __ App eal fro m

Uni te d S ta te s Di st ric t Co ur t fo r th e Dis tri ct of M in ne so ta - St. Pa ul

__ __ __ __ __ __ Su bm it te d: Feb ru ary 29 , 20 16 Fil ed : M ay

16 , 20 16 [Un pu bl is he d]

__ __ __ __ __ __ Befo re SM ITH, BENTON, an d KELLY, Circ ui t J ud ge s.

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PER CURI AM.

Ch arl es Edwar d Brac ke n pl ed gu il ty to di st rib ut io n of ch il d p o r n og rap hy in vi ol at io n of 18 U.S.C. § 22 52 (a)( 2) an d (b )(1 ). He ap pe al s th e di st ric t co ur t’s be lo w- 1

The Hon or ab le Ri ch ard H. Ky le
, Uni te d St at es Dis tri ct Ju dg e fo r th e Dis tri ct 1 of Mi nn es ot a.gu id el in es -ran ge se nt en ce. Hav in g juri sd ic ti on un de r 28 U.S.C. §1 29 1, th is co ur t

affi rm s.

Brac ke n di st rib ut ed ov er 21 ,00 0 im ag es an d 57 0 vi de os de pi ct in g se xu al ab us e of ch il dr en —i nc lu di ng ch il dr en be in g rap ed an d in bo nd ag e. He face d a gu id el in e

ran ge of 21 0 to 24 0 m on th s’ im pr is on m en t, a n d a m an da to ry m in im um 5- y ear im pr is on m en t. At se nt en ci ng , h e req ue st ed th e m in iu m se nt en ce. The go ve rn m en t

reco m m en de d a do wnwar d va r i a n c e to 15 1 to 18 1 m on th s’ im pr is on m en t. The di st ric t cou rt sen te nc ed hi m to 12 0 m on th s’ im pr is on m en t. Brac ke n as se rts th at th e di st ric t co ur t ga ve in su ffi ci en t weig ht to hi s la ck of cri m in al hi st or y , se ve re ph y si cal

an d se xu al ab us e as a ch il d, de te rio rat in g ph y si cal he al th
, th e co ll at eral co ns eq ue nc es of hi s co nv ic ti on (s uc h as so ci al st ig m a), an d lo w ris k of re-o ffen di ng —al l of whi ch

were fu l l y b r i efed in th e di st ric t co ur t. Brac ke n arg ue s hi s 12 0- m on th se nt en ce is

“ gr eat er t ha n n eces sa ry

to acco m pl is h t he go al s o f fed eral sen te nc in g.”

Thi s co ur t rev ie ws th e su bs ta nt iv e reas on a b l en es s of a se nt en ce fo r ab us e of di sc ret io n. Uni te d S ta te s v. Har la n , 81 5 F .3d 11 00 , 11 07 (8t h Ci r. 20 16 ). A cou rt ab us es it s di sc ret io n if it “ fai ls to co ns id er a rel ev an t fact or th at sh ou ld ha ve rece iv ed si gn ifi can t weig ht
, gi ve s si gn ifi can t weig ht to an im pr op er or irr el ev a n t f

a c to r, or

co ns id ers on ly th e ap p r o pr ia te fact or s bu t co m m it s a cl ear erro r of jud gm en t in weig hi ng th os e fact or s.” Uni te d St at es v. Ceb al lo s- Sa nt a Cr uz , 75 6 F.3 d 63 5, 63 7 (8 th Cir . 20 14 ).

The di st ric t co ur t pr op erl y co ns id ered th e § 35 53 (a) fact or s. The di st ric t co ur t
st at ed th at it wou ld c o n s id er th e ad vi so ry gu id el in e ran ge an d th e ne ed to av oi d

un warra nt ed se nt en ci ng di sp ari ti es

. The co ur t fo un d th at a 12 0- m on th se nt en ce was

“ su ffi ci en t bu t no t gr eat er th an ne ces sa ry ,” “ refl ect s th e se rio us ne ss of th e of fen se ,” is an “ ad eq ua te de te rren ce to cri m in al co nd uc t,” an d “p r o t e c t [ s] th e pu bl ic fro m fu rth er cri m es of th e Defen da nt .” The co ur t ack no wled ge d “ se nt en ces ou t th ere” bo th hi gh er an d lo wer th an 12 0 m on th s, bu t co nc lu de d th is se nt en ce “ fu lfi ll s 35 53 .” The

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-di st ric t co ur t di d no t co m m it a cl ear erro r of jud gm en t in se nt en ci ng th e de fen da nt to

a te rm of im

pr is on m en t 90 m on th s be lo w th e gu id el in es ran ge

. Se e Uni te d St at es v. Feems te r , 57 2 F.3 d 45 5, 46 4 (8 th Ci r. 20 09 ) (en ba nc ) (“ [I]t wil l be th e un us ua l cas e whe n we rev ers e a di st ric t co ur t se nt en ce— whe th er wi t h i n , ab ov e, or be lo w th e ap pl ic ab le Gui de li n e s ran ge —as su bs ta nt iv el y un reas on ab le .” (in te rn al qu ot at io n

m ark s o m it te d) ).

The jud gm en t i s af

fir m ed

.

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