FI LED U. S . COURT OF AP PE ALS E L E V E N T H C IR C U IT M ar c h 21, 2008 T HOM AS K. KAHN CL E RK [ DO NO T P UB L I S H] I N THE UN I TE D STATE S C OU RT OF APPE ALS F O R T H E E L E V E N T H C IR C U IT

________________________ N o. 07- 11582 N on -A rgum entC al endar

________________________ D. C . Do c k e tNo . 0 6 - 0 0 0 5 8 - C R - F T M- 9 9 DN F U N I T E D S T A T E S O F A M E R I C A , P la in tif f - A p p e lle e , v ersu s B R A N D O N J A M E S G A R C I A , D e f e n d a n t- A p p e lla n t.

________________________ A pp ea l fr om the U ni t ed S t at es D i stri ctC ou rt f orthe M i ddl e D i s tr i c tof F l or i da

_________________________ ( M ar c h 21, 2008) B efo re A N D E R S O N , H U L L an d W IL S O N , C i rcu i tJu d g es. P E R C U R I A M: B r a n d o n J a m e s G a r c iaap p e a ls h is s e n te n c e o f 9 6 m o n th s o f

im p r is o n m e n t,2

f ol l ow e d byal i f

e t i m e of s upe rvi s e d r e l e a s e , a f

t e raj uryc onvi c t e d hi m f or po ss es si on and rece i ptof chi l d p orno graphy. H e argues on app ea l thathi s s ent ence v io la te s th e E ig h th A m e n d m e n t b e c au s e it is e x c e s s iv e a n d d is p r o p o rtio n a te to h is c r im e . A f te rG a r c iad r o p p e d o f

f h is c o m p u te ra t a n e le c tr o n ic s s to r e f o rr e p a ir s , a s t or e t e c hni c i a n f

ound num e r ous s e xua l l ye xpl i c i tvi de os i nvol vi ng m i nor s on the com pu t erand cal l ed the po l i ce . G ar ci a m ade s om e a dm i ss i on s butcont ended that he w a s e i the ram i norortha the w a s al i tt l e m or e tha n aha l f - y e a rbe y ond a tt a i ni ng adul tho od w hen h e c om m i tt ed the offens es . H e f urther c on t ends thatthe l aw di spropo rt i on at el y pun i shes hi m because he i s r ec ent l y r em ov ed, i n t erm s of a ge, f r o m th e c la s s o f

c h ild r e n th a t th e s ta tu to rys c h e m e is d e s ig n e d to p r o te c t. S i nce G ar ci a di d n otra i se thi s argum enti n the di stri ctcourt , w e w i l l re vi ew it f o rp la in e rr o r . Se e U

ni te d State s v . R aad , 406 F . 3d 1322, 1323 ( 11th C i r . 2004) ( p e rc u r ia m ) . T h e r e f

o r e , G a r c iam u s t p r o v e th a t “( 1 ) th e r e is a n e rr o r ; ( 2 ) th a t it is pl a i n orobvi ous ; ( 3) a f

f e c t i ng [ hi s ] s ubs t a nt i a l r i ght s i n tha ti tw a s pr e j udi c i a l a nd n o t h a rm le s s ; a n d ( 4 ) th a t s e r io u s lya f f e c ts th e f a irn e s s , in te g r ityo rp u b lic re pu t at i on of the j ud i ci al proceedi ng s. ” Id . (i nt ernal qu ot at i on m arks om i tt ed). T he E i gh th A m endm entproh i bi t s c ruel and u nu sual pu ni shm ent . It

“ cont ai ns a narrow prop ort i on al i ty pri nci pl e thatappl i es t o n on -c api t al se nt ence s. ”3

E w in gv . Ca lifo rn ia , 538 U . S . 11, 20, 123 S . C t . 1179, 1185, 155 L . E d. 2d 108 ( 2 0 0 3 ) ( in te rn a l q u o ta tio n m a rk s o m itte d ) . W h e n a d d r e s s in g a n E ig h th A m e ndm e ntc ha l l e nge , “ ac ourtm us tm a ke athr e s hol d de t e rm i na t i on tha tthe s e nt e nc e i m pos e d i s gr os s l ydi s pr oport i ona t e t o the of f e ns e c om m i tt e d, ” a nd the d e f e n d a n t b e a r s th e b u r d e n o f m a k in g th is s h o w in g . U ni te d State s v . J

ohns on , 451 F .3 d 1 2 3 9 , 1 2 4 3 ( 1 1 th C ir .) ( p e rc u r ia m ) ( in te rn a l q u o ta tio n m a rk s o m itte d ) , c e r t. deni ed , 1 2 7 S . C t. 4 6 2 1 6 6 L . E d . 2 d 3 2 9 ( 2 0 0 6 ) . W e h a v e h e ld th a t “[ i]n g e n e r a l, as e nt e nc e w i thi n the l i m i t s i m pos e d bys t a tut e i s ne i the re xc e s s i ve norc rue l a nd un usual un der the E i gh th A m endm ent . ” U n ite d S ta te s v . Mo r ia r ty , 429 F . 3d 1012, 10 24 (11th C i r. 20 05 ) ( per c uri am ) ( i nt ernal qu ot at i on m arks om i tt ed). A fi rs t -t i m e off

ense for posse ss i on of chi l d p orno graphy carri es a s t atut ory m a x im u m o f

te n y e a r s o f

im p r is o n m e n t. 1 8 U .S .C . § § 2 2 5 2 ( a ) ( 4 ) ( B ) , ( b ) ( 2 ) . A f i r s t - t i m e of

f e ns e f orr e c e i ptof

c hi l d pornogr aphy c a rr i e s as t a tut orym i ni m um of f iv e y e a r s im p r is o n m e n t an d as ta tu to rym a x im u m o f tw e n tyy e a r s im p r is o n m e n t. 18 U . S . C . §§ 2252( a ) ( 2) , ( b) ( 1) . A l i f e t e rm of s upe rvi s e d r e l e a s e i s author i z e d due to th e n a tu r e o f

th e o f f e n s e . 1 8 U .S .C . § 3 5 8 3 ( k ) . W e f i nd no pl ai n err or i n G ar ci a’ s c on curr ent96 -m on th sent ence s. H i s t erm of i m pr i s onm e nti s be l ow the 168- 210 a dvi s orygui de l i ne r a nge , a nd l e s s tha n the s ta tu to ry m a x im u m . T h e lif e te rm o f s u p e rv is e d r e le a s e is au th o r iz e d b ys ta tu te .4

G ar ci a w as 20 ye ar s of a ge by the t i m e he w as se nt ence d. A l tho ug h G ar ci a w as c l os e i n a ge t o the c l a s s s oughtt o be pr ot e c t e d, he w a s none the l e s s a n a dul ta tthe t i m e he c om m i tt ed the offens es , and n ota m i no r. T he di stri ctj ud ge w ho se nt ence d G a r c iaw a s n o t p e r s u a d e d th a t G a r c iaw a s tru th f u l w h e n h e te s tif

ie d th a t h e o n ly do w nl oaded chi l d p orno graphy fr om hi s c om pu t erw hen h e w as a m i no r and a f ew m onths a f

t e rr e a c hi ng a dul thood. A c c or di ngl y , w e a r e unabl e t o c onc l ude tha tthe se nt ence G ar ci a r ec ei ved w as so grossl y di spropo rt i on at e t o the cr i m e c harged such th a t it v io la te d th e E ig h th A m e n d m e n t. AF F I RME D.