United States v. Wilkinson ( 1999 )

F I L E D
United States Court of Appeals
Tenth Circuit
PUBLISH
FEB 12 1999
UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS
PATRICK FISHER
Clerk
TENTH CIRCUIT
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,
Plaintiff - Appellee,
v.
No. 98-4096
DAVID L. WILKINSON,
Defendant - Appellant.
Appeal from the United States District Court
for the District of Utah
(D.C. No. 95-CR-33)
Submitted on the briefs: *
Paul M. Warner, United States Attorney, and Richard Lambert, Assistant United
States Attorney, for Plaintiff-Appellee
James C. Bradshaw, for Defendant-Appellant
Before BRORBY, EBEL and LUCERO, Circuit Judges.
EBEL, Circuit Judge.
*
After examining the briefs and appellate record, this panel has determined
unanimously that oral argument would not materially assist the determination of this
appeal. See Fed. R. App. P. 34(a)(2); 10th Cir. R. 34.1(G). The cause therefore is
ordered submitted without oral argument.
David Wilkinson pled guilty to charges that he possessed a number of
videotapes and photographs depicting minors engaged in sexually explicit
conduct, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 2252(a)(4)(B). The sentencing guideline
governing Wilkinson’s conviction is U.S.S.G. § 2G2.4 (1995), which established
a base offense level of 13. 2 Because Wilkinson produced the pornographic visual
depictions in his possession, the district court at sentencing cross-referenced and
applied U.S.S.G. § 2G2.1 (1995), which established a higher offense level of 25.
Wilkinson produced the videos and photographs while in Thailand. Wilkinson
appeals, arguing that courts cannot cross-reference to U.S.S.G. § 2G2.1 if the
production took place outside of the United States; that his counsel at sentencing
was constitutionally ineffective for not objecting to the court’s use of foreign
conduct to determine Wilkinson’s base offense level; and that there was
insufficient evidence at sentencing to apply a four-level enhancement for offenses
involving minors under the age of twelve. Our jurisdiction arises under 28 U.S.C.
§ 1291, and we affirm.
2
Although Wilkinson was sentenced in May 1998, the guidelines then in
effect had a higher base offense level for Wilkinson’s crime than the base offense
level in the guidelines in effect in January 1995, when Wilkinson committed his
crime. Accordingly, the pertinent January 1995 guidelines apply. See United
States v. Svacina, 137 F.3d 1179, 1186 (10th Cir. 1998).
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We review a district court’s legal interpretations of the Sentencing
Guidelines de novo. See United States v. Moore, 130 F.3d 1414, 1416 (10th Cir.
1997). Moreover, because Wilkinson failed to raise his § 2G2.4 and § 2G2.1
issue in the court below, we review the trial court’s decision only for plain error.
See United States v. Moudy, 132 F.3d 618, 621 (10th Cir.), cert. denied, 118 S.Ct.
1334 (1998).
Section 2G2.4, in relevant part, provides:
(c) Cross References
(1) If the offense involved causing, transporting, permitting,
or offering or seeking by notice or advertisement, a minor to
engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of
producing a visual depiction of such conduct, apply § 2G2.1
(Sexually Exploiting a Minor by Production of Sexually
Explicit Visual or Printed Material; Custodian Permitting
Minor to Engage in Sexually Explicit Conduct; Advertisement
for Minors to Engage in Production).
The guidelines define “offense” to mean “the offense of conviction and all
relevant conduct under § 1B1.3 (Relevant Conduct) unless a different meaning is
specified or is otherwise clear from the context.” U.S.S.G. § 1B1.1 (commentary)
(n. 1(l)) (1995). Obviously, Wilkinson’s sexual exploitation of the minors
depicted in the videotapes and photographs that he possessed is relevant conduct.
Since neither the language of U.S.S.G. § 2G2.4 nor § 2G2.1 3 carves out an
3
U.S.S.G. § 2G2.1 reads:
(continued...)
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exception for defendants who produced the proscribed child pornography outside
of the United States, the district court properly cross-referenced and applied the
enhanced punishment in § 2G2.1.
Wilkinson argues that applying § 2G2.1 to conduct that occurs wholly
outside of the United States violates the long-standing principle that “legislation
of Congress, unless a contrary intent appears, is meant to apply only within the
territorial jurisdiction of the United States.” E.E.O.C. v. Arabian American Oil
Co., 499 U.S. 244, 248 (1991) (quotation omitted) (superseded by statute).
3
(...continued)
(a) Base Offense Level: 25
(b) Specific Offense Characteristics
(1) If the offense involved a minor under the age of twelve
years, increase by 4 levels; otherwise, if the offense involved a
minor under the age of sixteen years, increase by 2 levels.
(2) If the defendant was a parent, relative, or legal guardian
of the minor involved in the offense, or if the minor was
otherwise in the custody, care, or supervisory control of the
defendant, increase by 2 levels.
(c) Special Instruction
(1) If the offense involved the exploitation of more than one
minor, Chapter Three, Part D (Multiple Counts) shall be
applied as if the exploitation of each minor had been contained
in a separate count of conviction.
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We reject this argument because it wrongly conflates two distinct concepts.
As the Seventh Circuit has explained, applying the extraterritoriality presumption
to § 2G2.4’s cross-reference to § 2G2.1 assumes that because the defendant “was
sentenced as if he were convicted for producing the pornography, he was
sentenced in fact for producing child pornography.” United States v. Dawn, 129
F.3d 878, 883 (7th Cir. 1997). This is a flawed assumption. “ < [C]onsideration of
information about the defendant’s character and conduct at sentencing does not
result in “punishment” for any offense other than the one of which the defendant
was convicted.’ Rather, the defendant is < punished only for the fact that the
present offense was carried out in a manner that warrants increased punishment.’”
United States v. Watts, 519 U.S. 148, 155 (1997) (per curiam) (quoting Witte v.
United States, 515 U.S. 389, 401, 403 (1995)).
As a result, § 2G2.4 and § 2G2.1 as interpreted by the district court
properly applied only to conduct that occurred within the United States.
Wilkinson was held criminally culpable only for his conduct (possession of child
pornography) that occurred within the territorial jurisdiction of the United States.
But, Wilkinson’s sentence was increased because of how he committed his crime.
Cf. Watts, 519 U.S. at 154 (“[S]entencing enhancements do not punish a
defendant for crimes of which he was not convicted, but rather increase his
sentence because of the manner in which he committed the crime of conviction.”).
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“The cross-reference merely implements the common sense notion that a receiver
or possessor who has manufactured the pornography in his possession is both
more culpable and more dangerous than one who has received or possessed the
pornography and no more.” Dawn, 129 F.3d at 884. It would be absurd to
suggest that there is a long-standing principle that judges cannot consider in
calculating a sentence relevant conduct committed outside of the United States.
In fact, 18 U.S.C. § 3661 clearly states otherwise, requiring that, “No limitation
shall be placed on the information concerning the background, character, and
conduct of a person convicted of an offense which a court of the United States
may receive and consider for the purpose of imposing an appropriate sentence.”
(emphasis added); see also, Watts, 519 U.S. 148 at 152 (conduct for which
defendant is acquitted may be considered for sentencing); Moore, 130 F.3d at
1416. Thus, we hold it appropriate for courts, when applying the cross-reference
to § 2G2.1 from § 2G2.4, to consider the relevant conduct that occurs wholly
outside of the United States.
Along the same lines, Wilkinson argues that U.S.S.G. § 2G2.4 and § 2G2.1
are unconstitutionally vague because they provide no notice of punishment for
criminal conduct that occurs outside of the United States. However, as discussed
above, Wilkinson was not punished for his production of the videotapes and
photographs outside of the Untied States; rather, he was convicted and sentenced
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for possession of child pornography within the United States. See Dawn, 129
F.3d at 881 n.3. We likewise reject Wilkinson’s ineffective assistance of counsel
claim regarding this extraterritorial issue. Since Wilkinson’s argument fails on
the merits, he could not have suffered prejudice under Strickland v. Washington,
466 U.S. 668 (1984), from counsel’s failure to raise the issue below.
Wilkinson lastly argues that there was insufficient evidence at sentencing
for the district court to apply a four-level enhancement under § 2G2.1(b)(1) for
offenses involving minors under the age of twelve. Wilkinson argues that the
children depicted in his pornographic material were older than twelve (but
concedes they were younger than eighteen). He therefore asks that we recalculate
his sentence without the four-level enhancement.
We need not decide this sufficiency of the evidence question as it is moot.
The district court’s sentence calculation was as follows: a base offense level of
25, plus 5 points for multiple counts, plus 4 points for involving minors under the
age of twelve, minus 3 points for acceptance of responsibility. Wilkinson’s base
offense level totaled 31 which, given a Criminal History Category I, results in a
sentence range of 108-135 months. If the 4 level enhancement that Wilkinson
challenges is eliminated, his base offense level totals 27, which results in a
sentence range of 70-87 months.
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Under either result, the low end of the guideline sentence (108 months or
70 months) is higher than the statutory maximum sentence of 60 months. Since
the statutory maximum sentence is less than the minimum of either applicable
guideline range, the statutorily authorized maximum controls. See U.S.S.G. §
5G1.1(a). Therefore, even if Wilkinson’s sufficiency of the evidence argument is
true, this court could grant no meaningful relief.
The district court’s judgment is AFFIRMED.
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