United States v. Reilly

RECOMMENDED FOR FULL-TEXT PUBLICATION

Pursuant to Sixth Circuit Rule 206

File Name: 11a0302p.06

UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS

FOR THE SIXTH CIRCUIT

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Plaintiff-Appellee, -

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,

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No. 09-6453

v.

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PATRICK MICHAEL REILLY, aka PATRICK

Defendant-Appellant. -

MICHAEL RILEY,

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Appeal from the United States District Court

for the Eastern District of Kentucky at Lexington.

No. 08-00081-001—Jennifer B. Coffman, Chief District Judge.

Decided and Filed: December 2, 2011

Before: GILMAN and KETHLEDGE, Circuit Judges; LUDINGTON, District

Judge.*

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COUNSEL

ON BRIEF: Andrew Martin Stephens, ANDREW M. STEPHENS & ASSOCIATES,

Lexington, Kentucky, for Appellant. Charles P. Wisdom, Jr., John Patrick Grant,

ASSISTANT UNITED STATES ATTORNEYS, Lexington, Kentucky, for Appellee.

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OPINION

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LUDINGTON, District Judge. Patrick Reilly pled guilty to two counts of

distribution of child pornography and was sentenced to 151 months in custody. He

appeals the imposition of that sentence, arguing that although it is within the United

States Sentencing Guidelines range of 151 to 188 months, the sentence is substantively

unreasonable. We affirm.

*

The Honorable Thomas L. Ludington, United States District Judge for the Eastern District of

Michigan, sitting by designation.

1

No. 09-6453 United States v. Reilly Page 2

I.

The Kentucky State Police began investigating Reilly in early 2008 for his

potential involvement in child pornography. A woman who had met Reilly on the

internet contacted the police after Reilly proposed including a child in their sexual

activities and sent her five videos containing images of children engaging in graphic

sexual acts with adults.

Initiating an undercover investigation, a male police detective posed as the

woman online. After he sent Reilly a message that a fourteen-year-old girl had taken up

residence in the woman’s home, Reilly responded with instructions for grooming the

child for sexual activity. A short time later, Reilly sent seven more videos to the

woman’s online account. The videos contained images of female children engaging in

graphic sexual acts with adults. Reilly instructed the woman to watch the videos with

the child. Making plans to meet the woman and child at a hotel, Reilly wrote that he

intended to videotape himself having sex with the child. Reilly later modified the travel

arrangements, planning instead for the woman and child to travel to Reilly’s home in

Tennessee when his wife and child would be out of town.

Police then executed a search warrant for Reilly’s residence, seizing a computer.

Forensic examination of the computer revealed that Reilly had exchanged child

pornography with forty-nine people. Police found more than a thousand photos and

videos containing child pornography, some involving children as young as four years

old. Police also found a series of messages between Reilly and another woman who he

had met online. Messages recovered from this woman’s computer showed that Reilly

requested that the woman’s three-year-old daughter perform oral sex on him. The

request was not complied with.

A grand jury indicted Reilly on one count of enticement, twelve counts of child

pornography distribution, and two counts of forfeiture. Pursuant to a plea agreement,

Reilly pled guilty to two counts of distributing child pornography in violation of

18 U.S.C. § 2252(a)(2). In his presentencing memorandum, Reilly moved for a

departure under § 5K of the Sentencing Guidelines and a variance under 18 U.S.C.

No. 09-6453 United States v. Reilly Page 3

§ 3553(a) based on his extraordinary contribution to his country as a soldier. His decade

of service included three combat tours with the United States Army as an improvised

explosive device (IED) inspector in Iraq and Afghanistan, during which he sustained

repeated concussions from IEDs. His final tour was cut short by an IED that fractured

his back, necessitating surgery. At his sentencing hearing in 2009, a psychologist

testified that Reilly had sustained organic brain injury while in the service, which,

combined with his pain medications, led to his interest in child pornography. The

district court denied Reilly’s motion for a downward departure and variance, sentencing

him to the most lenient sentence recommended by the Sentencing Guidelines, 151

months. This timely appeal followed.

II.

“The question of whether a sentence is reasonable is determined using the abuse-

of-discretion standard of review.” United States v. Webb, 616 F.3d 605, 609 (6th Cir.

2010). Reasonableness “has both a procedural and substantive component.” United

States v. Brown, 579 F.3d 672, 677 (6th Cir. 2009) (citing United States v. Jones, 445

F.3d 865, 869 (6th Cir. 2006)). When a party like Reilly does not challenge the

procedural reasonableness of his sentence, however, this Court limits its review to

whether the sentence was substantively unreasonable. See United States v. Lanning, 633

F.3d 469, 474 (6th Cir. 2011) (quoting United States v. Tate, 516 F.3d 459, 469 (6th Cir.

2008)).

“A sentence will be found to be substantively unreasonable when the district

court selects the sentence arbitrarily, bases the sentence on impermissible factors, fails

to consider pertinent § 3553(a) factors or gives an unreasonable amount of weight to any

pertinent factor.” United States v. Sexton, 512 F.3d 326, 332 (6th Cir. 2008) (internal

quotation marks omitted) (quoting United States v. Borho, 485 F.3d 904, 908 (6th Cir.

2007)).

Reilly argues “that given all the factors, including most importantly, a complete

and total lack of criminal history and a beautiful service record, that a departure and/or

variance was appropriate.” Appellant’s Br. 11. We find his argument unpersuasive.

No. 09-6453 United States v. Reilly Page 4

A.

Congress created the United States Sentencing Commission, the drafter of the

Sentencing Guidelines, as part of the Sentencing Reform Act of 1984, 18 U.S.C.

§§ 3551–3742; 28 U.S.C. §§ 991–998. Among its assignments, the Commission was

tasked with the responsibility to

establish sentencing policies and practices for the Federal criminal justice

system that —

(A) assure the meeting of the purposes of sentencing as set forth in

section 3553(a)(2) of title 18, United States Code;

(B) provide certainty and fairness in meeting the purposes of sentencing,

avoiding unwarranted sentencing disparities among defendants with

similar records who have been found guilty of similar criminal conduct

while maintaining sufficient flexibility to permit individualized sentences

when warranted by mitigating or aggravating factors not taken into

account in the establishment of general sentencing practices; and

(C) reflect, to the extent practicable, advancement in knowledge of

human behavior as it relates to the criminal justice process[.]

28 U.S.C. § 991(b)(1). Subsection (A) references § 3553(a)(2), which describes the

general purposes of sentencing, including punishment, deterrence, incapacitation, and

rehabilitation. See 18 U.S.C. § 3553(a)(2). Subsection (B) references the competing

interests that are balanced in crafting a sentencing range — reducing unjustified

disparities while preserving the district court’s power to justly tailor the individual

punishment to the particular crime.

In the wake of Booker, the Guidelines sentencing range is no longer mandatory,

of course, but advisory. See United States v. Booker, 543 U.S. 220, 245 (2005). Yet the

Guidelines continue to inform district courts’ sentencing decisions. “As a matter of

administration and to secure nationwide consistency,” the Court instructs, “the

Guidelines should be the starting point and the initial benchmark.” Gall v. United States,

552 U.S. 38, 50 (2007). To reduce unwarranted sentencing disparities, the Guidelines

do more than provide a recommended range, they enumerate specific factors that the

district court should — and should not — consider in deciding whether to depart from

the advisory sentencing range.

No. 09-6453 United States v. Reilly Page 5

Specifically, § 5H of the Guidelines identifies a number of offender

characteristics that may be “relevant” to “the determination of whether a sentence should

be outside the applicable guideline range.” U.S.S.G. § 5H intro. cmt. (2009).1 One

subsection, for example, identifies military service as a possible ground for downward

departure. Id. § 5H1.11. Crucially, however, Congress has specifically instructed that

child crimes and sexual offenses are to be treated differently than other types of crimes

— the “sole grounds” permissible for a downward departure are those “expressly

enumerated” in Park 5K. Id. § 5K2.0(b); see also id. app. C, amend. 649 (2003) (noting

that the amendments to §§ 5K2.0 and 5K2.22 were “made directly by [Congress as part

of] the PROTECT ACT, Pub. L. 108-21”). Neither a defendant’s lack of prior criminal

history nor his or her military service are enumerated in § 5K. Accordingly, although

these considerations are permissible grounds of departure for other types of crimes, these

two factors are specifically excluded from consideration for child crimes and sexual

offenses. See id. §§ 4A1.3(b) (identifying possible downward departure for criminal

history); 5H1.11 (identifying possible downward departure for military service). As the

Guidelines commentary notes make explicit: “The standard for a downward departure

in child crimes and sexual offenses differs from the standard for other departures.” Id.

§ 5K2.0 cmt. (4)(B). Moreover, the notes caution:

As reaffirmed in the Prosecutorial Remedies and Other Tools to end the

Exploitation of Children Today Act of 2003 (the “PROTECT ACT”,

Public Law 108-21), circumstances warranting departure should be rare.

Departures were never intended to permit sentencing courts to substitute

their policy judgments for those of Congress and the Sentencing

Commission. Departure in such circumstances would produce

unwarranted sentencing disparity, which the Sentencing Reform Act was

designed to avoid.

Id. § 5K2.0 background cmt. Thus, the Guidelines prohibited the district court from

departing downward from Reilly’s sentencing range based on either his lack of prior

1

Because Reilly was sentenced in 2009, and because no ex post facto issue is presented in this

case, we apply the 2009 Guidelines manual. See United States v. Abboud, Nos. 09–4078, 09–4079, 2011

WL 4469676, at *2 (6th Cir. Sept. 28, 2011) (per curiam) (quoting Guidelines § 1B1.11(a)) (noting that

absent an ex post facto problem, “the guidelines themselves provide that a sentencing court ‘shall use the

Guidelines Manual in effect on the date that the defendant is sentenced’ ”).

No. 09-6453 United States v. Reilly Page 6

criminal history or his exemplary service in the armed forces.2 Granting Reilly’s motion

for a downward departure would have violated both the text of the Guidelines and the

intent of Congress.

In any event, “we do not review a district court’s decision not to depart

downward unless the record shows that the district court was unaware of, or did not

understand, its discretion to make such a departure.” United States v. Santillana, 540

F.3d 428, 431 (6th Cir. 2008) (citing United States v. Puckett, 422 F.3d 340, 344 (6th

Cir. 2005)); see also United States v. Lucas, 357 F.3d 599, 609 (6th Cir. 2004) (“A

district court’s failure to grant a downward departure can only be reviewed by us upon

appeal if the lower court erroneously believed that it lacked authority to grant such a

departure as a matter of law.”). Such is not the case here. Thus, the district court’s

decision not to depart downward is not reviewable by this Court.

B.

Reilly’s argument that a variance is “appropriate” is likewise “simply beyond the

scope of our appellate review, which looks to whether the sentence is reasonable, as

opposed to whether in the first instance we would have imposed the same sentence.”

United States v. Ely, 468 F.3d 399, 404 (6th Cir. 2006). “The fact that the appellate

court might reasonably have concluded that a different sentence was appropriate is

insufficient to justify reversal of the district court.” Gall v. United States, 552 U.S. 38,

51 (2007). Moreover, even if one overlooks the semantic flaws of Reilly’s argument to

consider the substance of his contentions, his sentence was in fact substantively

reasonable.

As a preliminary matter, although Reilly’s military service and lack of criminal

history were not relevant to the “departure” determination under the Guidelines, they

were permissible considerations in the “variance” determination under 18 U.S.C.

2

Indeed, the Guidelines do take into account Reilly’s lack of prior convictions — his sentencing

range was that of the lowest of the criminal history categories (category I). The Guidelines prohibit the

district court from departing downward based on this factor, which was already accounted for in setting

Reilly’s sentencing range.

No. 09-6453 United States v. Reilly Page 7

§ 3553(a). That section identifies seven factors a court shall consider in imposing a

sentence. The factors include:

(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 educational or vocational

training, medical care, or other correctional treatment in the most

effective manner;

(3) the kinds of sentences available;

(4) the kinds of sentence and the sentencing range established for —

(A) the applicable category of offense committed by the applicable

category of defendant as set forth in the guidelines —

(i) issued by the Sentencing Commission . . .

(ii) that . . . are in effect on the date the defendant is sentenced . . .

(5) any pertinent policy statement —

(A) issued by the Sentencing Commission pursuant to section 994(a)(2)

of title 28 . . . ; and

(B) that, except as provided in section 3742(g), is in effect on the date the

defendant is sentenced.

(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). Consequently, while “district courts must begin their analysis with

the Guidelines and remain cognizant of them throughout the sentencing process,” courts

must also remain conscious that “the range of choice dictated by the facts of the case is

significantly broadened [under § 3553(a)].” Gall, 552 U.S. at 50 n.6, 59 (internal

quotation marks omitted).

Nevertheless, on appellate review, “[a] properly calculated advisory guidelines

range represents a starting point for substantive-reasonableness review because it is one

of the § 3553(a) factors and because the guidelines purport to take into consideration

most, if not all, of the other § 3553(a) factors.” United States v. Holcomb, 625 F.3d 287,

293 (6th Cir. 2010) (quoting United States v. Conatser, 514 F.3d 508, 520 (6th Cir.

2008)); see generally United States v. Vonner, 516 F.3d 382, 389 (6th Cir. 2008) (en

No. 09-6453 United States v. Reilly Page 8

banc) (discussing relationship between the Guidelines and the § 3553(a) factors). And

Reilly concedes that the district court properly calculated the Guidelines range in his

case.

In this Court, “[s]entences that fall within the applicable Guidelines range are

rebuttably presumed to be reasonable.” United States v. Brooks, 628 F.3d 791, 796 (6th

Cir. 2011) (citing Vonner, 516 F.3d at 389). As an en banc panel of this Court recently

explained: “when there is a confluence between the national views of the Sentencing

Commission and the independent views of a sentencing judge, that double determination

significantly increases the likelihood that the sentence is a reasonable one.” Vonner, 516

F.3d at 389 (citations and internal quotation marks omitted) (quoting Rita v. United

States, 551 U.S. 338, 347 (2007)).

After applying the presumption of reasonableness, the appellate court must “take

into account the totality of the circumstances,” while recognizing that “[t]he sentencing

judge is in a superior position to find facts and judge their import under § 3553(a) in the

individual case.” Gall, 552 U.S. at 51. Consequently, the sentencing decision is

reviewed under a deferential abuse-of-discretion standard; indeed, the decision “will in

most cases be due substantial deference.” Rita, 551 U.S. at 363 (quoting Koon v. United

States, 518 U.S. 81, 98 (1996)).

As noted above, demonstrating that the district court could have lawfully

imposed a more lenient — indeed, a disparate — sentence is not sufficient.3 See Gall,

552 U.S. at 51 (quoted supra); see also Rita, 551 U.S. at 354 (affirming the substantive

reasonableness of the sentence because “we simply cannot say that [the defendant’s]

special circumstances are special enough that, in light of § 3553(a), they require a

sentence lower than the sentence the Guidelines provide”); United States v. Brown, 579

F.3d 672, 687 (6th Cir. 2009) (“Ultimately, Defendant’s arguments appear to contend

that, given his personal characteristics, a different sentence was justified. While we

3

The sentencing court, of course, is required to “impose a sentence sufficient, but not greater than

necessary, to comply with the purposes set forth in [§ 3553(a)(2)].” 18 U.S.C. § 3553(a). On review,

however, the appellate court’s task is different — it must determine whether a different sentence was

“required.” Rita, 551 U.S. at 354.

No. 09-6453 United States v. Reilly Page 9

might agree, he has not shown that a different sentence was required.” (citing United

States v. Jackson, 466 F.3d 537, 540 (6th Cir. 2006))). Rather, Reilly must demonstrate

that the sentence imposed is substantively unreasonable. He has not done so.

Reilly had a distinguished military career. He suffered injury in the service of

his country, which may have contributed to his criminal misconduct in this case. And

prior to this case, he had no criminal record. However, he also downloaded more than

one thousand images and videos containing child pornography. He exchanged child

pornography with nearly fifty people. He sent child pornography to a woman’s online

account and instructed the woman to watch the videos with a child to groom the child

for sexual activity. And he made plans to shift from viewer of child pornography to

active participant when he planned to videotape himself sexually abusing the child.

Under the totality of the circumstances, his sentence of 151 months — at the lowest end

of the Guidelines range of 151 to 188 months — is substantively reasonable.

* * *

We affirm the decision of the district court.