United States v. Kevin Davis

659 F. App'x 864
CourtCourt of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit
DecidedSeptember 6, 2016
Docket15-3332
StatusUnpublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 659 F. App'x 864 (United States v. Kevin Davis) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
United States v. Kevin Davis, 659 F. App'x 864 (6th Cir. 2016).

Opinion

JULIA SMITH GIBBONS, Circuit Judge.

Kevin Davis pled guilty to one count of distributing child pornography in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 2252(a)(2) and two counts of possessing child pornography in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 2252A(a)(5)(B). He appeals his 240-month sentence, arguing that the district court’s imposition of a two-level enhancement for distribution, pursuant to U.S.S.G. § 2G2.2(b)(3)(F), resulted in impermissible double counting. Because the district court properly applied the two-level distribution enhancement, we affirm.

I.

On June 7, 2012, Davis was charged in a three-count indictment with possession and distribution of child pornography, in violation of 18 U.S.C. §§ 2252(a)(2) and 2252A(a)(5)(B). These charges stemmed from the discovery of pornographic images in Davis’s Microsoft SkyDrive account. SkyDrive is a cloud storage product that allows users to send emails to others with information about how to access and view the contents of the SkyDrive folder. Davis admitted that he had sent emails inviting others to view the contents of his SkyDrive account.

*865 Without the benefit of a plea agreement, Davis pled guilty to all three counts. The PSR set Davis’s base offense level at 22, pursuant to U.S.S.G. § 2G2.2, based on his violation of 18 U.S.C. §§ 2252(a)(2) and 2252A(a)(5)(B). The PSR recommended various enhancements, including a two-point increase for distribution of child pornography, pursuant to U.S.S.G. § 2G2.2(b)(3)(F). It also applied a five-level enhancement for engaging in a pattern of activity involving the sexual abuse of a minor, based on a prior conviction for sexual battery and a prior arrest for aggravated sexual battery. In addition, the PSR found that Davis was subject to a 15-year mandatory minimum sentence on count 1 and a 10-year mandatory minimum' on counts 2 and 3 based on prior convictions for sexual battery and for attempted pandering involving a minor.

At the initial sentencing hearing, on March 25, 2013 the district court applied the mandatory mínimums as well as the five-level pattern of activity enhancement, and sentenced Davis to a 262-month term for count 1 and a 240-month term for counts 2 and 3, to run concurrently. Davis objected to the sentence and filed a timely notice of appeal. A panel of this court held that the district court errantly increased the statutory minimum sentences on the basis of Davis’s prior attempted pandering conviction, but it affirmed the district court’s application of the five-level pattern of activity enhancement. United States v. Davis, 751 F.3d 769, 774-78 (6th Cir. 2014). The panel remanded for resentenc-ing.

On remand, the probation office issued a revised PSR. As before, Davis’s base offense level was set at 22, based on his violation of 18 U.S.C. §§ 2252(a)(2) and 2252A(a)(5)(B). The PSR recommended various enhancements including, again, a two-level increase pursuant to § 2Q2.2(b)(3)(F), because Davis admitted to distributing images using email and SkyDrive.

Davis objected to the revised PSR, arguing that because distribution was an essential element of his offense of conviction, it was impermissible double-counting to enhance his sentence pursuant to § 2Q2.2(b)(3)(F). Over Davis’s objections, the district court applied the two-level enhancement. The court resentenced Davis to a 240-month term on Count 1, and a 120-month term for Counts 2 and 3, to run concurrently. Davis now appeals the district court’s application of the two-point enhancement under § 2G2.2(b)(3)(F).

II.

We review criminal sentences for both substantive and procedural reasonableness. Gall v. United States, 552 U.S. 38, 51, 128 S.Ct. 586, 169 L.Ed.2d 445 (2007). In reviewing a sentence for procedural reasonableness, this court must ensure that the district court “correctly calculated] the applicable Guidelines range.” Id. at 49, 128 S.Ct. 586. We review a district court’s factual findings at sentencing for clear error ánd its legal conclusions regarding the Sentencing Guidelines de novo, United States v. Hodge, 805 F.3d 675, 678 (6th Cir. 2015), and the applicability of U.S.S.G. § 2G2.2(b)(3)(F) to Davis’s sentence is one such legal question. See id.

“Double counting ‘occurs when precisely the same aspect of a defendant’s conduct factors into his sentence in two separate ways.’ ” United States v. Walters, 775 F.3d 778, 782 (6th Cir. 2015) (quoting United States v. Wheeler, 330 F.3d 407, 413 (6th Cir. 2003)). While double counting is, at times, impermissible, it is well-settled Sixth Circuit law that double counting does not result in a constitutional violation. Id. at 782-83. In fact, this court has held that double counting is acceptable “[w]here it *866 ‘appears that Congress or the Sentencing Commission intended to attach multiple penalties to the same conduct.’ ” Id. at 782 (quoting United States v. Battaglia, 624 F,3d 348, 351 (6th Cir. 2010)); see also United States v. Chiaradio, 684 F.3d 265, 283 (1st Cir. 2012) (noting that the Sentencing Commission is “capable of expressly forbidding double counting under the guidelines when appropriate” and “regard[ing] it as settled that when ‘neither an explicit prohibition against double counting nor a compelling basis for implying such a prohibition exists,’ courts should be reluctant to read in a prohibition where there is none” (quoting United States v. Lilly, 13 F.3d 15, 19-20 (1st Cir. 1994))).

In Walters, the defendant pled guilty to two counts of possession, receipt, and distribution under 18 U.S.C. §§ 2252(a)(2) and 2252A(a)(5)(B). 775 F.3d at 783-84. As Davis does here, the defendant in Walters

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659 F. App'x 864, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-kevin-davis-ca6-2016.