2006 D e c i sion s O p inion s of the U nit e d S t at e s C our t of Appe al s for the Thir d C ir c uit 6-7-2006 

# U SA v . W i lli ams P r e c e de nt i al or N on-P r e c e de nt i al : N on-P r e c e de nt i al D ocke t N o . 05-1985

F o llow thi s and a dd it ion al work s at : http://d i git alc ommon s .l a w . vi ll anova . e du/thir dc ir c uit_2006

Thi s de c i sion i s br ou ght t o you for f r e e and ope n a c c e s s b y the O p inion s of the U nit e d S t at e s C our t of Appe al s for the Thir d C ir c uit at V i ll anova U nive r sity S choo l of L a

w Di git al Reposit ory

. It h as be e n a c c ept e d for inclusion in 2006 D e c i sion s b y an author i z e d a dmini s tr at or of V i ll anova U nive r sity S choo l of L a

w Di git al Reposit ory

. F or mor e inform at ion, p le as e c ont a ct Be n j amin . C arl s on@l a

w . vi ll anova . e du . Re c omme nde d C it at ion " U SA v . W i ll i am s " (2006). 2006 D e cisio n s . P ape r 945. http://d i git alc ommon s .l a

w . vi ll anova . e du/thir dc ir c uit_2006/945NOT P RE CE DE NT I AL UN I TED STATES CO UR T OF A PP EALS F O R T H E T H IR D C IR C U IT

__________ N o. 05- 1985

__________ UNI TE D ST ATE S OF AM ERI CA

v. W Y N D ELL W I LLI A M S, A ppel l ant

__________ O n A p p ea l from the U n it ed S tat es D istri ct C o u rt f o r th e W e ste rn D istric t o f P e n n sy lv a n ia ( D . C . C r i m i nal N o. 04- cr - 00229- 1) D i s t r i ctJ udge: H onor abl e A l an N . B l och

__________ Subm i t t ed U nderT hi r d C i r cui tL A R 34. 1( a)

on M ay18, 2006 B efore: R E N D E L L and V A N A N T W E R P E N , C i rcui tJudg es,

and A C K E R M A N *, D i s t r i ctJ udge. ( Fi l ed J une 7, 2006)

__________ OPI NI ON O F THE COURT

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_______________ * H o n o rab le H aro ld A . A ck erm an , S en ior Ju d g e o f th e U n it ed S tat es D istri ct C o u rt fort he D i s t r i ctof N ew J er s ey , s i t t i ng bydes i gnat i on.Indeed , t his i s one o f t he v eryfew i ssues that W i l l i am s can appea l , gi ven thathe 1 w ai ved the r i ghtt o at t ack hi s convi ct i on ors ent ence on al l butt he verynarr ow gr ounds sp e c if ied in h is p lea a g re e m e n t. T h e p a rties stip u late d th a t th e N o v e m b e r 2 0 0 3 v e rsio n o f th e G u id e lin e s w a s a p p lica b le 2 t o t hi s cas e. 2 R E N D E L L , C i r cui tJudge . W yn d ell W il li am s p lead ed g u il tyto p o sses sing p o rno g rap h yd ep ict ing m ino rs e n g a g e d i n s e x u a l l ye x p l i c i tc o n d u c t , i n v i o l a t i o n o f 1 8 U. S . C. § 2 2 5 2 ( a ) ( 4 ) ( B) . On M a rc h 1 7 , 2 0 0 5 , the D istric t C o u rt se n ten c e d h im to se v e n ty -o n e m o n th s im p riso n m e n t, t h e t o p o f

t h e a p p l i c a b l e r a n g e u n d e rt h e S e n t e n c i n g Gu i d e l i n e s . Th e s o l e i s s u e W i l l i a ms r ai s es on appea l i s w hetherhe w as s ent ence d pur s uantt o an err oneous G ui del i nes cal cul at i on. W i l l i ams cha l l enges t he D i s t r i ctC our t ’ s appl i cat i on of a f i ve- l evel s ent ence 1 enhanc ementfor“enga g[i ng] i n a patt ern of ac t i vi t yi nvol vi ng t he s exual abus e or ex p loit ati o n o f a m ino r. ” U . S . S en tenc ing G u idelines M an u al § 2 G 2 . 2 (b)(4 ) (20 0 3 ). 2 T hi s enhanc ementi ncr eas ed W i l l i ams’ s s ent enci ng r ange t o fi fty - s even t o s eventy - one m on t hs, up from t hirt y -three t o fo rty -one m on t hs. W e exe r ci s e pl enaryr evi ew overa di s t r i ctcour t ’ s i nt erpr et at i on of the Sent enci ng G u id e lin e s . Un i t e d

S ta t e s v . Ne ws o me , 439 F. 3d 181, 184 ( 3d C i r . 2006) . O urr evi ew of t he fa ctual fi ndi ngs s uppor t i ng a di s t r i ctcour t ’ s appl i cat i on of the G ui del i nes i s forcl ear e rr o r. U ni t ed Stat es v. Tupone , 4 4 2 F . 3 d 1 4 5 , 1 4 9 (3d C ir . 2 0 0 6 ); U n itedS ta tes v . Irv in , 3 6 9 F . 3 d 2 8 4 , 2 8 6 n . 2 (3d C ir . 2 0 0 4 ).3

W i l l i ams ar gues t hatt he governm entfai l ed t o s how bya pr eponder ance of the evi dence t hathe enga ged i n a patt ern of s exual abus e orexpl oi t at i on and thatt he fi vel evel s ent ence enhanc ementw as t her efor e i n err or . W i l l i ams cont ends t hathe neve r “enga ged i n anyactual orver i fi abl e cont actw i t h anym i nor ” thatw oul d t r i ggert he e n h a n c e m e n t. (A p p e llan t B r. at 2 2 .) R a th e r, h e c laim s th a t h is c o n d u c t w a s lim ited to se x u a llye x p licit c o n v e rsa tio n s in o n lin e “ c h a t ro o m s” a b o u t se x u a l en c o u n ter s w ith m in o rs th a t w e re n o th in g m o re th a n f a n tas ies . M o re o v e r, h is m e re p o ss e ss io n o f c h ild por nogr aphydoes notcons t i tut e s exual abus e orexpl oi t at i on of a mi norw i t hi n t he m e a n in g o f

§ 2 G 2 .2 . See U

ni t ed Stat es v. Ketcham , 8 0 F . 3 d 7 8 9 , 7 9 4 (3d C ir . 1 9 9 6 ). I m pl i ci ti n W i l l i ams’ s chal l enge i s t he err oneous vi ew t hatactual cont actw i t h a m i nori s r equi r ed fort he fi ve- l evel enhanc ementof § 2G 2. 2( b) ( 4) t o appl y . T he G ui del i nes defi ne “s exual abus e orexpl oi t at i on” as “conduc tcons t i tut i ng cr i m i nal s exual abus e of a m i nor , s exual expl oi t at i on of a mi nor , abus i ve s exual cont actof a mi nor , any s im ila r o f

f e n s e u n d e r s ta te la w , oran at t em ptorcons

pi r acy to com m i tany of the above of f ens es . ” U . S. S. G . § 2G 2. 2 cmt . n. 1 ( emphasi s added) . T hus , even a n uns ucce s s ful at t empt t o s exual l yabus e orexpl oi ta mi nori s cons i der ed “s exual abus e orexpl oi t at i on” forG ui del i nes purpos es . A “patt ern of ac t i vi t yi nvol vi ng t he s exual abus e orexpl oi t at i on of a m i no r” i s defi ned as

anycombi nat i on of tw o orm or e s epar at e i ns t ance s of the s exual abus e ors exual expl oi t at i on of a mi norbyt he defe ndant , w hetherornott he abus e orexpl oi t at i on ( A ) occurr ed dur i ng t he cour s e of the off ens e; ( B ) i nvol ved4 t he s ame ordi ffe r entvi ct i m s ; or( C ) r es ul t ed i n a convi ct i on f o r su c h c o n d u c t. I d. T he D i s t r i ctC our tappl i ed the fi ve- l evel s ent ence enhanc ementi n t hi s cas e bas ed o n c o n sid e ra b le e v id e n c e in th e re c o rd sh o w in g th a t W ill iam s a ttem p ted to e n g a g e in s e x u a l a c ts w ith m in o rs th a t, if c o m p le te d , w o u ld h a v e b e e n c ri m in a l s e x u a l a b u s e . R el y i ng on hundr eds of page s of W i l l i ams’ s conver s at i ons i n onl i ne cha tr oom s , t he D istric t C o u rt f

o u n d th a t W ill iam s (1 ) o f f e re d to p a ya m a n f

o r a se x u a l en c o u n ter w ith hi s four - y ear - ol d daught er , ( 2) w entt o a D ai ryQ ueen t o m eeta s i xt een- y ear - ol d gi r l for th e p u rp o se o f

a se x u a l en c o u n ter w ith h e r, (3 ) a ttem p ted to se t u p m e e tin g tim e s w ith m i nor s , and ( 4) cons pi r ed w i t h s ever al adul t s t o have s exual cont actw i t h t hei rm i nor ch il d ren . T h ere is m o re tha n en o u g h ev iden ce in the rec o rd to su p p o rtthe D istri ct C o u rt ’s concl us i on t hatt hes e i nci dent s w er e att empt s on t he partof W i l l i ams t o have s exual encount er s w i t h m i nor s . T aken t ogether , s uch r epea t ed att empt s cons t i tut e a “ pat t ern of s exual abus e orexpl oi t at i on” forpurpos es of § 2G 2. 2. C ons equent l y , w e w i l l uphol d t he D istric t C o u rt’s d e c isio n to a p p lyth e f iv e -le v e l en h a n c e m e n t. W i l l i ams r ai s es no ot herchal l enges t o t he r eas onabl enes s of hi s s ent ence bey ond t he pr opercal cul at i on of the G ui del i nes r ange. W e w i l l t her efor e af fi r m t he s ent ence .