United States v. Benjamin Charles Boone ( 2007 )


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  •                                                           [DO NOT PUBLISH]
    IN THE UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS
    FILED
    FOR THE ELEVENTH CIRCUIT U.S. COURT OF APPEALS
    ________________________ ELEVENTH CIRCUIT
    JANUARY 24, 2007
    No. 06-12016                 THOMAS K. KAHN
    Non-Argument Calendar                CLERK
    ________________________
    D. C. Docket No. 05-00265-CR-WS
    UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,
    Plaintiff-Appellee,
    versus
    BENJAMIN CHARLES BOONE,
    Defendant-Appellant.
    ________________________
    Appeal from the United States District Court
    for the Southern District of Alabama
    _________________________
    (January 24, 2007)
    Before ANDERSON, MARCUS and WILSON, Circuit Judges.
    PER CURIAM:
    Benjamin Boone appeals his 210-month sentence for possession and
    distribution of child pornography, in violation of 8 U.S.C. §§ 2252A(a)(2), (b)(2)
    and (a)(5)(B), and a special condition of his supervised release requiring him to
    submit to polygraph testing and other assessments. Boone first argues that his
    sentence is unreasonable pursuant to the factors of 18 U.S.C. § 3553(a). He further
    argues that the disparity in punishment between those who view child pornography
    versus those who molest children is unreasonable, and that incarceration in his case
    is more harmful than helpful because there is no evidence that he poses a threat to
    the community. Boone next argues that the special condition of his release
    requiring him to submit to polygraph testing and other assessment instruments,
    violates his Fifth Amendment privilege against self-incrimination because
    polygraph testing may force him to risk revocation of his supervised release in
    order to assert his privilege. Finally, Boone argues that the district court erred by
    imposing 210 months’ imprisonment for each count to run concurrently, because
    his second charge, possession of child pornography under § 2252A(a)(5)(B),
    carried a statutory maximum sentence of ten years.
    I.
    Following United States v. Booker, 
    543 U.S. 220
    , 261, 
    125 S. Ct. 738
    , 765,
    
    160 L. Ed. 2d 621
    (2005), we have stated that the district court first must correctly
    calculate the defendant’s guideline range. Then, using the § 3553(a) sentencing
    2
    factors, the court can impose a more severe or more lenient sentence, as long as it
    is reasonable. United States v. Crawford, 
    407 F.3d 1174
    , 1179 (11th Cir. 2005).
    The relevant § 3553(a) factors are:
    (1) the nature and circumstances of the offense and the history and
    characteristics of the defendant;
    (2) the need for the sentence imposed— (A) to reflect the seriousness
    of the offense, to promote respect for the law, and to provide just
    punishment for the offense; (B) to afford adequate deterrence to
    criminal conduct; (C) to protect the public from further crimes of the
    defendant; and (D) to provide the defendant with needed [treatment];
    (3) the kinds of sentences available;
    (4) the kinds of sentence and the sentencing range . . . ;
    (6) the need to avoid unwarranted sentence disparities among
    defendants with similar records who have been found guilty of similar
    conduct; and
    (7) the need to provide restitution to any victims of the offense.
    18 U.S.C. § 3553(a); 
    Booker, 543 U.S. at 259-61
    , 125 S.Ct. at 764-66. There is no
    requirement, however, that the district court engage in a detailed, step-by-step
    analysis of every factor, as we have held that “nothing in Booker or elsewhere
    requires the district court to state on the record that it has explicitly considered each
    of the § 3553(a) factors or to discuss each of the § 3553(a) factors.” United States
    v. Scott, 
    426 F.3d 1324
    , 1329 (11th Cir. 2005).
    “Review for reasonableness is deferential.” United States v. Talley, 
    431 F.3d 784
    , 788 (11th Cir. 2005). “[T]he party who challenges the sentence bears the
    burden of establishing that the sentence is unreasonable in the light of both th[e]
    3
    record and the factors in section 3553(a).” 
    Id. A sentence
    within the advisory
    guideline range is not per se reasonable, but we ordinarily expect such a sentence to
    be reasonable. See 
    id. In Scott,
    we held that a district court’s statement that it had
    considered the § 3553(a) factors alone is sufficient in post-Booker 
    sentences. 426 F.3d at 1329-30
    .
    Upon review of the record and the sentencing transcripts, and upon
    consideration of the briefs of the parties, we discern no reversible error as to this
    issue. The district court adequately and properly considered the § 3553(a) factors,
    in conjunction with Boone’s personal history, the nature of the case and the purpose
    of sentencing. Therefore, the low-end sentence was reasonable.
    II.
    A district court’s imposition of a special condition of supervised release is
    reviewed for abuse of discretion so long as the objection was preserved for appeal,
    and will be reversed only if we have a “definite and firm conviction that the
    [district] court committed a clear error of judgment in the conclusion it reached.”
    United States v. Taylor, 
    338 F.3d 1280
    , 1283 (11th Cir. 2003) (citation omitted)
    (brackets in original). Boone objected to the condition of supervised release on
    Fifth Amendment grounds below, and, thus, it is preserved for appeal.
    The United States Code allows the district court to impose any condition of
    4
    supervised release it deems appropriate so long as it comports with the factors
    enumerated in § 3553(a). 18 U.S.C. § 3583(d). The Sentencing Guidelines permit
    the sentencing court to impose any conditions of supervised release that are:
    (1) reasonably related to (A) the nature and circumstances of the
    offense and the history and characteristics of the defendant; (B) the
    need for the sentence imposed to afford adequate deterrence to
    criminal conduct; (C) the need to protect the public from further
    crimes of the defendant; and (D) the need to provide the defendant
    with . . . medical care, or other correctional treatment in the most
    effective manner; and
    (2) involve no greater deprivation of liberty than is reasonably
    necessary for the purposes set forth above and are consistent with any
    pertinent policy statements issued by the Sentencing Commission.
    U.S.S.G. § 5D1.3(b). “While the Sentencing Guidelines recognize that a condition
    of supervised release should not unduly restrict a defendant’s liberty, a condition is
    not invalid simply because it affects a probationer’s ability to exercise
    constitutionally protected rights.” United States v. Zinn, 
    321 F.3d 1084
    , 1089 (11th
    Cir. 2003) (citation omitted). A state may generally require a probationer to appear
    and discuss matters that affect his probationary status without violating the Fifth
    Amendment. Minnesota v. Murphy, 
    465 U.S. 420
    , 435, 
    104 S. Ct. 1136
    , 1146, 
    79 L. Ed. 2d 409
    (1984). Furthermore, we already rejected the argument that a
    condition of supervised release requiring polygraph testing violates the Fifth
    Amendment generally. 
    Taylor, 338 F.3d at 1284
    ; 
    Zinn, 321 F.3d at 1092
    A challenge to a condition of supervised release requiring polygraph testing
    5
    “is neither premature nor speculative” because the defendant “will be subject to the
    challenged condition upon his release from prison.” 
    Id. at 1088.
    Although the
    condition itself is immediately appealable, “specific challenges to the
    implementation” of polygraph testing may not necessarily be ripe. 
    Id. at 1089
    (emphasis in original). Thus, while the defendant retains a privilege against
    self-incrimination, he does “not present a cognizable Fifth Amendment claim”
    when “there has been no potentially incriminating question or invocation of the
    privilege.” 
    Id. at 1091-92.
    Instead, a defendant may raise his Fifth Amendment
    claim “when [he] is forced to testify over his valid claim of privilege.” 
    Id. at 1092.
    The district court did not abuse its discretion in requiring polygraph testing
    and other assessments as a condition of supervised release because Boone had an
    admitted history of viewing and distributing child pornography, as well as a
    troubled personal history. Thus, requiring polygraph testing to ensure compliance
    with his probationary terms is both reasonably related to Boone’s offenses and
    history, and when reasonably applied, will not unduly burden his rights.
    Furthermore, Boone has not yet presented a cognizable Fifth Amendment challenge
    to the condition’s implementation because he has not been released and no
    potentially incriminating questions have been asked. Accordingly, we affirm as to
    this issue.
    6
    III.
    “[W]e review the legality of a sentence de novo.” United States v. Moriarty,
    
    429 F.3d 1012
    , 1025 (11th Cir. 2005). In Moriarty, we vacated and remanded for
    clarification where the district court imposed a general sentence that exceeded the
    statutory maximum sentence for one of multiple counts because “such sentences are
    per se illegal in this circuit.” 
    Id. A defendant
    who is convicted of violating
    § 2252A(a)(5)(B) “shall be . . . imprisoned not more than 10 years.” 18 U.S.C.
    § 2252A(b)(2).
    The maximum statutory sentence for count two, possession of child
    pornography, is 10 years, see 18 U.S.C. § 2252A(b)(2), yet the district court
    sentenced Boone to 210 months’ imprisonment concurrent in each case. The
    government concedes, and we agree, that the district court erred in this regard.
    Accordingly, we vacate and remand as to this issue.
    AFFIRMED IN PART; VACATED and REMANDED IN PART.1
    1
    Appellant’s request for oral argument is denied.
    7
    

Document Info

Docket Number: 06-12016

Judges: Anderson, Marcus, Per Curiam, Wilson

Filed Date: 1/24/2007

Precedential Status: Non-Precedential

Modified Date: 10/19/2024