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

__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ _ No. 1 7- 10 06

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

Pla in ti ff - App el le e

v. Tracy A nn Sm it h
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 Weste rn Dis tri ct of M is so ur i - Sp rin gf ie ld

__ __ __ __ __ __ Su bm it te d: Feb ru ary 12 , 20 18 Fil ed : Ap ril 13 , 20 18 [Un pu bl is he d]

__ __ __ __ __ __ Befo re LOKEN, BENTO N, and ERICKSON, Ci rcu it Ju dg es

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__ __ __ __ __ __ PER CURI AM.Tracy Ann Sm it h a pp eal s h er 6 00 -m on th sen te nc e, arg ui ng th e d is tri ct co ur t 1

ab us ed it s di sc ret io n by im po si ng a su bs t a n t i v e l y un reas on ab le se nt en ce. Hav in g juri sd ic ti on un de r 28 U.S.C. § 1 29 1, we af fir m

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On May 10 , 20 16 , Tracy A n n S mi th pl ed gu il ty to 1) se xu al ex pl oi ta ti on of ch il dr en in vi ol at io n of 18 U.S.C

. § 22 51 , an d 2) rece ip t of ch il d po rn og rap hy, in vi ol at io n of 18 U.S.C. § 22 52

. On Decem be r 10 , 20 16 , th e di st ric t cou rt con du ct ed

a se nt en ci n g he ari ng

. The di st ric t co ur t cal cu la te d th e ap pl ic ab le Sen te nc in g Gui de li ne s an d fo un d Sm it h to be at of fen se le ve l 43 wit h a cri m in al hi st or y cat eg or y of III whi ch res ul te d in a cal cu la te d Gui de li ne ran ge of li fe im pr is on m en t. Bec au se

a li fe se nt en ce wo u l d ha ve ex ceed ed th e m ax im um st at ut or y pe na lt y un de r th e two

c o u nt s of co nv ic ti on , th e reco m m en de d Gui de li ne s se nt en ce was red uc ed to 36 0

m on th s on Co un t One an d 24 0 m on t h s o n C o un t Two fo r a to ta l of 60 0 m on th s, whi ch refl ect ed th e m ax im um pe na lt y av ai la bl e un de r la w. The di st ric t co ur t

se nt en ced Sm it h to th e m ax im um pe na lt y

on each co un t of co nv ic ti on fo r a to ta l of 60 0 m on th s i m

pr is on m en t.

Sm it h’s so le co nt en ti on on ap pe al is th at he r se nt en ce was su bs ta nt iv el y

un reas on ab le

. Thi s Co ur t rev ie ws “ th e im po si ti on of se nt en ces , whe th er in si de or

ou ts id e th e Gui de li ne s ran ge , [wit h a] de fere nt ia l ab us e-o f-d is cret io n st an da rd .” Uni te d St at es v. Fran ik , 68 7 F.3 d 98 8, 99 0 (8 th Ci r. 20 12 ). “ A di st ric t co ur t ab us es it s di sc ret io n whe n it (1 ) 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 ; (2 ) gi ve s si gn ifi can t weig ht to an im pr op er or irr el ev an t fact or ; or ( 3 ) c o ns id ers on ly th e ap pr op ria te fact or s bu t in weig hi ng th os e fact or s co m mi t s a cl ear erro r of jud gm en t.” Uni te d St at es v. Gon zal es , 74 2 F.3 d 81 5, 8 1 7 ( 8 t h Ci r. 20 14 ) (q uo ta ti on om it te d)

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The Hon or ab le M. Dou g l a s H a r po ol , Uni te d St at es Dis tri ct Ju dg e fo r th e 1 W es te rn Dis tri ct of M is so ur i.

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-Sm it h arg ue s th e di st ric t co ur t m us t ha ve fai le d to co ns id er her accep ta nc e of

res po ns ib il it y be cau se th e co ur t im po se d th e m ax im

um se nt en ce av ai la bl e. Co nt rary to Sm it h’s arg um en t, it is no t a pe r s e a b u s e of di sc ret io n fo r a co ur t to im po se th e

m ax im um se nt en ce av ai la bl e ev e n w h e n so m e m it ig at in g fact or s are pr es en t. The di st ric t cou rt st at ed it wou ld co ns id er each of th e rel ev an t § 35 53 fact or s. The co ur t ack no wled g e d Sm it h’s acce pt an ce of res po ns ib il it y an d th at sh e ha d sp ared he r vi ct im s fro m te st ifyin g ab ou t Sm it h’s se xu al ex pl oi ta ti on

. The co ur t ne ve rth el es s fo un d a 60 0- m on th se nt en ce ap pr op ria te in li gh t of th e se rio us an d eg reg io us na tu re of Sm it h’s cri m es ag ai ns t ch il dr en

. The se nt en ci ng tra ns cri pt sh ows th at th e se nt en ce

was im po se d a fte r a rea so na bl e wei gh in g o f th e rel ev an t fa ct or s.

W e aff irm.

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