# U n i t e d S t a t e s C o u r t o f A pp e a l s

For the Eig hth Circu it

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No . 1 8 -3 6 66

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Un i t ed St at es o f Am eri ca

l ll l l l l l l l l l l l ll l l l l l Pl a i n t i

f f - Ap pel l ee

v

.

St ev en Sh an e Ho rt on

l ll l l l l l l l l l l l ll l l l l l Def

en da n t - Ap pel l an t

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Ap p eal fro m

Un i t ed St at es Di s t ri ct Co u rt

fo r t h e So u t h ern Di s tri ct o f Io wa - Co un ci l Bl u ffs

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Su bm i t t ed : Oct o ber 1 4, 2 0 19

Fi l ed : No v em

b er 1 3 , 2 01 9

[Un pu b l is h ed ]

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Befo re SM ITH, Ch i ef J u d g e, GRUENDER an d BENTON, Ci rcu i t J u d g es

.

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PER CURIAM

.St ev en Sh an e Ho rt o n p l e d g u i l t y t o acces s o r at tem pt t o acces s ch i ld

p o rn og rap hy i n v i o lat i o n o f 1 8 U .S.C. § 2 2 5 2 A(a)(5 )(B). Th e d i st ri ct co u rt 1

s en t en ced hi m t o 8 4 m o nt h s ’ i m p ri s on m en t

. He ap p eal s

. Hav i n g ju ri s di ct io n u n d er

2 8 U.S.C. § 1 2 9 1

, t h is co u rt affi rm s

.

Ho rt o n arg ues hi s s en t en ce s h o u l d b e rev ers ed b ecau s e t h e g o vern m en t d i d n ot

t i m el y s ub m i t i ts ob

ject i o n s t o t h e p res en t en ce i n v es t i g at i o n rep ort (“ PSR”) o r

s en t en ci n g ex h i b i t s

. Th i s co u rt rev i ews t h e deci s i o n t o al l o w u n ti m el y o b ject i o n s an d

ex h ib i t s fo r ab u s e o f d i s c r e t io n. S ee Un i ted S ta t es v. S

h er i d a n

, 8 59 F.3 d 5 7 9

, 5 8 3

(8 t h Ci r. 2 0 1 7 ) (n o ti n g t h at “ t h e Ru les o f Ev i d en ce ex p res s l y d o no t ap p l y t o

s en t en ci n g p ro ceed i ng s” an d wh en “ a pro p er o b ject i o n is m ad e ” t h is co u rt rev iews

fo r ab u s e o f d i scret i o n ) (cl ean ed u p ); Un i t ed S t a tes v. Jo n es

, 7 0 F.3 d 1 0 0 9

, 1 0 1 0 (8 th

Ci r. 1 9 9 5) (“ [T] h e d i s t ri ct co urt h ad t h e di s cret io n t o co n s id er J o n es ’ s u n t i m el y

o b ject i on i f h e s at i s fi ed Fed eral Ru l e o f Cri m i n al Pro ced u re 3 2 (b )(6 )(D).”).

Th e d ead l i n e to s u b m i t o b ject i on s to t h e PSR was Sep t em b er 1 8t h

. Th e

g o v ern m en t s u b m i t t ed i t s o b j ect i o n s Sep t em

b er 2 5 t h

, o v e r t wo m on t h s b efo re

s en t en ci n g

. Th e d ead l i n e to s u b m i t s en t en ci ng m em oran d a an d ex h i bits w a s fi v e day s

b e f o r e s e n ten ci ng

. Th e g o vern m en t fi l ed i ts m em o ran d u m an d ex h ib i t s t wo days

b efo re sen t en ci n g

. Th e go v ern m en t d i d n o t t im el y s u b m i t i t s o b ject io n s o r ex h i b i t s

.

Ho wev er, t h e d i s t ri ct co u rt d id n o t ab u s e it s d is cret i o n i n o v e r ru l i n g t h e o b ject i on s

t o th ei r t i m el i n es s

. Ho rt o n h ad su ffi ci en t ti m e t o rev i ew t h e g o v ern m en t’ s o b ject i on s

an d ex h i bi t s

. S

ee S h er i d a n

, 8 5 9 F.3 d at 5 8 3 (h o l d in g th at a d i s tri ct co u rt m ay rel y o n

ev i d en ce “ wi t h o ut reg ard t o i t s ad m i s si b i l i ty u n d er t h e ru l es o f ev i d en ce ap p l i cab l e

at t ri al

, s o l o n g as t h at ev i d en ce p o s s es s es su ffi ci en t i n d ici a o f rel i ab i l i t y t o s u p p o rt

i t s p ro b ab l e accu racy ”) (i nt ern al q u o t at i o n m ark s o m i tt ed ); Un i t ed S t a t es v. Lea ch

,

4 9 1 F.3 d 8 5 8

, 8 6 2 (8 th Ci r. 2 0 07 ) (“ Th e reas on fo r t he fo u r t een -d ay fi l i n g

1 Th e Ho n o rab l e St ep h an i e M

. Ro s e, U n i t e d S t a t es D i st ri ct J ud g e fo r t h e

So u t hern Di st ri ct o f Io wa.

-2

-req u i rem en t ” o f Fed

. R. Cri m

. P. 3 2 (f) “ i s s o t hat t h e o b ject i on s can b e ad d res s ed

an d i n ves t i g at ed p ri o r t o t h e s en t en ci n g h eari n g.”) (cl ean ed u p ).

Ho rt o n ch al l en g es t h e fi v e-l ev el s en t en ci n g en han cem en t fo r acces s i n g m o re

t h a n 6 00 i m ag es of ch i l d p orn og rap h y

. Th i s co u rt “ rev i ew[s ] d e n o v o wh et h e r t h e

d i s t ri ct co u rt co rrect l y i n terp ret ed an d ap pl i ed t h e sen t en ci n g g u i d e l i n es ” an d “ t h e

co u rt ’ s fact u al fi n d i n g s are rev iewed fo r cl ear erro r.” Un i ted S t a t es v. Ko ch

, 6 2 5 F.3 d

4 7 0

, 48 0 (8 t h Ci r. 2 0 1 0 ). Ho rt o n arg u es t he ev i d en ce was i n s u ffi ci en t t o s u p p o rt t h e

fi nd i ng t h at he acces s ed m o r e t h a n 6 0 0 i m ag es b ecau s e cl i ck in g a l i n k t o ch i ld

p o rn og rap hy

d o es n o t m ean h e “ act u al l y acces sed or at t em p ted t o acces s t h at m an y

i m ag es .” Th i s arg um en t i s wi t h o u t m eri t

. Th ere is n o req u irem en t th at t h e co u rt fi n d

h e “ v i ewed s p eci fi c i m ag es i n o rd er t o co u n t t h em .” Id

. S ee Un i t ed S t a t es v. Hu

yck

,

8 4 9 F

. 3 d 4 3 2

, 4 39 (8 t h Ci r. 2 01 7 ) (h o l d in g t h at t h e d efen d an t “ d i d n o t s im p l y an d

acci den t al l y n av i g at e” t o ch i l d p o rn o g rap h y “ fo r a few m e a n i n g l es s m in u t es ” b ut

rat h er “ a c c es s ed [i t ] aft er t ak i n g a n u m ber o f i n term ed iat e s tep s th at i n d i cat ed h i s

k n o wl ed g e t hat [t h e s i t e ] t r a ffi ck ed i n ch i l d p o rn o grap h y ”). Th e ev i den ce t h at h e

cl i ck ed o n l i nk s co n t ai n i n g m o re t h an 6 0 0 i m ag es i s s u f f i c i en t t o m eet t h e

req u i rem en t s o f t h e s en t en ci n g en h an cem en t

. S ee U n i t ed S t a t es v. Ni s s en

, 6 6 6 F.3 d

4 8 6

, 4 9 1 (8 th C i r

. 2 0 1 2 ) (“ In d eed

, a co u rt is p erm i t t ed t o rel y o n ci rcu m s t an t i al

ev i d en ce t h at d em o n s t rat es k n o wi ng p o s s es si o n o f a cert ai n n u m b er o f i m ag es wh en

d eci d i n g wh et h er USSG § 2 G2 .2 (b )(7 )(D) ap p l i es .”). Th e di s t ri ct co urt d i d n ot

cl earl y err i n fi n di n g Ho rt o n acces s ed m o re t h an 6 0 0 i m ag es

.

Ho rt o n as s ert s t h e d i st ri ct co u rt d i d n o t p ro p erl y wei gh t h e s en t en ci n g fact o rs

,

s p e ci fi cal l y h i s ag e, “ l o w ri sk o f reci d i v i s m ,” m ed ical i ss u es

, an d em pl o y m en t

, in

s en t en ci n g h i m

. Th i s co u rt rev i ews t h e s u b s t an t i ve reas o n ab l en es s o f a s en t en ce fo r

an ab u s e o f di s cret i o n

. See Un i t ed S t a tes v. La s l ey

, 8 3 2 F.3 d 9 1 0

, 9 1 3 (8 t h Ci r.

2 0 1 6 ). Th e d i st ri ct co u rt s t at ed t h at i t “ co n s i d ered al l o f t h e fact o rs u nd er 3 5 5 3 (a),”

i n cl u d i n g h i s a g e

, “ l e t t ers o f s u p p o rt fro m y o u r fri en d s an d fam i ly ,” an d h i s

em pl o y m en t

. It al s o di s cu s s ed h i s fam i l y l i fe, ex p res s i n g i t s co n cern t h at t h ere were

-3

-“ t h ree b oy s i n y o u r l i fe wh o y o u are n o t b i o l o g i cal ly rel at ed t o wh o y o u s o u g h t o ut

an d bro u g h t i n t o y o u r h o m e wh o are al l of t h e sam e ag e an d i t ’ s t h at s am e ag e t h at i s

rep eat ed o ver an d o v er ag ai n i n y o u r m es s ag e t h read s an d y o u r ch i l d p o rn o g rap hy

i m ag es .” Fi n al l y

, t h e co u rt n o t ed t h at t h e t y p e o f p o rn o g rap h y Ho rt o n v i ewed was

“ s o m e of t h e m o s t h o rri fi c s t u f f I ’ v e s een

. ” Th e d i s t ri ct co u rt d i d n o t ab u s e i t s

d i s cret i o n i n i m

p o s in g a wi t h i n -g u i d el i nes s en t en ce.

* * * * * * *

Th e ju d g m en t i s affi rm ed

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