Filed: Jan. 08, 2014
Latest Update: Mar. 02, 2020
Summary: UNPUBLISHED UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE FOURTH CIRCUIT No. 12-5011 UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, Plaintiff - Appellee, v. BRIAN KEITH SLOTT, a/k/a Amy Farmer, a/k/a Buffy Tanner, Defendant - Appellant. Appeal from the United States District Court for the Western District of North Carolina, at Statesville. Richard L. Voorhees, District Judge. (5:10-cr-00053-RLV-DSC-4) Submitted: December 17, 2013 Decided: January 8, 2014 Before AGEE, DAVIS, and KEENAN, Circuit Judges. Affirmed and remanded
Summary: UNPUBLISHED UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE FOURTH CIRCUIT No. 12-5011 UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, Plaintiff - Appellee, v. BRIAN KEITH SLOTT, a/k/a Amy Farmer, a/k/a Buffy Tanner, Defendant - Appellant. Appeal from the United States District Court for the Western District of North Carolina, at Statesville. Richard L. Voorhees, District Judge. (5:10-cr-00053-RLV-DSC-4) Submitted: December 17, 2013 Decided: January 8, 2014 Before AGEE, DAVIS, and KEENAN, Circuit Judges. Affirmed and remanded ..
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UNPUBLISHED
UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS
FOR THE FOURTH CIRCUIT
No. 12-5011
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,
Plaintiff - Appellee,
v.
BRIAN KEITH SLOTT, a/k/a Amy Farmer, a/k/a Buffy Tanner,
Defendant - Appellant.
Appeal from the United States District Court for the Western
District of North Carolina, at Statesville. Richard L.
Voorhees, District Judge. (5:10-cr-00053-RLV-DSC-4)
Submitted: December 17, 2013 Decided: January 8, 2014
Before AGEE, DAVIS, and KEENAN, Circuit Judges.
Affirmed and remanded by unpublished per curiam opinion.
Norman Butler, LAW OFFICE OF NORMAN BUTLER, Charlotte, North
Carolina, for Appellant. Anne M. Tompkins, United States
Attorney, Melissa L. Rikard, Assistant United States Attorney,
Charlotte, North Carolina, for Appellee.
Unpublished opinions are not binding precedent in this circuit.
PER CURIAM:
Brian Keith Slott appeals the 180-month sentence
imposed following his guilty plea to conspiracy to distribute
child pornography, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 2252A, and
receipt of child pornography, in violation of 18 U.S.C.
§ 2252A(a)(2). Slott was subject to a mandatory minimum
sentence due to his prior Wisconsin conviction for first-degree
sexual assault of a child. See
id. § 2252A(b)(1). On appeal,
Slott argues that his sentence violates the Eighth Amendment.
We affirm.
We review challenges to sentences on Eighth Amendment
grounds de novo. United States v. Malloy,
568 F.3d 166, 180
(4th Cir. 2009). The Eighth Amendment forbids cruel and unusual
punishment and implicitly requires that a criminal sentence be
proportionate to the crime or crimes of conviction. Solem v.
Helm,
463 U.S. 277, 284 (1983). Generally, “three factors [are]
considered in conducting such a proportionality review: (1) the
gravity of the offense and the harshness of the penalty, (2) the
sentences imposed on other criminals in the same jurisdiction,
and (3) the sentences imposed for commission of the same crime
in other jurisdictions.” United States v. Kratsas,
45 F.3d 63,
66 (4th Cir. 1995) (citing
Solem, 463 U.S. at 292); see
Graham v. Florida,
560 U.S. 48, 59-60 (2010) (same).
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Slott does not argue that his sentence is
unconstitutional in light of the above considerations. Instead,
he suggests that we should adopt an alternative proportionality
review analysis that focuses on the specific characteristics of
a defendant and his offense, thereby allowing a district court
to disregard statutory mandatory minimums based on its
consideration of the factors in 18 U.S.C. § 3553(a). Because
Slott fails to identify any authority supporting such a drastic
break with established Eighth Amendment precedent, his
suggestion is not well taken. See Rodriguez de Quijas v.
Shearson/Am. Express, Inc.,
490 U.S. 477, 484 (1989).
Accordingly, we affirm the judgment. We note,
however, that the judgment and commitment order contains a
clerical error, see Fed. R. Crim. P. 36. We therefore remand
this case to the district court for the limited purpose of
correcting the offense in Count 5 to reflect the offense to
which Slott pled guilty — receipt of child pornography. We
dispense with oral argument because the facts and legal
contentions are adequately presented in the materials
before this court and argument would not aid the decisional
process.
AFFIRMED AND REMANDED
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