Court Opinion

ID: 9960764
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2024-04-17 00:00:37.417548+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T08:19:51.758403
License: Public Domain

Case: 23-10441           Document: 77-1         Page: 1      Date Filed: 04/16/2024

          United States Court of Appeals
               for the Fifth Circuit
                                  ____________
                                                                            United States Court of Appeals
                                                                                     Fifth Circuit
                                   No. 23-10441
                                 Summary Calendar                                  FILED
                                 ____________                                  April 16, 2024
                                                                              Lyle W. Cayce
United States of America,                                                          Clerk

                                                                   Plaintiff—Appellee,

                                         versus

Austin Jay Pruitt,

                                           Defendant—Appellant.
                  ______________________________

                  Appeal from the United States District Court
                      for the Northern District of Texas
                            USDC No. 2:22-CR-92-1
                  ______________________________

Before Barksdale, Engelhardt, and Wilson, Circuit Judges.
Per Curiam: *
      Austin Jay Pruitt received, inter alia, a 168-months’ imprisonment
sentence following his pleading guilty to one count of possession of
prepubescent child pornography, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 2252A(a)(5)(B)
and (b)(2) (outlining penalties). The district court imposed several offense-
level enhancements, including one for knowingly engaging in distribution of

       _____________________
      *
          This opinion is not designated for publication. See 5th Cir. R. 47.5.
Case: 23-10441        Document: 77-1       Page: 2    Date Filed: 04/16/2024

                                  No. 23-10441

material involving the sexual exploitation of a minor.          See Guideline
§ 2G2.2(b)(3)(F) (“If the defendant knowingly engaged in distribution . . .
increase by 2 levels.”). Pruitt challenges this two-level enhancement.
       Pruitt did not raise this issue in district court (as he also concedes);
therefore, review is only for plain error. E.g., United States v. McGavitt, 28
F.4th 571, 576–77 (5th Cir.), cert. denied, 143 S. Ct. 282 (2022). Under that
standard, he must show a forfeited plain error (clear-or-obvious error, rather
than one subject to reasonable dispute) that affected his substantial rights.
Puckett v. United States, 556 U.S. 129, 135 (2009). If he makes that showing,
we have the discretion to correct the reversible plain error, but generally
should do so only if it “seriously affect[s] the fairness, integrity or public
reputation of judicial proceedings”. Id. (citation omitted).
       “[T]he mere use of a peer-to-peer network is not enough to trigger §
2G2.2(b)(3)(F)’s enhancement. That enhancement may apply, however, if
a defendant knows that his use of a peer-to-peer network made his child
pornography files accessible to others online.” United States v. Lawrence, 920
F.3d 331, 333 (5th Cir. 2019). Along that line, Pruitt admitted to uploading
several images to Discord, which supports an inference that he knew he was
making his child pornography files accessible to others.
       Although Pruitt cites several cases in which our court concluded that
more explicit evidence established defendant’s knowledge, he does not
identify precedent concluding evidence equivalent to the available evidence
in this action was insufficient. Accordingly, Pruitt fails to show the requisite
clear-or-obvious error. See United States v. Gonzalez, 792 F.3d 534, 538 (5th
Cir. 2015) (“[A] lack of binding authority is often dispositive in the plain-
error context”.).
       AFFIRMED.

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