U.S. v. Reibel

Dist. Ct. did not err in sentencing defendant to 360-month term of incarceration after defendant had pleaded guilty on two counts of producing child pornography involving 3-year-old daughter of defendant’s girlfriend. While defendant argued that sentence was unreasonable since Dist. Ct. sentenced him to statutory maximum in spite of fact that defendant had stable employment, had lacked any prior conviction and had experienced abusive childhood, Ct. found that maximum sentences are not reserved for worst offenders. Moreover, Dist. Ct. could impose instant sentence where Dist. Ct. relied on need for just punishment and need to protect others from defendant’s future offenses. Ct. also rejected defendant’s claim that Dist. Ct. improperly speculated about sex offender recidivism rates and about severity of damage suffered by sex-abuse victims.