United States v. Moises Abraham Sotelo

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[PUBLISH]

In the

United States Court of Appeals

For the Eleventh Circuit

____________________

No. 21-12710

____________________

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,

Plaintiff-Appellee,

versus

MOISES ABRAHAM SOTELO,

Defendant-Appellant.

____________________

Appeals from the United States District Court

for the Southern District of Florida

D.C. Docket No. 0:21-cr-60016-RAR-1

____________________

____________________

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2 Opinion of the Court 21-12710

No. 22-10403

____________________

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,

Plaintiff-Appellee,

versus

MOISES ABRAHAM SOTELO,

Defendant-Appellant.

____________________

Appeals from the United States District Court

for the Southern District of Florida

D.C. Docket No. 0:21-cr-60016-RAR-1

____________________

Before NEWSOM, LAGOA and WILSON, Circuit Judges.

LAGOA, Circuit Judge:

Moises Abraham Sotelo appeals his sentence of 121 months’

imprisonment following his conviction for one count of receipt of

material involving the sexual exploitation of minors. In a second

appeal, consolidated in this decision, Sotelo appeals the district

court’s order awarding a total of $30,000 in restitution to seven vic-

tims. In his second appeal, we are asked whether the procedure for

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determining restitution in child pornography cases has changed in

light of recent amendments to 18 U.S.C. § 2259, the statute man-

dating that restitution. After careful review, and with the benefit

of oral argument, we conclude that the procedure has not changed,

and we affirm Sotelo’s sentence and restitution.

I. FACTUAL AND PROCEDURAL HISTORY

A. Underlying Facts

In January 2021, a federal grand jury indicted Moises Sotelo

for one count of receiving child pornography, in violation of 18

U.S.C. § 2252A(a)(2) and (b)(1) (“Count One”), and one count of

possession of child pornography, in violation of 18 U.S.C.

§ 2252(a)(4)(B) and (b)(2) (“Count Two”).

The parties stipulated that the following facts would have

been proven beyond a reasonable doubt at trial. Law enforcement

agents in the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”) Miami Divi-

sion received a request from the FBI Minneapolis Division to locate

and interview an individual in southern Florida who was allegedly

trading images of child pornography on the social media applica-

tion, LiveMe. Moises Sotelo, using the profile name “piper954”,

moderated a group on LiveMe called, “$cashmoney’s FAM.” His

profile page on LiveMe included the statement, “looking for girls

down in fort lauderdale to be naughty with and ill give you some-

thing in return. hit me up if interested. welcome all pics and vids

of hot girls.” As moderator of the group, Sotelo had the ability to

allow other members of the group to post links which he would

authorize and share with the other members.

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On April 26, 2020, Sotelo responded to an image posted of a

clothed prepubescent minor with a request for more links. On Oc-

tober 22, 2020, law enforcement agents contacted Sotelo, who ad-

mitted that he used the profile “piper954” and consented to a vol-

untary interview at the FBI Miami Field Office. Sotelo further ad-

mitted to using the group on LiveMe to download videos and im-

ages of child pornography. A search of his cell phone revealed that

between March 19, 2018, and October 19, 2020, Sotelo had received

videos of children, some under the age of twelve years, engaged in

sexual activity. According to the Presentence Investigation Report

(“PSI”), 12,061 files were recovered on Sotelo’s device involving

the sexual exploitation of minors, including sadistic and masochis-

tic material.

On May 20, 2021, Sotelo pled guilty to Count One through

a plea agreement. Pursuant to that plea agreement, the United

States agreed to seek dismissal of Count Two of the indictment af-

ter sentencing. The government also agreed to recommend an ac-

ceptance of responsibility reduction to Sotelo’s sentencing guide-

line level applicable to his offense under the U.S. Sentencing Guide-

lines and a seven-year term of imprisonment.

B. Sentencing

Sotelo’s PSI described the offense conduct in more detail but

was consistent with the factual proffer. In particular, the PSI details

the graphic nature of the 10,112 images and 1,949 videos retrieved

from Sotelo’s device. The PSI assigned Sotelo a base offense level

of 22 under 18 U.S.C. § 2252(a)(2). Because the material found on

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Sotelo’s device involved a prepubescent minor or minor who had

not attained the age of twelve years, the offense level was increased

by two. Because the offense involved material that portrayed sa-

distic or masochistic conduct or sexual abuse of an infant or tod-

dler, the offense level was then increased by four. And because the

offense involved the use of a computer and involved 600 or more

images, the offense level was increased by two and five respec-

tively. After the additions, Sotelo had an offense level of 35. This

offense level was reduced by three because Sotelo accepted respon-

sibility and the government filed a motion in support stating that

he assisted authorities in the investigation of his own misconduct.

The final offense level was calculated at 32.

The PSI assigned Sotelo one criminal history point for con-

victions on driving under the influence and driving with a sus-

pended license in 2012. Two more points were added because he

committed the instant offense while on probation. Thus, Sotelo

had a criminal history category of II. Based on a criminal history

category of II and a total offense level of 32, the PSI calculated a

guideline sentencing range between 135 to 168 months’ imprison-

ment. There were no objections to the PSI filed by Sotelo or the

government.

On August 2, 2021, the district court conducted Sotelo’s sen-

tencing hearing. The district court first noted that the PSI indicated

a total offense level of 32 and a criminal history category of II,

bringing the advisory guideline range to 135 to 168 months. Then,

both parties stated their views on the appropriate sentence. Sotelo

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argued, with the government’s agreement pursuant to the plea

agreement, that 84 months or seven years imprisonment would be

appropriate. The district court noted that the sentence would con-

stitute a fifty-month downward variance and asked “why the Court

should countenance, even by agreement, a variance, given some of

the underlying circumstances of this case.” In particular, the dis-

trict court was concerned that Sotelo “had well over 600 images”—

in fact, 156,287 images—and “many of those images depicted sadis-

tic behavior as towards infants and toddlers.”

The district court explained that Sotelo’s three criminal his-

tory points for the DUI were “the driving force behind entertaining

a variance in this case below the guidelines.” The district court was

clear that it did not believe the offense level was wrong. In fact,

the district court “wholeheartedly agree[d] in this case that 135 to

168 is absolutely appropriate and not an overstatement.” The

court stated:

It is because I think the history category is overstated.

And when I combine that with the joint recommen-

dation, those two factors are going to lead me to en-

tertain a variance. But it will be a variance down to

what he would have scored with a criminal history

category of 1, which is still substantial.

It’s a 14-month variance, and I’m going to ultimately

sentence him to the bottom of that revised guideline,

which would be 121 months. I think, to me, that is

sufficient. It’s a little over the seven-year average, and

I’m told in these cases it is closer to ten.

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He will ultimately be deported. It’s still well below

the guideline provisions, but, to me, the differen[ce]

between seven and ten [years] in a case like this is

driven by the specific facts that I just put on the record

that the Court can not countenance a further vari-

ance, which would really go to the offense level,

given the nature of the images, given that they are in-

fants and toddlers, and given, again that I mentioned

in passing, that he seemed to play a moderating role

in the sharing of that pornography.

The district court thus sentenced Sotelo to a 121-month term of

imprisonment followed by a 15-year term of supervised release.

Sotelo timely appealed his sentence.

C. Restitution

On November 29, 2021, the government filed a memoran-

dum in support of restitution pursuant to the Mandatory Restitu-

tion for Sexual Exploitation of Children Act, 18 U.S.C. § 2259. Sec-

tion 2259 mandates a minimum award of $3,000 per victim of child

pornography, so long as that amount does not cause a victim to

recover more than the full amount of their demonstrated losses.

§ 2259(b)(2). The government’s memorandum described how the

FBI submitted the child pornography found on Sotelo’s device to

the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children

(“NCMEC”) 1 to be reviewed for any known victims. NCMEC

1 The NCMEC “is a private, non-profit 501(c)(3) corporation whose mission is

to help find missing children, reduce child sexual exploitation, and prevent

child victimization.” About Us, NCMEC,

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determined that Sotelo’s device contained 1,712 images of known

child pornography, 245 videos of known child pornography, and a

total of 130 known series of images and videos. Some of the known

series were titled “At School,” “Best Necklace,” “BluesPink,”

“Jenny,” “Sweet Sugar,” “Lighthouse,” and “Pinkheart.” Eight in-

dividual victims, who were depicted in the material found on

Sotelo’s device, submitted restitution requests to the district court.

The victims were identified as “Maureen,” “Pia,” “Violet,” “Maria,”

“Erika,” “Tori,” “Fiona,” and “Jenny.” 2 Each victim filed a claim

under seal, and we discuss each claim in turn.

Maureen

The government recommended $10,000 in restitution for

Maureen. Her claim consisted of a restitution cover letter, psycho-

logical examination, victim impact statements, and an affidavit

https://www.missingkids.org/footer/about (last visited Feb. 26, 2025). The

“NCMEC is statutorily obliged to operate the official national clearinghouse

for information about missing and exploited children, to help law enforcement

locate and recover missing and exploited children, to ‘provide forensic tech-

nical assistance . . . to law enforcement’ to help identify victims of child exploi-

tation, to track and identify patterns of attempted child abductions for law en-

forcement purposes, to ‘provide training . . . to law enforcement agencies in

identifying and locating non-compliant sex offenders,’ and . . . to operate the

CyberTipline as a means of combating Internet child sexual exploitation.”

United States v. Ackerman, 831 F.3d 1292, 1296 (10th Cir. 2016) (quoting 42

U.S.C. § 5773(b)). Pursuant to 18 U.S.C. § 2258A, NCMEC is statutorily au-

thorized to receive and review images of child pornography to assist in the

identification of child victims as well as assist in the prosecution of those

crimes.

2 These are pseudonyms to protect the victims’ identities.

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from Maureen’s counsel detailing Maureen’s future and current le-

gal costs. The psychological examination report identified

Maureen as the individual depicted in the “Lighthouse” series.

Maureen’s abuser lived in her childhood home and would

wake her almost every night to engage in sexual behavior from the

time she was a young toddler to age eight. Following the end of

her direct abuse, she was afraid to sleep and stated that her night-

mares of her former abuser were so extreme that she could smell

him in her dreams. When Maureen was in middle school, other

students found out about her past and bullied her until she was

forced to switch schools. And the knowledge of her abuse images

being traded and viewed on the internet has continued the pain.

Maureen said:

You can’t help wondering if people out there are

looking. . . . That is why I don’t go out very much.

And when there are a lot of older men around, I get

clammy and stressed out, and don’t want to be alone.

It is all tied to the downloaders.

When Victim Notification Services first notified Maureen

that possessors of the materials depicting her abuse were being

prosecuted, she did not want to receive the notices. Years later, she

realized that the pursuit of restitution could be done right and she

could “channel something good out of something bad,” particu-

larly to pay for therapy and counseling. She signed up for notifica-

tions and explained her experience:

I went on the website that has the notices, and I

started counting online the number of people there

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are, just in my state—and I stopped. It doesn’t say

where in the state that they are. And you don’t know

if the people are released or not. Once the number of

notifications hit 200, I broke down. I knew it was only

going to get higher. It feels permanent that these im-

ages are still being viewed and passed around. It is

always kind of there.

Pia

The government recommended $5,000 in restitution for Pia.

Her claim consisted of a restitution cover letter, a psychological

evaluation, a victim impact statement, employability analysis, and

a declaration of attorney’s fees. The psychological examination re-

port identified Pia as the individual depicted in the “Sweet Sugar”

series.

Pia was abused by her father, who began showing her videos

of sexually abused children when she was four years old to normal-

ize the behavior. For nearly two years, he sexually abused Pia

daily. In the wake of that abuse and with the knowledge of her

images’ circulation on the Internet, Pia is “uncommunicative,

sleepy, sometimes tearful, [and] occasionally paralyzed” and “has

asked to alter her features to change her appearance.” Her mother

fears for her daughter’s safety and wonders “if she is recognized by

other pedophiles when we are out in public.”

Violet

The government recommended $10,000 in restitution for

Violet. Her claim consisted of a restitution cover letter, forensic

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psychological examination, medical examination, and a declaration

of attorney’s fees. Her claim included a doctor’s note acknowledg-

ing that Violet was the victim of “child sexual abuse with sexual

exploitation from the production of digital abusive images.”

Violet was mostly abused at night, and her abuser set up a

camera and typed messages to others displayed on his computer

monitor in between sex acts. Although Violet is too young to

know about the dissemination of her abuse images, she is at risk of

anxiety, fear, avoidance, distrust, grief, guilt, and hopelessness

upon her eventual discovery.

Maria

The government recommended $5,000 in restitution for

Maria. Her claim consisted of counsel’s declaration in support of

restitution, which explained that they are in the process of compil-

ing her restitution documentation and obtaining a psychological

evaluation. The attorney also stated the treatment costs for other

clients like Maria have been more than $100,000.00. The report

identifies Maria as the victim in the “Best Necklace” series. Maria

was ten years old at the time the videos of her abuse were produced

and is still a minor today.

Erika and Tori

The government recommended $3,000 in restitution for

Erika and Tori each, for a total of $6,000. Their claims consisted of

restitution cover letters, psychological evaluations, victim impact

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statements, and declarations of attorney’s fees. Their claims iden-

tified the two as the individuals depicted in the “Pinkheart” series.

Beginning at age five, Erika and Tori were sexually exploited

by a relative to produce child pornography for several years. Dur-

ing their abuse, the perpetrator would take “requests” from online

pedophiles in order to appeal to strangers’ desires. Tori said that

the “pictures out there make it so that I can’t help but remember

the things that I desperately want to erase,” and that “I cannot es-

cape the reality of those pictures, so I feel nothing.” Tori lives an

isolated life, but an expert who examined her stated:

The internet is pervasive and necessary in order to

gain access to almost everything: jobs, education, and

social connections. If Tori is able to break out of her

extremely isolated and limiting shell, she is bound to

confront the disturbing realization that her childhood

sexual abuse is no longer her own hidden secret, but

a very public reality. This additional stress will most

likely cause Tori further distress, despair, fear, and de-

pression. One step forward will likely mean not just

two, but three or four steps backwards for this other-

wise fragile and struggling young woman.

Fiona

The government recommended $3,000 in restitution for

Fiona. Her claim consisted of a restitution cover letter, psycholog-

ical evaluation, victim impact statement, and a declaration of attor-

ney’s fees. The attorney’s cover letter described Fiona as the victim

in the “BluesPink” series, and the psychological assessment

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recognized that Fiona was “drugged, sexually abused, and had the

images of that abuse posted on the internet.” Fiona’s abuse series

is one of the most widely trafficked sets of child sex abuse images

in the world.

Dr. Faller, one of the experts cited in the restitution claim,

explained how child pornography possession harms victims for life:

Unfortunately being a victim of child pornography is

likely to have a negative effect on victims throughout

the lifespan, not just on their ability to form positive

personal relationships.

First, as victims gain a more sophisticated under-

standing of the violation of the taboo represented by

the sexual abuse and the child pornography, they face

renewed challenges in coping. Fiona, at this time,

seems to have little comprehension of what her father

did and the impact of the availability of the images of

herself being sexually abused and exploited not just

by her father but by a stranger. This comprehension

will change as she grows older and likely will cause

her significant ongoing trauma. . . .

Second, victims of sexual abuse and child pornogra-

phy essentially have fewer psychological resources for

dealing with other adversities in life, such as the death

of a caretaker, a car accident, loss of employment, or

a divorce. Sexual abuse and being a victim of child

pornography also literally compromises the immune

system. . . .

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Third, sexual abuse and being a victim of child por-

nography generates special problems as victims reach

developmental milestones related to sexuality, inti-

macy, and close personal relationships. Typical mile-

stones that create crises for victims are puberty, dating

relationships, sexual encounters, marriage, decisions

to have children, and when the victim’s child or chil-

dren reach the age when he or she was victimized.

Jenny

The government recommended $3,000 in restitution for

Jenny. Her claim consisted of a restitution cover letter, victim im-

pact statement, psychological report, and a letter calculating the

value of losses. Jenny’s attorney stated that Jenny was the victim

in the “Jenny” series.

Jenny’s child abuse materials are some of the most widely

trafficked in the world and are notorious for their graphic, sado-

masochistic depictions, some involving animals. She was seven

years old when her abuse began. Jenny was abused for two years

before law enforcement found her on the internet and arrested her

abuser. Now, she lives in fear of men and boys. She is always con-

scious of her clothing and ensures no one can see any parts of her.

As to the dissemination of her graphic abuse, Jenny stated:

I worry about the pictures of me that are out there

and I hate that others see them. I have feared over the

years that someone would recognize me in public. I

wish only that every single one can be found and de-

stroyed someday.

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****

Altogether, the victims’ restitution claims paint a vivid, pain-

ful picture of the harms caused by child sexual abuse and the pos-

session of images depicting that abuse. While lives can be im-

proved, the ongoing harm, inflicted by the illegal possession of

these images, is seemingly impossible to end.

On January 4, 2022, the district court held a hearing on res-

titution. Sotelo objected to the government’s determinations on

restitution and argued that the district court was required to make

a finding about the total approximate number of viewings of a vic-

tim’s image in order to determine the defendant’s relative role. Be-

cause the Amy, Vicky, and Andy Act (AVAA) amended § 2259,

Sotelo urged the district court to depart from the multifactor anal-

ysis for child pornography restitution outlined in Paroline v. United

States, 572 U.S. 434 (2014). The district court rejected this view,

stating that the Paroline factors are still “good law” and would apply

in this case.

Sotelo also argued that there had been “no identification” of

the victims being in the series and such verification was absent

from the record, which was necessary to establish restitution. Ac-

cordingly, the district court requested that the government file for

the record the NCMEC report alluded to in the restitution request.

The government agreed to do so, and explained how the NCMEC

report verified the victims in the images and videos on Sotelo’s de-

vice:

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Repeatedly in case law and actually every case I read

and every Supreme Court case, that is the burden the

United States has put forward. It has been the

[NCMEC] because those instances come from hash

values. 3 That’s how those images and videos––are

identified. They’re identified through hash values,

and the [NCMEC] maintains those hash values. And

from those hash values, they know that these partic-

ular series are the ones that are identified. And then

those series are submitted to the––to the victims, the

victims’ attorneys, and they specify which victims we

have in each series, and we know the restitution

amounts they’re requesting.

The government also stated that Sotelo’s original attorney

came to the FBI office and looked at the images individually. Fol-

lowing the restitution hearing, the government filed the NCMEC

report as requested, as well as a corresponding spreadsheet created

by law enforcement. Sotelo opposed reliance on those documents,

3 A hash value is a sort of digital fingerprint. “Many companies rely on hash-

value matching to remove child pornography from their email, file sharing,

and similar internet services. A hash value is a number that is often repre-

sented as a sequence of characters and is produced by an algorithm based upon

the digital contents of a drive, medium, or file. . . . Some algorithms assign a

character to every pixel in an image, such that the hash value will change if a

single pixel changes. After companies assign a hash value to a known image

of child pornography, they can scan their services for files with the same value.

When they get a match, they know that the scanned file is a duplicate of the

child-pornography image without opening and viewing the file.” United States

v. Miller, 982 F.3d 412, 418-19 (6th Cir. 2020) (citations omitted and internal

quotations omitted).

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arguing that the person who prepared them was not identified, nor

was there an explanation about how the information was obtained.

The NCMEC “compares images and identifies the children

depicted within [child pornography]” and “then notifies an identi-

fied victim every time someone is arrested who is found to possess

his or her image.” United States v. McDaniel, 631 F.3d 1204, 1206

(11th Cir. 2011). Such a system responds to the reality of child por-

nography today. The internet provides offenders like Sotelo with

unprecedented access to the possession and trade of child sexual

abuse images and videos, often anonymously. It also allows indi-

viduals to connect with other offenders to facilitate the sharing of

preexisting child sexual abuse material and to create incentives for

the further production of new material. In this landscape, law en-

forcement faces a unique problem. The public must be prevented

from possessing child pornography, but the material itself is often

necessary to identify victims, who are sometimes in immediate

danger. Thus, the NCMEC is statutorily mandated to serve as a

national clearinghouse for child pornography reports and content

in order to both prevent the further dissemination of illicit materi-

als and to aid law enforcement in identifying victims for restitution

and, often, rescue. See 18 U.S.C. § 2258A and 34 U.S.C.A. § 11293.

As of July 2017, the NCMEC had received more than 21.7 million

reports of child sexual exploitation and had assisted law enforce-

ment in identifying more than 13,200 child victims.

Here, the NCMEC report identifies Sotelo’s name, email ad-

dresses, and online screen name. It also contains the name of the

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FBI agent who requested the report and the date it was requested.

And it states that “[t]he following Child Identification Report lists

the specific file name(s), the corresponding series name and the law

enforcement point of contact who is providing age verification for

the children.” The report identified 130 child pornography series,

inclusive of the seven series listed in the restitution claims. The

attached spreadsheet lists the victims, the series in which their

abuse was depicted, and the timestamps for their downloads onto

Sotelo’s device. The spreadsheet does not list its author nor the

time of its creation.

On February 4, 2022, the district court entered the order on

restitution. Before analyzing the issues directly, the district court

outlined the AVAA and the burden of proof, noting that the gov-

ernment bears the burden of proving restitution by a preponder-

ance of the evidence and that the evidence must bear sufficient in-

dicia of reliability to support its probable accuracy. As to the

NCMEC report and attached spreadsheet, the district court relied

on our decision in United States v. Hairston for the proposition that

a court may consider hearsay evidence in determining an award of

restitution so long as the defendant has an opportunity to refute

the evidence and it bears “minimal indicia of reliability.” 888 F.2d

1349, 1353 (11th Cir. 1989) (quoting United States v. Rodriguez, 765

F.2d 1546, 1555 (11th Cir. 1985)). And the district court listed the

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21-12710 Opinion of the Court 19

Paroline4 factors, recognizing that they are “rough guideposts” and

should not be treated as a “rigid formula.”

The district court then addressed Sotelo’s overarching ob-

jections to restitution. To start, the district court overruled

Sotelo’s objection to the use of the NCMEC report and spread-

sheet. The district court was satisfied that the evidence had suffi-

cient indicia of reliability to support its probable accuracy because

it was compiled by law enforcement and an organization, the

NCMEC, tasked with maintaining the database. The district court

also noted that the evidence connects the images from Sotelo’s

computer, which were inspected by Sotelo’s prior counsel, to the

child victims identified by the NCMEC, and allowed the district

court to ascertain when materials were accessed by Sotelo.

The district court also found that restitution was mandatory

for each victim, as the government provided sufficient evidence

“by way of the [NCMEC report] and [s]preadsheet, to identify each

child victim found in the photo and video files on [Sotelo’s] com-

puter.” The district court then turned to address the individual

awards of restitution for each victim.

First, as to Maureen, based on the forensic psychological ex-

amination, witness impact statement, and affidavit detailing attor-

ney’s costs, the district court found that Maureen’s total losses

were between $185,528.18 and $205,128.18. Although Sotelo ar-

gued that § 2259 foreclosed any additional restitution because

4 See Paroline, 572 U.S. at 458–61.

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Maureen has already received enough in prior awards to cover the

cost of her therapy, the district court disagreed, noting that § 2259

covers more than costs related to therapy. Because she has not re-

covered those costs, the court determined that she can still receive

restitution. Turning to the Paroline factors, the district court noted

the number of images (four images and one video) possessed by

Sotelo, the amount of restitution previously collected ($187,528),

and the fact that Sotelo did not produce the images. The district

court then found that $3,000 was appropriate restitution for

Maureen.

Next, as to Pia, based on the forensic psychological exami-

nation, witness impact statement, employability analysis, and affi-

davit detailing attorney’s costs, the district court determined that

Pia’s total losses were between $1,073,919.44 and $1,710,919.44.

The district court agreed with the government that lost income

should include lost future earnings. Turning to the Paroline factors,

the district court noted the number of images possessed by Sotelo

(five images and eleven videos), the amount previously collected

($423,827.30), and the fact that Sotelo did not produce the images.

The district court then found that $5,000 was appropriate restitu-

tion for Pia.

As to Violet, based on the forensic psychological examina-

tion, multiple studies addressing the psychological profiles of adult

survivors of child exploitation, a letter from a doctor providing an

estimated cost for medical treatments, other cases in which district

courts have awarded victims like Violet restitution, and a

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21-12710 Opinion of the Court 21

declaration detailing attorney’s fees, the district court found that

Violet’s total losses were between $767,616.50 and $813,241.50.

The district court noted that at minimum, Violet has incurred

$47,409.50 in attorney’s costs. The district court also noted that

projected therapy and medical costs can be considered in calculat-

ing a victim’s total loss. Because of the studies on the effects of

child pornography abuse on victims in adulthood, the district court

determined that the government showed, by a preponderance of

the evidence, that it is more likely than not that Violet will need

the projected therapy and medical treatments laid out by her doc-

tors. Turning to the Paroline factors, the district court noted the

number of images possessed by Sotelo (eighteen images and twelve

videos), the amount previously collected ($226,228), and the fact

that Sotelo did not produce the images. The district court also

noted that Sotelo’s causal role was greater with Violet than

Maureen and Pia because of the higher number of images and vid-

eos on his device. Therefore, the district court found that $10,000

was appropriate restitution for Violet.

As to Maria, the district court first addressed whether a vic-

tim who does not know that her images are being trafficked can be

awarded restitution under § 2259. The district court noted that

therapy costs are not the only type of loss for which a victim may

be compensated, citing attorney’s fees. The district court also

stated that Maria is undoubtedly a victim and the fact that she is

unaware of her abuse’s circulation does not preclude a finding of a

reasonable expectation of the cost of future therapy. The district

court reasoned that precluding Maria from receiving restitution

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22 Opinion of the Court 21-12710

would “be inapposite to Congress’ clear goal of providing victims

of sexual abuse with substantial relief.” Based on the victim’s coun-

sel’s declaration in support of restitution, the district court found

that Maria’s total losses are $125,000. Turning to the Paroline fac-

tors, the district court noted the number of images possessed by

Sotelo (three images and two videos), the amount previously col-

lected ($0), the number of cases currently being prosecuted (hun-

dreds), the percentage of total loss this restitution award would

represent, and the fact that Sotelo did not produce the images.

Thus, the district court found that $3,000 was appropriate restitu-

tion for Maria.

As to Tori, based on the letter detailing restitution from

Tori’s counsel, the approximate cost of the forensic examination

needed in the case, and a report of the psychological consultation

for Tori, the district court found that Tori’s total losses are $20,500.

The district court also noted that the losses are “almost certainly

understated, as counsel for Tori is still in the process of obtaining

the necessary documentation detailing her client’s losses.” Turn-

ing to the Paroline factors, the district court noted the number of

images possessed by the defendant (two images), the amount pre-

viously collected ($18,078), and the fact that Sotelo did not produce

the images. Finally, the district court found that $3,000 was appro-

priate restitution for Tori. 5

5 The government conceded that Erika was not pictured with Tori in the ma-

terials and that it no longer sought restitution for Erika.

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21-12710 Opinion of the Court 23

As to Fiona, based on the letter detailing a restitution re-

quest, a victim impact statement from Fiona’s mother, a report of

psychological consultation, and a letter calculating certain losses

for Fiona by an economics group, the district court determined that

Fiona’s total losses are at least $2,558,635. The district court de-

clined to “opine on whether loss of enjoyment of life can be con-

sidered” because other metrics trigger the award for restitution.

Turning to the Paroline factors, the district court considered the

number of images Sotelo possessed (three images), the amount of

prior restitution ($24,000), and the fact that Sotelo did not produce

the images. Finally, the district court determined that $3,000 was

appropriate restitution for Fiona.

Finally, as to Jenny, based on the letter detailing restitution

from Jenny’s counsel, a victim impact statement, a psychological

assessment, and a letter calculating the value of certain losses by an

economics group, the district court determined that Jenny’s total

losses are between $1,753,972 and $3,002,606. Turning to the Pa-

roline factors, the district court noted the number of images Sotelo

possessed (six images), the amount of prior restitution ($113,862),

and the fact that Sotelo did not produce the images. Finally, the

district court determined that $3,000 was appropriate restitution

for Jenny.6

6 The district court’s order, by scrivener’s error, listed the restitution for Jenny

as “$3,0000,” not “$3,000” as described in the body of the order and requested

by the government.

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24 Opinion of the Court 21-12710

Sotelo timely appealed the order of restitution.

II. STANDARD OF REVIEW

We review the substantive reasonableness of a sentence un-

der the abuse of discretion standard. United States v. Livesay, 587

F.3d 1274, 1278 (11th Cir. 2009). “A district court abuses its discre-

tion when it (1) fails to afford consideration to relevant factors that

were due significant weight, (2) gives significant weight to an im-

proper or irrelevant factor, or (3) commits a clear error of judgment

in considering the proper factors.” United States v. Irey, 612 F.3d

1160, 1189 (11th Cir. 2010) (en banc) (quoting United States v.

Campa, 459 F.3d 1121, 1174 (11th Cir. 2006) (en banc)). In deciding

on a sentence, the district court must evaluate all the 18 U.S.C.

§ 3553(a) factors, but the weight given to each factor is within the

sound discretion of the district court. United States v. Ramirez-Gon-

zalez, 755 F.3d 1267, 1272 (11th Cir. 2014). The party challenging

the sentence bears the burden of establishing that it is unreasonable

based on the facts of the case and the § 3553(a) factors. United States

v. Shabazz, 887 F.3d 1204, 1224 (11th Cir. 2018).

“We review de novo the legality of a restitution order, but

review for clear error the factual findings underlying that order.”

Rothenberg v. United States, 923 F.3d 1309, 1327 (11th Cir. 2019). We

review the amount of the district court’s restitution award only for

an abuse of discretion. Id.; see also Paroline, 572 U.S. at 459 (empha-

sizing that “determining the proper amount of restitution” in-

volves “the use of discretion and sound judgment” by the district

court). A district court abuses its discretion if it applies the

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21-12710 Opinion of the Court 25

incorrect legal standard, follows improper procedures, or makes

clearly erroneous findings of fact. United States v. Jordan, 582 F.3d

1239, 1249 (11th Cir. 2009).

III. ANALYSIS

A. Sentencing

As to his sentence, Sotelo argues that the district court

abused its discretion by failing to properly consider and balance cer-

tain factors, including (1) his cooperation with authorities; (2) his

deportation following his sentence; and (3) the government’s com-

ment that seven years was “usually” the sentence imposed in these

cases.

Section 3553(a) provides that the district court “shall impose

a sentence sufficient, but not greater than necessary,” to accom-

plish multiple goals, including to reflect the seriousness of the of-

fense, promote respect for the law, and provide just punishment

for the offense; afford adequate deterrence to criminal conduct;

and protect the public from further crimes of the defendant. 18

U.S.C. § 3553(a)(2)(A)–(C). The court also must consider, among

other things, the nature and circumstances of the offense and the

history and characteristics of the defendant; the kinds of sentences

available; the guideline sentencing range; the need to avoid unwar-

ranted sentencing disparities among defendants with similar rec-

ords who have been convicted of similar conduct; and the need to

provide restitution to any victims. Id. § 3553(a)(1), (3)–(7).

Because we are reviewing for an abuse of discretion, we will

not substitute our own judgment for that of the sentencing court

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26 Opinion of the Court 21-12710

and will sometimes affirm the district court even if we would have

sentenced the defendant differently in the first instance. The ques-

tion is whether the district court’s decision was “‘in the ballpark’ of

permissible outcomes.” United States v. Rosales-Bruno, 789 F.3d

1249, 1254 (11th Cir. 2015) (quoting Ledford v. Peeples, 605 F.3d 871,

922 (11th Cir. 2010)). And when considering a claim of unwar-

ranted sentencing disparity, we consider whether the defendant is

similarly situated to the defendants to whom he compares himself.

United States v. Duperval, 777 F.3d 1324, 1338 (11th Cir. 2015).

While we do not formally presume that a within-guidelines-range

sentence is reasonable, “we ordinarily expect it to be.” United States

v. Castaneda, 997 F.3d 1318, 1332 (11th Cir. 2021). A district court’s

imposition of a sentence well below the statutory maximum pen-

alty is another indicator of reasonableness. Id.

Sotelo has not met the burden to show his sentence is sub-

stantively unreasonable. As an initial matter, his 121-month sen-

tence is already below the applicable advisory guideline of 135 to

168 months and substantially below the statutory maximum sen-

tence of 240 months. 18 U.S.C. § 2252(b). The record reflects that

the district court considered Sotelo’s deportation, Sotelo’s cooper-

ation, and the arguments around unwarranted sentencing dispari-

ties. Despite these arguments, the district court determined that

several factors weighed against a significant downward variance,

including the number of images possessed, the fact that the images

involved infants and toddlers and sadistic/masochistic behavior,

and the fact that Sotelo played a moderator role. The govern-

ment’s statement that seven years is the usual sentence in these

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21-12710 Opinion of the Court 27

cases does not make the sentence unreasonable. Neither the gov-

ernment nor Sotelo provided any further explanation or details

about other “usual” cases, i.e., whether they involved toddlers,

whether they involved defendants who played a moderator role,

or whether they involved defendants who possessed a large num-

ber of images. All of Sotelo’s other arguments amount to a claim

that the district court did not give proper weight to various factors

in sentencing Sotelo. The district court, however, weighed the fac-

tors and, in its broad discretion, came to a different conclusion,

choosing a 14-month variance downward rather than Sotelo’s re-

quest for a greater variance. The final 121-month sentence fell sig-

nificantly below the statutory maximum of 240 months and below

the PSI’s guideline range for the case, further indicating the sen-

tence’s reasonableness. Thus, the sentence falls well within “the

ballpark of permissible outcomes.” Rosales-Bruno, 789 F.3d at 1257

(quoting Irey, 612 F.3d at 1189.)

Because we conclude that the district court did not abuse its

considerable discretion in rejecting the parties’ joint sentence rec-

ommendation and sentencing Sotelo to 121 months’ imprison-

ment, we affirm Sotelo’s sentence.

B. Restitution

As to restitution, Sotelo makes four arguments on appeal.

First, Sotelo argues that the district court erred in relying on the

NCMEC report and spreadsheet because there was no basis for

finding that Sotelo possessed images of the listed victims and be-

cause the “minimal indicia of reliability” standard is incorrect post-

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28 Opinion of the Court 21-12710

AVAA. Second, he claims that the district court erred in failing to

present evidence on the total number of persons who had viewed

each of the individual victim’s images and making the requisite

finding as to Sotelo’s relative causal role. Third, he argues that the

district court erred in awarding restitution where Violet, Maria,

Tori, and Fiona have not been told their images are on the internet.

Fourth, he argues that individual restitution amounts are not sup-

ported by the record for each individual victim. Before addressing

these arguments, it is necessary to discuss the statutory scheme

governing this kind of restitution.

“In a sense, every viewing of child pornography is a repeti-

tion of the victim’s abuse.” Paroline, 572 U.S. at 457. The collective

conduct of every individual who possesses the depictions of a

child’s sexual abuse plays a role in continuing that original violation

for the entire life of the victim. Recognizing this, Congress has

mandated restitution in child pornography possession cases. See 18

U.S.C. § 2259. In Paroline, the Supreme Court adopted a causation-

in-fact standard for § 2259 cases given that “[t]he cause of the vic-

tim’s general losses is the trade in her images” and that “it is impos-

sible to trace a particular amount of those losses to the individual

defendant by recourse to a more traditional causal inquiry.” 572

U.S. at 449, 456–58. Such a system achieves two goals. It both helps

victims achieve eventual restitution on the often long, painful, and

expensive road to recovering from their abuse and conveys to of-

fenders “the fact that child-pornography crimes, even simple pos-

session, affects real victims.” Id. at 459.

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21-12710 Opinion of the Court 29

As to how district courts should determine the amount of

restitution, the Supreme Court stated that a court “must assess as

best it can from available evidence the significance of the individual

defendant’s conduct in light of the broader causal process that pro-

duced the victim’s losses.” Id. While recognizing that the inquiry

“cannot be a precise mathematical inquiry,” the Paroline Court out-

lined factors that courts “might consider in determining a proper

amount of restitution,” stressing that “it is neither necessary nor

appropriate to prescribe a precise algorithm for determining the

proper restitution at this point in the law’s development.” Id. at

459–60. These factors include: (1) the number of past criminal de-

fendants found to have contributed to the victim’s general losses;

(2) reasonable predictions of the number of future offenders likely

to be caught and convicted for crimes contributing to the victim’s

general losses; (3) any available and reasonably reliable estimate of

the broader number of offenders involved; (4) whether the defend-

ant reproduced or distributed images of the victim; (5) whether the

defendant had any connection to the initial production of the im-

ages; (6) how many images of the victim the defendant possessed;

and (7) other facts relevant to the defendant’s relative causal role.

Id. at 460. The Supreme Court cautioned that these factors are not

a “rigid formula” but rather “guideposts” to aid the district court in

determining restitution. Id.

The AVAA, effective December 7, 2018, amended § 2259.

See Amy, Vicky, and Andy Child Pornography Victim Assistance

Act of 2018, Pub. L. No. 115-299, 132 Stat. 4383 (2018). The amend-

ment provided the framework for determining restitution in child

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30 Opinion of the Court 21-12710

pornography possession cases and set a minimum amount of

$3,000 for restitution. Id. The amended § 2259 reads, in relevant

part:

(a) In general.—Notwithstanding [18 U.S.C.] section

3663 or 3663A, and in addition to any other civil or

criminal penalty authorized by law, the court shall or-

der restitution for any offense under this chapter.

(b) Scope and nature of order.—

(1) Directions.—Except as provided in paragraph

(2), the order of restitution under this section shall

direct the defendant to pay the victim (through

the appropriate court mechanism) the full amount

of the victim’s losses.

(2) Restitution for trafficking in child pornogra-

phy.—If the defendant was convicted of traffick-

ing in child pornography, the court shall order res-

titution under this section in an amount to be de-

termined by the court as follows:

(A) Determining the full amount of a vic-

tim’s losses.—The court shall determine the

full amount of the victim’s losses that were in-

curred or are reasonably projected to be in-

curred by the victim as a result of the traffick-

ing in child pornography depicting the victim.

(B) Determining a restitution amount.—Af-

ter completing the determination required un-

der subparagraph (A), the court shall order res-

titution in an amount that reflects the

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21-12710 Opinion of the Court 31

defendant’s relative role in the causal process

that underlies the victim’s losses, but which is

no less than $3,000.

(C) Termination of payment.—A victim’s to-

tal aggregate recovery pursuant to this section

shall not exceed the full amount of the victim’s

demonstrated losses. After the victim has re-

ceived restitution in the full amount of the vic-

tim’s losses as measured by the greatest

amount of such losses found in any case involv-

ing that victim that has resulted in a final resti-

tution order under this section, the liability of

each defendant who is or has been ordered to

pay restitution for such losses to that victim

shall be terminated. The court may require the

victim to provide information concerning the

amount of restitution the victim has been paid

in other cases for the same losses.

...

(c) Definitions.—

...

(2) Full amount of the victim’s losses.—For pur-

poses of this subsection, the term “full amount of

the victim’s losses” include any costs incurred, or

that are reasonably projected to be incurred in the

future, by the victim, as a proximate result of the

offenses involving the victim, and in the case of

trafficking in child pornography offenses, as a

proximate result of all trafficking in child

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32 Opinion of the Court 21-12710

pornography offenses involving the same victim,

including—

(A) medical service relating to physical, psychi-

atric, or psychological care;

(B) physical and occupational therapy or reha-

bilitation;

(C) necessary transportation, temporary hous-

ing, and child care expenses;

(D) lost income;

(E) reasonable attorneys’ fees, as well as other

costs incurred; and

(F) any other relevant losses incurred by the

victim.

18 U.S.C. § 2259.

Thus, under § 2259, “[a] victim’s total aggregate recov-

ery . . . shall not exceed the full amount of the victim’s demon-

strated losses.” § 2259(b)(2)(C). Accordingly, “[a]fter the victim

has received restitution in the full amount of the victim’s losses as

measured by the greatest amount of such losses found in any case

involving that victim that has resulted in a final restitution order

. . . , the liability of each defendant who is or has been ordered to

pay restitution for such losses to that victim shall be terminated.”

Id.

Prior to the AVAA amendments, § 2259 did not prescribe a

minimum amount for restitution. In setting the minimum

amount, Congress commented that “[i]t is the intent of Congress

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21-12710 Opinion of the Court 33

that victims of child pornography be compensated for the harms

resulting from every perpetrator who contributes to their an-

guish.” AVAA, § 2, 132 Stat. at 4383. “Such an aggregate causation

standard reflects the nature of child pornography and the unique

ways that it actually harms victims.” Id. Understanding the com-

plexity of providing meaningful restitution to victims of a never-

ending crime, we turn to Sotelo’s arguments.

1. NCMEC Report and Spreadsheet

On appeal, Sotelo argues that the district court erred in rely-

ing on the NCMEC report and spreadsheet. He contends that there

was no basis for finding that Sotelo possessed the images and that

the NCMEC report and spreadsheet lack the “minimal indicia of

reliability” necessary to establish restitution. Particularly, Sotelo

takes issue with the fact that the government did not disclose how

the information in the spreadsheet was obtained nor who prepared

the spreadsheet.

We conclude that the NCMEC report and spreadsheet bear

the minimal indicia sufficient to establish reliability. Thus, the dis-

trict court did not err in relying on those materials to establish and

calculate restitution. In considering restitution, courts may con-

sider hearsay evidence like the NCMEC report and spreadsheet so

long as the defendant has an opportunity to refute the evidence and

it bears the “minimal indicia of reliability.” Hairston, 888 F.2d at

1353 (quoting Rodriguez, 765 F.2d at 1555). As an initial matter, we

do not view the report and spreadsheet in a vacuum. Indeed, the

names of the series and victims are consistent throughout the

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34 Opinion of the Court 21-12710

record, including the report, spreadsheet, and the restitution

claims. Further, the NCMEC report and spreadsheet’s reliability is

corroborated by more than 800 pages of documentation submitted

by attorneys, doctors, economists, and psychologists with connec-

tions to the actual victims.

It is also notable that the report comes from the NCMEC,

the only organization in the country dedicated to the notification

and identification of child pornography victims. In the report, the

NCMEC explains that the files submitted by the FBI Special Agent

assigned to the case “were compared with NCMEC’s Child Recog-

nition & Identification System,” that “[t]here were files that appear

to contain child victims who have been identified by law enforce-

ment,” and that the report “will list the specific file names, the cor-

responding series name and the law enforcement point of contact

who is providing age verification for the children.” The govern-

ment also outlined to the district court how the NCMEC retains

hash values 7 on series and connects those values to individual vic-

tims. Finally, supporting the district court’s finding that the report

and spreadsheet were sufficiently reliable to establish restitution is

the overarching fact that Sotelo pled guilty to possessing child por-

nography and acknowledged being the moderator of a group ded-

icated to trading images and videos of children being sexually

abused, all in a timeframe that largely matches that in the spread-

sheet.

7 See footnote 3 supra.

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21-12710 Opinion of the Court 35

These facts show that the NCMEC report and spreadsheet

bear the minimal indicia of reliability, and thus we conclude that

the district court did not abuse its discretion in relying on them.

While it may have been better evidentiary practice for the govern-

ment to obtain a signed declaration by someone at the NCMEC, or

for the spreadsheet to include the name of the author or the time

of creation, we will not conclude that this copious record was in-

sufficient to establish restitution. In passing § 2259, “Congress was

attempting to compensate the victims of child pornography, not to

intensify the harm they have already suffered as a condition of ob-

taining restitution.” United States v. Kearney, 672 F.3d 81, 99 (1st Cir.

2012). The evidence in this case sufficiently connected Sotelo’s

conduct to the individual victims’ harms and, as Congress in-

tended, did not overly burden victims with reminders of their

abuse.

Sotelo also argues that the district erred in using the “mini-

mal indicia of reliability” standard established in Hairston, 888 F.2d

at 1353. Because the AVAA mandated a minimum restitution

amount, Sotelo contends that the $3,000 minimum operates less as

restitution and more as a fine or penalty, subject to a higher stand-

ard of proof pursuant to the rule from Apprendi v. New Jersey, 530

U.S. 466 (2000), and Alleyne v. United States, 570 U.S. 99 (2013).

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36 Opinion of the Court 21-12710

Because Sotelo made this argument for the first time on ap-

peal, we review this issue only for plain error. 8 United States v.

Bobal, 981 F.3d 971, 975 (11th Cir. 2020). “[W]here the explicit lan-

guage of a statute or rule does not specifically resolve an issue,

there can be no plain error where there is no precedent from the

Supreme Court or this Court directly resolving it.” United States v.

Lejarde-Rada, 319 F.3d 1288, 1291 (11th Cir. 2003). Neither the text

of § 2259 nor any Supreme Court or Eleventh Circuit cases specifi-

cally address whether the AVAA’s mandatory $3,000 is subject to

Apprendi. Indeed, lacking any such precedent on which to rely,

Sotelo argues in his brief against our previous decisions that suggest

that Apprendi might not apply to the new mandatory restitution

amount. See Dohrmann v. United States, 442 F.3d 1279, 1281 (11th

Cir. 2006). Thus, the district court did not plainly err by applying

the “minimal indicia of reliability” standard. 9 Because the district

court did not plainly err, we need not reach the merits of the Ap-

prendi question here.

8 Indeed, Sotelo never cited Apprendi nor Alleyne in the restitution hearing or

briefings and never argued that the restitution process violated his Fifth and

Sixth Amendment rights to have restitution submitted to a jury.

9 Sotelo also raises for the first time on appeal an Eighth Amendment argu-

ment that the prohibition of excessive fines precludes restitution of this size.

For similar reasons, we find no plain error as to this issue. See Bobal, 981 F.3d

at 975; Lejarde-Rada, 319 F.3d at 1291. And, in any event, a $3,000 minimum

amount for restitution is not grossly disproportionate to the gravity of pos-

sessing child pornography. Cf. United States v. Sperrazza, 804 F.3d 1113, 1127

(11th Cir. 2015).

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21-12710 Opinion of the Court 37

2. Restitution Award

As to the actual award of restitution, Sotelo first argues that

the district court erred by failing to determine how many people

viewed each image. Because the AVAA instructs district courts to

determine the defendant’s “relative role” in causing a victim’s

losses, Sotelo urges us to require the government to present evi-

dence of the total number of viewers of a victim’s images.

The text of the AVAA amended statute requires a court to

order restitution that “reflects the defendant’s relative role in the

causal process that underlies the victim’s losses.” § 2259(b)(2)(B).

Presenting evidence on the total number of viewers of a victim’s

images is neither a necessary finding to determine a defendant’s

relative role nor always possible given the sprawling nature of child

pornography on the internet and the indeterminable number of po-

tential viewers in the future. The statutory language corresponds

with the Paroline instructions for considering factors that can help

determine, by no “rigid formula,” the “defendant’s relative causal

role” in the victim’s losses. Paroline, 572 U.S. at 460. As the Su-

preme Court stated, this inquiry “cannot be a precise mathematical

inquiry and involves the use of discretion and sound judgment.”

Id. at 459. The AVAA did not direct courts to depart from the es-

tablished method of inquiry into a defendant’s “relative role.” In-

deed, that inquiry itself is now mandated by statute. Far from dis-

placing Paroline, the AVAA recognized the approach outlined in Pa-

roline as the proper one in § 2259 cases, and Congress explicitly

mentioned Paroline in its findings. AVAA, § 2, 132 Stat. at 4383.

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38 Opinion of the Court 21-12710

The district court thus did not abuse its discretion in not addressing

each “rough guidepost” outlined in Paroline.

Next, Sotelo objects to the district court’s award to Violet,

Maria, Tori, and Fiona on the grounds that they have not yet been

told that their abuse images are on the internet. Again, he is mis-

taken. Awareness of one’s images being circulated on the internet

is not a prerequisite for restitution, nor has Sotelo pointed to any

case or authority suggesting otherwise. The language of § 2259

states that projected therapy and medical costs can be considered

in calculating a victim’s total losses. § 2259(b)(2)(A) (“The court

shall determine the full amount of the victim’s losses that were in-

curred or are reasonably projected to be incurred by the victim.” (em-

phasis added)). And we have previously held that restitution for

future expenses, such as future therapy and counseling, is allowed

as long as the award reflects a reasonable estimate of those costs

and is based on record evidence. See United States v. Osman, 853

F.3d 1184, 1189–90 (11th Cir. 2017). Moreover, the costs included

in a victim’s losses cover more than therapy, including medical ser-

vices, transportation, temporary housing, lost income, and attor-

ney’s fees. 18 U.S.C. § 2259(c)(2). So even if a victim might forgo

therapy, as Sotelo suggests, that by no means forecloses the reason-

able projection of other costs. Indeed, the record overwhelmingly

suggests that the widespread circulation of one’s abuse images will

cause harms to the victims throughout their lives. If the record

supports a reasonable estimate of future costs to victims of child

pornography who are currently unaware of the trafficked images,

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21-12710 Opinion of the Court 39

no language in § 2259 nor case law prevents a district court from

ordering restitution.

Finally, Sotelo attacks the restitution amounts, arguing that

they were not supported by the record. When reviewing posses-

sion of child pornography restitution awards, we “give due defer-

ence to the district court’s determination that the Paroline factors,

on the whole, justify the restitution amount awarded and should

not vacate an award unless left with the definite and firm convic-

tion that the district court committed a clear error of judgment in

setting the award amount.” Rothenberg, 923 F.3d at 1328. In enact-

ing § 2259, “it is clear that Congress intended to provide victims of

sexual abuse with expansive relief for ‘the full amount of . . . [their]

losses’ suffered as a result of abuse.” Osman, 853 F.3d at 1192 (al-

terations in original) (quoting United States v. Danser, 270 F.3d 451,

455 (7th Cir. 2001)). The government bears the burden of proving

“at least a reasonable estimate” of the losses “based on reliable evi-

dence.” Rothenberg, 923 F.3d at 1340. In showing restitution, the

government has met that burden, and the district court did not

abuse its discretion in awarding restitution.

As to Maureen’s award for $3,000, the district court relied

on the forensic psychological examination, witness impact state-

ment, and affidavit detailing attorney’s costs. Finding that

Maureen’s total losses were between $185,528.18 and $205,128.18,

the district court concluded that Maureen’s total loss was

$205,128.18, relying on the higher end of the estimates in the attor-

ney’s and psychological reports. Sotelo argues that the district

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40 Opinion of the Court 21-12710

erred and should have relied on the lower estimate, which would

put Maureen’s losses at the amount below the amount of restitu-

tion previously recovered, barring restitution. Sotelo does not,

however, cite any authority showing that a district court has an ob-

ligation to choose the lower end of expert cost estimates. We also

find no such authority. Given the extensive record outlining

Maureen’s incurred and projected costs, the district court did not

abuse its discretion in awarding restitution to Maureen.

As to Pia’s award for $5,000, the district court relied on the

forensic psychological report, witness impact statement, employa-

bility analysis, and affidavit detailing attorney’s costs. The district

court found that Pia’s total losses are between $1,073,919.44 and

$1,710,919.44. Sotelo argues that the district court erred in relying

on census data and comparison data from individuals not similarly

situated to Pia to project future earnings losses. He also attempts

to discredit Pia’s future earnings by pointing out that she recently

won an art award at school. Both arguments fail. First, the district

court did not rely on census data, but rather relied on a vocational

expert’s analysis of the data and Pia’s reasonably projected chal-

lenges in the future workplace. The professional hurdles of child

abuse victims are well documented in the record. Second, Sotelo’s

highly selective focus on Pia’s recent art award in school ignores

the overwhelming message of the victim report that documents

her depression, anxiety, social isolation, self-esteem issues, and

concentration problems. Finally, Pia has been awarded similar res-

titution amounts in other cases before this Court. See Rothenberg,

923 F.3d at 1316–17; United States v. Groover, 2021 WL 3205719, at

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21-12710 Opinion of the Court 41

*3, *5 (11th Cir. July 29, 2021). Thus, the district court did not

abuse its discretion in its restitution award to Pia.

As to Violet’s $10,000 restitution award, the district court re-

lied on the forensic psychological examination, multiple studies ad-

dressing the psychological profiles of adult survivors of child ex-

ploitation, other cases in which district courts awarded victims like

Violet restitution, and a declaration detailing attorney’s fees and

costs. The district court determined that Violet’s total losses are

between $767,616.50 and $813,241.50, which include losses pro-

jected to occur in the future. Noting the relatively large number of

images possessed by Sotelo (eighteen images and twelve videos)

and the evidence showing that it is more likely than not Violet will

need the projected therapy and medical treatments laid out in the

report, the district court deemed $10,000 appropriate restitution.

The district court did not err in reaching that conclusion.

As to Maria’s award for $3,000, the district court relied on

her counsel’s declaration in support of restitution, determining that

Maria’s total losses were $125,000. Sotelo argues that an attorney’s

letter alone is insufficient to establish restitution, but this argument

asks us to go against established precedent. Rothenberg, 923 F.3d at

1337–38 (holding that a signed declaration from victim’s counsel

stating the projected costs of victim’s future medical costs was suf-

ficient evidence to support restitution). Again, the district court

followed the inquiry set forth in Paroline and did not abuse its dis-

cretion in awarding Maria restitution.

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42 Opinion of the Court 21-12710

As to Tori’s award for $3,000, the district court relied on

counsel’s letter detailing the request, the approximate cost of the

forensic examinations needed in the case, and a report of psycho-

logical consultation. The district court determined that Tori’s

losses totaled $20,500, noting that the current total is “almost cer-

tainly understated” given the early nature of her counsel’s work on

documenting her losses. Sotelo objects to this amount on appeal

with arguments already addressed and rejected above. Given the

reasonably projected costs and Sotelo’s role in possessing and serv-

ing as a moderator in a child pornography group, the district court

did not abuse its discretion in awarding Tori restitution.

As to Fiona’s award for $3,000, the district court relied on

the letter detailing restitution from Fiona’s counsel, a victim im-

pact statement by Fiona’s mother, a report of psychological consul-

tation, and a letter calculating the value of certain losses by an eco-

nomics group. The district court determined that Fiona’s total

losses are at least $2,558,635. Sotelo argues that the AVAA did not

contemplate restitution recoveries in the millions of dollars and

criticizes the economic projection report and that the economic re-

port inflated Fiona’s costs. Even assuming the costs were inflated,

the error in calculation would have to be nearly $2.5 million dollars

to alter the district court’s analysis given that Fiona has only re-

ceived $24,000 in prior restitution so far. Since Fiona’s costs are

certainly above her current restitution received by at least $3,000,

the district court did not abuse its discretion in awarding the mini-

mum amount.

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21-12710 Opinion of the Court 43

Finally, as to Jenny’s award for $3,000, the district court re-

lied on the letter from Jenny’s counsel, her victim impact state-

ment, psychological assessment, and a letter calculating losses by

an economics group. The district court found that Jenny’s total

losses are between $1,753,972 and $3,002,606. Again, Sotelo argues

that the lost future earnings are not reasonably projected. He also

argues that Jenny’s projected therapy costs are incorrect because

she has elected not to undergo psychological therapy. The future

earnings projection, however, was based on estimates by econo-

mists, and these kinds of costs are contemplated by the text of the

statute, which includes restitution for “lost income” and “any other

relevant losses incurred by the victim.” 18 U.S.C. § 2259(c)(2)(D);

cf. Rothenberg, 923 F.3d at 1331-32 (discussing United States v. Sainz,

827 F.3d 602 (7th Cir. 2016), which awarded restitution under

§ 2259 for future lost earnings). And an election not to pursue psy-

chological treatment at this time does not foreclose other types of

costs or even future treatment costs if it is more likely than not that

she will eventually need treatment. It was not unreasonable to

conclude that, through a lifetime of processing abuse and the cir-

culation of the images of that abuse, treatment will more likely

than not be necessary for Jenny. The district court thus did not

abuse its discretion in awarding Jenny restitution.

In all, the district court’s determinations on restitution were

supported by a copious record and within a reasonable range of

$3,000 to $10,000. “[C]hild pornography is ‘a permanent record’ of

the depicted child abuses, and ‘the harm to the child is exacerbated

by [its] circulation.’” Paroline, 572 U.S. at 440. Sotelo possessed at

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44 Opinion of the Court 21-12710

least 1,712 images and 245 videos of child pornography, and he was

a moderator in an online group dedicated to the trade of such im-

ages. Because we find no abuse of discretion in the district court’s

judgment, we affirm the district court’s restitution award.

IV. CONCLUSION

For all these reasons, we affirm Sotelo’s sentence and the or-

der of restitution.

AFFIRMED.