Opinion ID: 11962
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Five-Level Enhancement for Distribution

Text: U.S.S.G. § 2G2.2(b)(2) provides for an enhancement of sentencing “[i]f the offense involved distribution.” Canada argues that the distribution contemplated by § 2G2.2(b)(2) requires a purpose to exact a pecuniary gain. Moreover, Canada contends that the failure to require an additional element of pecuniary gain for distribution under § 2G2.2(b)(2) makes the original base offense level superfluous since any “trafficking” would then be tantamount to distribution and the five-level increase would therefore be automatic. Canada asserts that the necessary additional element for § 2G2.2(b)(2) “distribution” must be pecuniary gain because Application Note 1 under the commentary to the guideline states, “‘[d]istribution,’ as used in this guideline, includes any act related to distribution for pecuniary gain, including production, transportation, and possession with intent to distribute.” 5 Canada correctly notes that the commentary in the Guidelines Manual is generally binding on the courts. See Stinson v. United States, 508 U.S. 36, 38 (1993) (holding that the “commentary in the Guidelines Manual that interprets or explains a guideline is authoritative unless it violates the Constitution or a federal statute, or is inconsistent with, or a plainly erroneous reading of, that guideline”). Nevertheless, the wording of Application Note 1 under the commentary for § 2G2.2 supports a broader interpretation than that proffered by Canada. The clause in Application Note 1 in which pecuniary gain is mentioned is predicated by the verb includes. The plain meaning of this wording unambiguously indicates that the intended definition of ‘distribution’ for the sake of the guideline is meant to be inclusive of pecuniary gain purposes, but not exclusive of all other purposes. This interpretation receives explicit support in the part of the Guidelines Manual noting “General Application Principles.” Application Note 2 in the commentary to § 1B1.1 (“Application Instructions”) states that “[t]he term ‘includes’ is not exhaustive.” The fact that Application Note 1 is inclusive, and not exclusive, is determinative in the current context. The district court determined that Canada’s distribution was accompanied by an additional element, albeit not one of pecuniary gain.4 The 4 Because the district court found this additional element present, we do not address the issue of whether such additional element must be present in order for the court to enhance sentencing under § 2G2.2(b)(2). 6 sentencing court found that Canada had distributed the material at issue for the purpose of enticing the thirteen-year-old minor to have sex with him. Canada does not challenge this factual finding of the sentencing court. We hold that Canada’s distribution of materials involving the sexual exploitation of minors with a purpose of enticing another person to have sex with him is sufficient to trigger the enhancement characteristic in § 2G2.2(b)(2). While § 2G2.2(b)(2) calls upon the sentencing court to impose enhancement based on the retail value of the material distributed, in cases such as this where the material was distributed for a purpose which is difficult to evaluate monetarily, the sentencing court is within its province to impose the threshold five-level enhancement. See U.S.S.G. § 2G2.2(b)(2) (setting the enhancement level for distribution “in no event by less than 5 levels”); see also United States v. Ismoila, 100 F.3d 380, 396 (5th Cir. 1996) (noting that loss determinations under U.S.S.G. § 2F1.1 “need not be determined with precision” and “are reviewed for clear error”). B. Four-Level Increase for Material Portraying Sadistic Conduct U.S.S.G. § 2G2.2(b)(3) provides for a four-level increase in the base offense level for trafficking in materials involving the sexual exploitation of a minor “[i]f the offense involved material that portrays sadistic or masochistic conduct or other depictions of violence.” Canada contends that the four-level enhancement imposed by the court under U.S.S.G. § 2G2.2(b)(3) was 7 not warranted by the evidence. Canada argues in particular that the sadistic photographs extracted from his computer’s hard drive were insufficient to indicate his “trafficking” in materials involving the sexual exploitation of a minor. Additionally, Canada argues that his mere receipt of the photos should be insufficient to establish the applicability of guideline 2G2.2 because guideline 2G2.4 (“Possession of Materials Depicting a Minor Engaged in Sexually Explicit Conduct”) would thus become superfluous. Canada makes this argument by equating possession of child pornography with the receipt of such material for the purposes of the sentencing guidelines since, as he claims, such material would had to have been previously received in order to be currently in a person’s possession. Canada’s equivalence of the receipt of child pornography with its possession for the purposes of sentencing under §§ 2G2.2 and 2G2.4 is unconvincing. See, e.g., United States v. Romualdi, 101 F.3d 971, 975 (3d Cir. 1996) (remarking that “[b]oth the relevant statute and the Sentencing Guidelines make a distinction between receipt and possession of child pornography”). As Canada himself admits, possession of such materials may be obtained through other means, e.g., by manufacturing it. To hold that receiving child pornography should only be covered by § 2G2.4 would abrogate the specific coverage of § 2G2.2--”Receiving, Transporting, Shipping, or Advertising Material Involving the Sexual Exploitation of a Minor” (emphasis added). We decline to reach such a result. See Reiter v. Sonotone Corp., 442 U.S. 330, 8 339 (1979) (observing with regard to statutory construction that courts “are obliged to give effect, if possible,” to statutory wording and noting that terms connected by the disjunctive be given separate meanings); see also United States v. Rocha, 916 F.2d 219, 243 (5th Cir. 1990) (noting that the sentencing guidelines are subject to the rules of statutory construction). Moreover, the provisions under § 2G2.4 expressly instruct the court to look to § 2G2.2 in situations like Canada’s: If the offense involved trafficking in material involving the sexual exploitation of a minor (including receiving, transporting, shipping, advertising, or possessing material involving the sexual exploitation of a minor with intent to traffic), apply § 2G2.2. See U.S.S.G. § 2G2.4(c)(2) (emphasis added). The district court’s determination that Canada received sadistic photos with an intent to traffic in them was not clearly erroneous. See Kimbrough, 69 F.3d at 734. A government witness testified during the sentencing hearing that sadistic photos, showing anal and vaginal penetration of minors through the use of sexual devices,5 were located on the hard drive of Canada’s computer. The government also adduced evidence at the hearing that detailed Canada’s active trading in child pornography.6 The government’s evidence, in toto, provides proof by a preponderance of the evidence that Canada had received material portraying 5 Canada does not challenge the court’s characterization of this material as sadistic. 6 The government concedes that the child pornographic photo that was sent to the purported thirteen-year-old male in New Orleans did not portray sadistic conduct. 9 sadistic conduct and that he intended to traffic in such material. This is sufficient for the district court’s imposed four-level enhancement under § 2G2.2(b)(3).