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

__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ _
No. 1 5- 26 92

__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ _ 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.

W il li am Sm it h

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 Nor th ern Dis tri ct of I owa - Ced ar Ra pi ds

__ __ __ __ __ __ Su bm it te d: Apri l 1 1, 2 01 6 Fil ed : J ul y

15 , 20 16 [Un pu bl is he d]

__ __ __ __ __ __ Befo re LOKEN, BEAM, and SMITH, Ci rcu it Ju dg es

.

__ __ __ __ __ __

PER CURI AM.

W il li am Sm it h ap pe al s hi s 16 8- m on th se nt en ce fo r di st rib ut io n o f c h il d
po rn og rap hy as s ub st an ti ve ly unr eas on ab le . W e aff irm.I. Bac kg ro un d

S mi t h p l ead ed gu il ty to on e co un t of di st rib ut io n of ch il d po rn og rap hy, in vi ol at io n of 18 U.S.C. § 22 52 (a)( 2) an d (b )(1 ). At se nt en ci ng , th e di st ric t co ur t 1
ad op te d th e pr es en te nc e in ve st ig at io n rep or t's (PSR ) G u i d el in es cal cu la ti on s. Sp eci fic al ly, th e di st ric t co ur t fo un d a ba se of fen se le ve l of 22
, pu rs ua nt to U.S.S.G. § 2G2

. 2 ( a ) (2 ); a two -le ve l in crea se fo r m at eri al in vo lv in g a pr ep ub es cen t m in or , pu rs ua nt to U.S.S.G. § 2G2 .2(b )(2 ); a fiv e-l ev el in crea se fo r th e di st rib ut io n of ch il d
po rn og rap hy fo r th e rece ip t of a th in g of va lu e, pu rs ua nt to U.S.S.G. § 2G2 .2(b )(3 )(B) ; a fo ur -le ve l in crea se fo r m at eri al po rtr ay in g sa di st ic or m as oc hi st ic

co nd uc t, pu rs ua nt to U.S.S.G. § 2G2 .2(b )(4 ); a two -le ve l in cr e a s e fo r th e us e of a

co m pu te r or in te ract iv e co m

pu te r se rv ic e, pu rs ua nt to U.S.S.G. § 2G2 .2(b )(6 ); a two

le ve l in crea se be cau se th e of fen se in vo lv ed at le as t 10 bu t fewer th an 15 0 i mag e s,
pu rs ua nt to U.S.S.G. § 2G2 .2(b )(7 )(A); a th r ee-l ev el de crea se fo r acce pt an ce of

res po n s i b i l i t y , p ur su an t to U.S.S.G. § § 3E1 .1(a ) an d 3E1 .1(b ); a to ta l of fen se le ve l of 34 aft er acco un ti ng fo r th e ad jus tm en ts ; a cri m in al hi st or y cat eg or y of II; an d a Gui de li ne s ra ng e o f 16 8 t o 2 10 m on th s' i m pr is on m en t.

The so le co nt es te d is su e at se nt en ci ng wa s S mi t h's m ot io n fo r a do wnwar d

va ria nc e. The co ur t de n i e d t he va ria nc e an d se nt en ced Sm it h to 16 8 m on th s' im pr is on m en t, th e bo tt om of th e Gui de li ne s ran ge

. "In arri vi ng at a di sp os it io n," th e di st ric t cou rt st at ed th at it ha d "car efu ll y co ns id ered each an d eve ry fact or un de r 18 Uni te d St at es Co de Sect io n 35 53 (a)." It reco gn iz ed it s "p owe r to v a r y fro m th e ad vi so ry gu id el in e ran ge " an d "t he gu id in g pr in ci pl e

. . . to se le ct

. . . a se nt en ce th at is su ffi ci en t bu t no t gr eat er th an ne ces sa ry to ach ie ve th e g o al s of se nt en ci ng ." "In
reg ard to Mr. Sm it h's cas e," th e co ur t "s pe ci fic al ly

. . . co ns id ered th e or al an d writ te n

a r g u men t s fo r a va ria nc e an d th e res is ta nc e by th e Uni te d St at es ." In ad di ti o n t o

co ns id eri ng "t he in di vi du al arg um en ts ," th e co ur t al so co ns id ered "co ll ect iv el y

The Hon or ab le Lin da R. Rea de
, Ch ie f Ju dg e, Uni te d St at es Dis tri ct Co ur t fo r 1 th e Nor th ern Dis tri ct of I owa

. -2

-whe th er al l of t h o s e f a c t or s ta ke n in to acco un t wou ld be a ba si s in m y m in d fo r a

va ria nc e." The reaf

te r, t h e co ur t di sc us se d so m e of th e m it ig at in g an d ag gr av at in g fact or s an d de te rm in ed th at "[t ]he ag gr av at in g fact or s.

. . far ou twei gh an y m it ig at in g fact or s." The co ur t "fo un d no ba si s fo r a va ria nc e fro m th e ad vi so ry gu id el in e ran ge of 16 8 m on th s t o 2 10 m on th s."

II. Dis cu ss io n On ap pe al , S m it h arg ue s th at al th ou gh th e d i s t r i ct co ur t di d no t pr oc ed ur al ly

err in cal cu la ti ng hi s Gui de li ne s ran ge , hi s 16 8- m on th Gui de l i n e s se nt en ce is

su bs ta nt iv el y un reas on ab le "[b ]ased on hi s la ck o f s e r i o us cri m in al hi st or y , hi s
pe rfo rm an ce on pr et ria l rel eas e, hi s ga in fu l em pl oym en t hi st or y , hi s ment al he al th hi st or y , and th e ci rcu m st an ces of t hi s o ffen se ."

"We rev ie w th e reas on ab le ne ss of th e d i s tri ct co ur t's se nt en ces fo r ab us e of di sc ret io n." U

n i t e d S t a t es v. Ca na ni a , 53 2 F.3 d 76 4, 77 3 (8 th Ci r. 20 08 ) (ci ta ti on

om it te d)

. Sm it h's 16 8- m on th se nt en ce is at th e bo tt om of hi s ad vi so ry Gui de li ne s

ran ge

. "[A] se nt en ce be lo w or wit hi n th e Gui de li ne s r a n ge is pr es um pt iv el y

reas on ab le on ap pe al ." Id

. (ci ta ti on om it te d)

. "It is th e de fen da nt 's bu rd en to reb ut th e
pr es um pt io n an d to sh ow th at th e se nt en ce sh ou ld ha ve be en lo wer." Uni te d St at es

v

. G o od al e , 73 8 F.3 d 91 7, 92 6 (8 th Ci r. 20 13 ) (ci ta ti on om it te d)

. "[I ]t wil l b e t h e

un us ua l ca se whe n we rev ers e a di st ric t co ur t se nt en ce— whe th er wit hi n, ab ov e, or be lo w th e ap pl ic ab le Gui de li ne s ran ge

— a s su bs ta nt iv el y un reas on ab le ." Uni te d S ta te s v. Feems te r , 57 2 F.3 d 45 5, 46 4 (8 th Ci r. 20 09 ) (q uo ta ti on an d c i t a t i o n

om it te d)

.

"Where th e di st ric t co ur t in im po si ng a s e n t e n c e m ak es an in di vi du al iz ed

as se ss m en t ba se d on th e fact s pr es en te d, ad dr es si ng th e de fen da nt 's pr of fere d in f o r m at io n in it s co ns id erat io n of th e § 35 53 (a) fact or s, su ch se nt en ce is no t

un reas on ab le ." Uni te d St at es v. St ul ts , 57 5 F.3 d 83 4, 84 9 (8 th Ci r. 20 09 ) (q uo ta ti on

an d ci ta ti on om it te d)

. "Th e se nt en ci ng jud ge ne ed on ly se t fo rth en ou gh to sa ti sf y th e

-3

-ap pe ll at e co ur t th at he ha s co ns id ered th e pa rti es ' arg um en ts an d ha s a reas on ed ba si s

for ex er ci sin g his ow n le ga l de ci si on m ak in g au th or it y ." Uni te d St at es v. St ar fi el d
, 56 3 F.3 d 6 73 , 67 5 (8 th Cir . 20 09 ) (q uo ta ti on an d c it at io n o m it te d)

.

"Her e, th e se nt en c i ng tra ns cri pt in di cat es th e di st ric t co ur t co ns id ered th e rel ev an t § 35 53 (a) fact or s, su ch as th e na tu re an d ci rcu m st an ces of [Sm it h's ] of fen se

an d hi s cri m in al hi st or y an d ch arac te ris t i c s ; th e pa rti es ' arg um en ts ; an d th e reco rd
, in cl ud in g [Sm it h's ] PSR, m ot io n fo r a va ria nc e, [an d] se nt en ci ng m em or an du m

. . . ." Se e Uni te d St at es v. Bar be r , 63 7 F. App 'x 27 0, 27 2 (8 th Ci r. 20 16 ) (u np ub li sh ed pe r

cu ria m ). As a res ul t, we co nc lu de th at "t he di st ric t co ur t di d no t abu se it s di sc ret io n by se nt en ci ng [Sm it h] to [1 68 ] m on th s[ '] im pr is on m en t, a pr es um

pt iv el y reas on ab le

se nt en ce at th e bo tt om of th e Gui de li ne s ran ge ." Se e Uni te d St at es v. Dow nw in d
, 73 6 F.3 d 7 85 , 78 7 (8 th Cir . 20 13 ).

III. Co nc lu si on Acco rd in gl y , we affi rm

th e jud gm en t o f th e d is tri ct co ur t.

__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __

-4

-