Filed: Feb. 07, 2003
Latest Update: Feb. 21, 2020
Summary: IN THE UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE FIFTH CIRCUIT No. 02-40871 c/w No. 02-40879 Summary Calendar UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, Plaintiff-Appellee, versus MARK DAVID WARREN, Defendant-Appellant. - Appeals from the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas USDC Nos. G-01-CR-10-ALL G-00-CR-16-ALL - February 6, 2003 Before HIGGINBOTHAM, SMITH, and CLEMENT, Circuit Judges. PER CURIAM:* Mark David Warren appeals the sentences he received following his guilty-plea conviction
Summary: IN THE UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE FIFTH CIRCUIT No. 02-40871 c/w No. 02-40879 Summary Calendar UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, Plaintiff-Appellee, versus MARK DAVID WARREN, Defendant-Appellant. - Appeals from the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas USDC Nos. G-01-CR-10-ALL G-00-CR-16-ALL - February 6, 2003 Before HIGGINBOTHAM, SMITH, and CLEMENT, Circuit Judges. PER CURIAM:* Mark David Warren appeals the sentences he received following his guilty-plea convictions..
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IN THE UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS
FOR THE FIFTH CIRCUIT
No. 02-40871
c/w No. 02-40879
Summary Calendar
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,
Plaintiff-Appellee,
versus
MARK DAVID WARREN,
Defendant-Appellant.
--------------------
Appeals from the United States District Court
for the Southern District of Texas
USDC Nos. G-01-CR-10-ALL
G-00-CR-16-ALL
--------------------
February 6, 2003
Before HIGGINBOTHAM, SMITH, and CLEMENT, Circuit Judges.
PER CURIAM:*
Mark David Warren appeals the sentences he received
following his guilty-plea convictions for one count of interstate
transportation of child pornography, two counts of possession
of child pornography (Counts 2 and 3), and one counts of
communicating a false distress message to the United States Coast
Guard.
*
Pursuant to 5TH CIR. R. 47.5, the court has determined
that this opinion should not be published and is not precedent
except under the limited circumstances set forth in 5TH CIR.
R. 47.5.4.
No. 02-40871
c/w No. 02-40879
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Warren argues that the district court erred in upwardly
departing from the guideline range for his interstate-
transportation-of-child-pornography conviction (Count 1) because
the stated reasons for departure had already been taken into
account in determining his guideline sentence and because the
district court did not notify him of its intent to depart from
the guidelines. Warren did not raise these objections in the
district court; therefore, review is for plain error only. See
United States v. Davenport,
286 F.3d 217, 219 (5th Cir. 2002)
(failure to object to lack of notice); United States v. Alford,
142 F.3d 825, 830 (5th Cir. 1998) (failure to object to upward
departure).
Although the fact that the images involved prepubescent
minors or minors under 12 had been considered in determining
Warren’s guideline range, the fact that some of the images
involved infants was not taken into consideration. Even though
the sadistic or masochistic aspects of the images had been
considered in determining the guideline range, in light of the
volume or number of the images, over 10,000 by Warren’s
admission, the weight attached to that factor was clearly
inadequate. See § 5K2.0, p.s. These factors were not adequately
taken into consideration by the Sentencing Commission, and
their consideration is neither forbidden nor discouraged. See
§ 5H1.1-12, p.s. Moreover, the sentence of 180 months’
imprisonment did not exceed the statutory-maximum term of 15
No. 02-40871
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years. Thus, there is no plain error in the district court’s
upward departure.
Although the district court erred insofar as it failed to
provide notice prior to sentencing of the grounds and its intent
to upwardly depart from the guidelines, Warren has not proved
that the error was prejudicial. See United States v. Nevels,
160 F.3d 226, 231 (5th Cir. 1998). The district court’s grounds
for departure regarding the sadistic or violent content of the
images was based, not only on “the degradation of the images,”
but also on “the enormity of the volume involved.” As Warren
does not address the volume of the degrading images, which was
not adequately taken into consideration by the specific-offense-
level increase pursuant to § 2G2.2(b)(3) for the sadistic and
violent conduct depicted in the images, he therefore has not
established that the district court’s error regarding lack of
notice requires reversal.
Warren also argues that his false-distress sentence was
improperly tainted by the district court’s feelings regarding the
child-pornography offenses. The district court clearly intended
to upwardly depart four levels from the guideline range for the
false-distress conviction, as requested by the Government and
based on the reasons stated by the Government in its motion.
There is nothing in the record to support Warren’s assertion that
this upward departure was in any way based on his conduct
regarding the child pornography offenses.
AFFIRMED.