United States v. Elston ( 2011 )

NOT PRECEDENTIAL
UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS
FOR THE THIRD CIRCUIT
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No. 10-2960
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UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
v.
BRIAN ELSTON,
Appellant
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On Appeal from the United States District Court
for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania
(D.C. No. 5-09-cr-00091-001)
District Judge: Honorable James Knoll Gardner
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Submitted Pursuant to Third Circuit LAR 34.1(a)
April 11, 2011
Before: FISHER, JORDAN and COWEN, Circuit Judges.
(Opinion Filed: April 13, 2011 )
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OPINION OF THE COURT
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FISHER, Circuit Judge.
Brian Elston pleaded guilty to one count of possession of child pornography, in
violation of 18 U.S.C. § 2252(a)(4)(B), and the United States District Court for the
Eastern District of Pennsylvania sentenced him to 78 months‟ imprisonment and 25
years‟ supervised release. Elston now appeals, arguing that the District Court erred in
failing to consider his argument that the child-pornography guideline is unreasonable.
For the following reasons, we will affirm the District Court.
I.
We write for the parties, who are familiar with the factual context and legal history
of this case. Therefore, we will set forth only those facts necessary to our analysis.
Pennsylvania State Police discovered Elston sharing child pornography on a “peer
to peer” computer network. A search of Elston‟s home revealed over 250 video files and
1,900 images of child pornography. Elston was arrested and later pleaded guilty to
possession of child pornography, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 2252(a)(4)(B).
The Probation Office calculated Elston‟s advisory guideline range. Pursuant to
U.S.S.G. § 2G2.2(a)(1), the base offense level was calculated to be 18. Two levels were
added pursuant to § 2G2.2(b)(2) because the pornographic material involved
prepubescent minors, and four additional levels were added pursuant to § 2G2.2(b)(4)
because the images involved sadomasochism perpetrated on children. Two additional
levels were added pursuant to § 2G2.2(b)(6) because Elston used a computer for
possession, transmission, receipt, or distribution. Finally, there was a five-level increase
pursuant to § 2G2.2(b)(7)(D) because the offense involved more than 600 images. Elston
received a three-level reduction because of acceptance of responsibility, resulting in a
total offense level of 28. He had a criminal history category of I, yielding a guideline
range of 78 to 97 months.
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Elston requested a downward variance based on a history of mental health issues,
drug use, childhood trauma and sexual abuse, his low risk of recidivism, and the
empirically unsound nature of the child pornography guideline. He presented a report
and testimony from a psychiatrist who stated that Elston was a low risk for recidivism
and was not a danger to the public. Elston also argued that the child pornography
guideline is unduly severe. He claimed that U.S.S.G. § 2G2.2 is not the product of the
Sentencing Commission‟s traditional empirical approach but was adopted at the direction
of Congress. In support of his argument, Elston submitted an article: Troy Stabenow,
Deconstructing the Myth of Careful Study: A Primer on the Flawed Progression of the
Child Pornography Guidelines.
The Court stated that it reviewed all of the evidence presented before making its
determination to impose a sentence:
I have reviewed a number of voluminous materials in connection with this
difficult case very closely and carefully reading and in some instances,
rereading and rereading the Government‟s sentencing memorandum, all of
the exhibits to the defense sentencing memorandum with the exception of
Exhibit A, a lengthy article dated January 1, 2009 by an author named Troy
Stabenow . . . entitled “Deconstructing The Myth of Careful Study: A
Primer” . . . .
I reviewed the table of contents in that article and I reviewed the charts and
some of the charts and graphs in that article, but I only glanced at the – in a
cursory fashion at the writing itself of that 38 page article, but the rest of
the defense exhibits I have reviewed and read very carefully.
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(App. at 303.) The Court considered Elston‟s request for a downward variance but
ultimately concluded that he had committed a serious offense. Elston was sentenced to
78 months‟ imprisonment, and he filed a timely appeal.
II.
The District Court had jurisdiction pursuant to 18 U.S.C. § 3231. We have
jurisdiction over Elston‟s appeal pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1291 and 18 U.S.C. § 3742(a).
Our decision in United States v. Gunter requires district courts to follow a three-
step sentencing procedure:
(1) Courts must continue to calculate a defendant‟s Guidelines sentence
precisely as they would have before [United State v. Booker, 543 U.S. 220,
125 S. Ct. 738, 160 L. Ed. 2d 621 (2005)].
(2) In doing so, they must formally rule on the motions of both parties and
state on the record whether they are granting a departure and how that
departure affects the Guidelines calculation, and take into account our
Circuit‟s pre- Booker case law, which continues to have advisory force.
(3) Finally, they are required to exercise their discretion by considering the
relevant [18 U.S.C. ]§ 3553(a) factors in setting the sentence they impose
regardless whether it varies from the sentence calculated under the
Guidelines.
462 F.3d 237, 247 (3d Cir. 2006) (internal citations, quotation marks, and brackets
omitted). It is undisputed that the District Court complied with steps one and two. The
parties disagree as to whether the Court complied with step three.
We review the procedural and substantive reasonableness of a sentence for abuse
of discretion. Gall v. United States, 522 U.S. 38, 51 (2007). Claims of procedural error
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are subject to plenary review. United States v. Levinson, 543 F.3d 190, 195 (3d Cir.
2008). Elston argues that the District Court did not consider one of his arguments for a
lower sentence. A district court‟s “fail[ure] to consider the §3553(a) factors” can create a
procedurally unreasonable sentence. Id. at 195 (quoting Gall, 552 U.S. at 51). We
review whether the Court gave “meaningful consideration to the § 3553(a) factors.”
United States v. Cooper, 437 F.3d 324, 329 (3d Cir. 2006).
III.
Elston does not challenge the substantive reasonableness of his sentence but
claims that the District Court committed a procedural error in failing to consider the
argument that § 2G2.2 is unreasonable because it is not empirically based. But in support
of his argument, Elston cites a statement by the District Court that it merely did not read
the entire 38-page article submitted by Elston. In fact, the District Court stated that it
thoroughly considered every argument presented by Elston in his defense memorandum,
which included the argument that § 2G2.2 is empirically flawed. We need not base our
decision upon such a finding, however. For even if the District Court did not consider
Elston‟s argument for a variance based on the empirical soundness of § 2G2.2, we must
affirm his sentence.
We have made clear that a district court is not required to conduct an investigation
of an empirical challenge to the Sentencing Guidelines. “[A] district court is not required
to engage in „independent analysis‟ of the empirical justifications and deliberative
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undertakings that led to a particular Guideline.” United States v. Lopez-Reyes, 589 F.3d
667, 671 (3d Cir. 2009) (internal citations omitted). It certainly remains true that
defendants are permitted to make such policy-based arguments and that district courts
may make variances based on them. See Kimbrough v. United States, 552 U.S. 85
(2007); United States v. Grober, 624 F.3d 592, 609 (3d Cir. 2010) (holding that district
courts have discretion to vary from the child pornography guideline on the ground that it
is flawed). But this discretion in no way means that district courts are under an
obligation to investigate and consider the empirical underpinnings of the Guidelines
every time such an argument is raised. “Kimbrough does not force district or appellate
courts into a piece-by-piece analysis of the empirical grounding behind each part of the
sentencing guidelines.” Lopez-Reyes, 589 F.3d at 671 (quoting United States v. Duarte,
569 F.3d 528, 530 (5th Cir. 2009)). It may be the case that district courts find the child
pornography guideline to be flawed in particular cases and vary for this reason. But
“[w]e emphasize that we do not hold that § 2G2.2 will always recommend an
unreasonable sentence, and district courts must, of course, continue to consider the
applicable Guideline range.” Grober, 624 F.3d at 609. In other words, district courts
have the discretion but not the obligation to consider variances based on arguments that
the Guidelines are empirically flawed.
The record indicates that the District Court heard and considered arguments from
defense counsel and weighed the § 3553(a) factors in making its decision. Elston argues
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that district courts are under an obligation to “acknowledge and respond to any properly
presented sentencing argument which has colorable legal merit and a factual basis.”
United States v. Ausburn, 502 F.3d 313, 328-29 (3d Cir. 2007). But, at the same time, the
court “need not discuss and make findings as to each of the § 3553(a) factors if the record
makes clear that the court took the factors into account in sentencing.” United States v.
Kononchuk, 485 F.3d 199, 204 (3d Cir. 2007). All that we require is that “[t]he
sentencing judge . . . set forth enough to satisfy the appellate court that he has considered
the parties‟ arguments and has a reasoned basis for exercising his own legal
decisionmaking authority.” Rita v. United States, 551 U.S. 338, 356 (2007). In its
thorough analysis of the § 3553(a) factors, consisting of a point-by-point consideration of
the psychiatrist‟s testimony and a review of the defendant‟s request for a variance, the
District Court satisfied this requirement.
IV.
For the foregoing reasons, we will affirm the judgment of the District Court.
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