Opinion ID: 799338
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Nature and Circumstances of the Offense

Text: The first factor identified in § 3553(a) to be considered in sentencing is the nature and circumstances of the offense. The crimes that Ressam sought to commit were horrific. The most important reason for our conclusion that the sentence imposed by the district court was substantively unreasonable is that the sentence did not properly account for those crimes. Had Ressam succeeded in his plot to blow up LAX, it would have resulted in many deaths and injuries, substantial property damage, and enormous disruption to the nation's transportation system. The district court acknowledged that Mr. Ressam's crimes, if carried to their intended conclusion, would have resulted in the deaths and injuries of hundreds of innocent people and instilled fear across the country and even the world. Many common criminals have been sentenced to much longer terms for offenses with much less serious consequences. That Ressam's crimes were in furtherance of a terrorist attack compounded the severity of the crimes. Had Ressam succeeded, LAX may well have entered our vocabulary as a term analogous to the Oklahoma City bombing or 9/11. His clear intent was to intimidate this nation and the world, and he sought to influence world events and the conduct of the United States government through that intimidation. The Sentencing Guidelines specifically provide for a substantial upward adjustment for federal crimes of terrorism. U.S.S.G. § 3A1.4. The sentence imposed by the district court effectively negated that adjustment.