United States v. Aundre Davis
Opinion
After a jury trial, Aundre Davis was convicted of six counts relating to the sex trafficking of a minor. He was involved in helping to arrange for a 16-year-old girl, "S.S.," to engage in acts of prostitution over three days in January 2016.
On appeal, Davis challenges only the procedural reasonableness of his sentence. He argues that the district court erred in grouping his offense conduct into three groups under the Sentencing Guidelines, rather than a single group, because his conduct involved a single scheme, with a single victim, over a short period of time. He also argues that there was insufficient evidence to support a specific-offense enhancement for exercising "undue influence" over a minor. For the following reasons, we AFFIRM as to the grouping of Davis's offense conduct but VACATE the sentence and REMAND for the district court to make factual findings relating to the undue-influence enhancement and resentence Davis. Our disposition of Davis's appeal moots the Government's cross-appeal.
I. BACKGROUND
A. The Events of January 2016
The facts of this case relate to the prostitution of a 16-year-old, S.S., and her 23-year-old sister. Davis's co-defendant, Lorenzo Young, contacted S.S. on Facebook in October 2015 to ask if S.S. and her sister were still trading sex for drugs. S.S. initially said no but, after relapsing, contacted Young in January 2016 to obtain money to buy drugs. Young said he would arrange a client for her. S.S.'s sister also spoke to Young about prostituting herself.
On January 25, 2016, S.S. and her sister drove to meet Young because he said he had a friend or friends who would pay money for sex. It was initially unclear to S.S. whether Young had arranged a client for just her sister or one for her as well, but she testified that she was willing to engage in prostitution to get money to buy drugs. When they arrived, Davis was also present. Both men got in the car with S.S. and her sister. Davis commented to S.S. that she looked young, and S.S.'s sister responded, "she's 17." Young then directed S.S.'s sister to drive to Fort Wayne, Indiana. S.S. engaged in an act of prostitution that night, splitting the proceeds with Young.
S.S.'s sister drove S.S. back to Ohio the next morning. S.S.'s sister then went back to Fort Wayne, with Davis in the car, after picking up some drugs. That evening, S.S.'s sister drove to pick S.S. up and brought her back to Fort Wayne. Davis was in the car again. S.S. engaged in sex acts for money. She also had sex with Davis. The next day, S.S. and her sister went home to Ohio.
*901 By January 29, two days later, S.S. again needed money to buy drugs. She first asked her mother because she did not want to engage in prostitution again, but her mother turned her down. S.S. called Davis because she was thinking of selling sex to get money for drugs. S.S.'s mother then offered to pay for drugs and rented a motel room for the two of them. But when Davis contacted S.S. to tell her he had arranged for a client, she told him to direct the client to her room and told him where she was staying. After she was done with this client, Young and Davis came for their half of the money. Davis told S.S. that he had another client for her, but she refused because she "had had [her] fill and had money" and she "initially didn't really want to do the first one anyway."
B. The Sentencing Proceedings
Davis was convicted after a jury trial of one count of conspiracy to engage in sex trafficking of a minor, two counts of transportation of a minor with intent to engage in prostitution, and three counts of sex trafficking of a minor. He was acquitted of obstruction of a sex-trafficking investigation.
In the presentence report, the United States Probation Office calculated Davis's adjusted offense level as 41 and his criminal history category as IV, which resulted in an advisory Guidelines range of 360 months to life imprisonment. Both the Government and the defense objected to these calculations. As relevant here, the Government argued that Davis's offense conduct should be separated into three groups-one for each day of prostitution-rather than one group. The Government also argued that Davis's offense level should be enhanced by two levels based on his obstruction of justice by breaking his phone. The defense argued that Davis's offense level should not be enhanced by two levels for exerting "undue influence" over S.S. because, despite the difference in age, S.S. was a "willing participant[ ] in ... commercial sex acts" and there was "no direct evidence of undue influence."
In a victim-impact letter, quoted in the presentence report, S.S. expressed that she "initially was willing to participate in these acts of prostitution to support [her] drug addiction." Yet she also alleged that Young and Davis took "advantage of the fact that they knew [her] mind was altered due to drug use, and also being so young [she] was naïve and lacked discernment in [her] decision making.... [A]t times when [she] was unsure or uncomfortable continuing in doing the acts of prostitution they would pressure [her] to do them and [she] gave in."
At the initial sentencing hearing, the district court overruled Davis's objection to the undue-influence enhancement, relying principally on the rebuttable presumption that this enhancement applies if there is at least a ten-year difference in age. The court stated: "Here there's approximately a 16[-]year age gap between the minor and the defendant .... The defendant does not offer much, if anything, by way of rebutting that presumption. This Court adopts the argument set forth by the government in its sentencing memorandum and, again, relies upon Willoughby ." 1
At a subsequent appearance, the district court agreed with the Government that Davis's offense conduct should be split into three groups rather than kept as one group. Because this grouping resulted in Davis's adjusted offense level being greater than the maximum possible level, the Government withdrew its request for an obstruction-of-justice enhancement. The court calculated Davis's advisory Guidelines *902 range as life imprisonment and orally pronounced a sentence of life imprisonment.
The day after this sentencing hearing, however, the district court contacted counsel and indicated that it "was inclined to impose a different sentence than that announced at the hearing." The court convened what it called "a continued hearing or a supplemental hearing." The Government objected, arguing that the oral pronouncement of sentence was final "and should stand." Nonetheless, noting that the entry of judgment had not yet been filed, the court decided to vary downwards based on its concern that there was an "unwarranted sentencing disparity" between Davis and his co-defendants. It sentenced Davis to 360 months' imprisonment. A written judgment memorializing this sentence followed.
Davis timely appealed the sentence and the Government timely filed a cross-appeal.
II. ANALYSIS
This court "review[s] a district court's calculation of the advisory sentencing Guidelines as part of our obligation to determine whether the district court imposed a sentence that is procedurally unreasonable. In doing so, we review the district court's factual findings for clear error and its legal conclusions de novo."
United States v. Angel
,
A. Grouping of Offense Conduct
Davis argues that the district court erred by grouping his offense conduct into three groups, one for each of the three days in which S.S. engaged in prostitution, rather than one group. This grouping resulted in an increase of his Guidelines offense level by three levels.
Section 3D1.2 of the Guidelines explains when closely-related counts of conviction should be grouped together. It instructs courts to group "[a]ll counts involving substantially the same harm ... together into a single Group." USSG § 3D1.2. It further indicates that separate counts "involve substantially the same harm" when, among other things, they "involve the same victim and two or more acts or transactions connected by a common criminal objective or constituting part of a common scheme or plan."
In
United States v. Bivens
,
*903
The other counts also involved " 'separate instance[s]' of harm."
The same logic applies here, though this case is a closer call than
Bivens
. Unlike in
Bivens
, Davis's actions did not involve "an extended period of time,"
Because each of the three counts of sex trafficking of a minor relates to a separate day and harm, the commentary to § 3D1.2 dictates that they should be grouped separately. We therefore affirm the district court's determination that Davis's offense conduct should be counted as three groups.
See
Stinson v. United States
,
B. Undue-Influence Enhancement
Davis also argues that the district court erred in imposing a two-level enhancement of his Guidelines offense level for exercising "undue influence" over S.S. He contends that the presumption of undue influence, which applied because he was more than ten years older than S.S., was rebutted here because "she had engaged in prostitution ... before Young reached out to her," and "it was [S.S.] and her sister who reached out to Young to prostitute themselves." Thus, "she would have engaged in prostitution ... whether or not Davis ever entered the picture." Davis also argues that S.S.'s "attribution [in her victim-impact statement] of Davis's 'knowledge' of her drug addiction and that he took advantage of it is not supported by the record." The Government responds, essentially, that Davis has failed to rebut the presumption of undue influence.
Section 2G1.3 of the Guidelines, which relates to the sex trafficking of minors, requires a sentencing court to increase the defendant's offense level by two if "a participant otherwise unduly influenced a minor to engage in prohibited sexual conduct." USSG § 2G1.3(b)(2)(B). The commentary to this section specifies that "the court should closely consider the facts of the case to determine whether a participant's influence over the minor compromised the voluntariness of the minor's behavior." USSG § 2G1.3, comment. (n.3(B)). It further elaborates that when the defendant "is at least 10 years older than the minor, there shall be a rebuttable presumption that subsection (b)(2)(B) applies. In such a case, some degree of undue influence can be presumed because of the substantial difference in age between the participant and the minor."
In this case, the district court relied almost exclusively on this rebuttable presumption. It noted that there was "approximately a 16[-]year age gap" between S.S. and Davis, and then stated that Davis "does not offer much, if anything, by way of rebutting that presumption." Without further discussing the facts of this case, the court said only that it was relying on the Government's arguments in its sentencing memorandum and this court's decision in Willoughby . Explicit factual findings *904 were thus limited to noting the age difference between Davis and S.S.
That was insufficient to discharge the responsibility to "closely consider the facts of the case." USSG § 2G1.3, comment. (n.3(B)). The age difference between S.S. and Davis means that there is a rebuttable presumption of undue influence but, by definition, such a presumption can be rebutted. In cases where there is significant record evidence that undercuts this presumption, such as this one, a district court cannot rely solely on the presumption to determine that the defendant has "compromised the voluntariness of the minor's behavior."
For a sentence to be procedurally reasonable, the sentencing court "must adequately explain the chosen sentence to allow for meaningful appellate review."
Gall v. United States
,
C. Finality of Oral Sentence
One final issue remains. In its cross-appeal, the Government argues that the district court erred by reconsidering Davis's sentence after it had pronounced the sentence in open court. It does not quibble with the reasonableness of the new sentence itself; rather, it claims that the court lacked the authority to modify the sentence once it was imposed-and that a sentence is imposed when it is orally pronounced. Davis responds that the court could reconsider its sentence because a sentence is imposed when the written judgment is entered. We are inclined to agree with the Government that the court lacked the authority to change its mind and impose a different sentence once it had orally pronounced a sentence in open *905 court. 4
As the Government conceded at oral argument, however, this issue is moot because we are vacating and remanding for resentencing on the undue-influence-enhancement issue. At this resentencing, the district court is free to impose a sentence of thirty years' imprisonment-or another sentence.
See
United States v. Garcia-Robles
,
III. CONCLUSION
For the foregoing reasons, we AFFIRM the grouping of Davis's offense conduct, VACATE the sentence, and REMAND for the district court to make factual findings relating to the undue-influence enhancement and resentence Davis.
United States v. Willoughby
,
Although it may seem inappropriate to describe a minor as voluntarily engaging in prostitution, Guideline § 2G1.3 pertains solely to commercial sex acts involving minors. And the undue-influence enhancement is a specific-offense characteristic under § 2G1.3. Accordingly, the structure of the Guidelines indicates that there must be cases involving the prostitution of minors where this enhancement does not apply.
We note that the three cases the Government relies on to support the undue-influence enhancement involved a defendant causing an underage victim to engage in sex acts that she would not have otherwise engaged in by taking advantage of a romantic relationship, or the victim's lack of housing or transportation.
See
United States v. Farmer
,
We have not squarely addressed the question of whether a sentence is imposed when it is orally pronounced or when written judgment is entered, but we have strongly implied that a sentence is imposed when it is orally pronounced. In
United States v. Arroyo
,
Furthermore, Rule 35 itself states, "As used in this rule, 'sentencing' means the oral announcement of the sentence." Fed. R. Crim. P. 35(c). The advisory committee notes to the 2004 amendments of this rule proclaim that this provision was added to resolve a circuit split over whether the term "imposition of sentence" means "the oral announcement of the sentence" or "the entry of the judgment."
Reference
- Full Case Name
- UNITED STATES of America, Plaintiff-Appellee/Cross-Appellant, v. Aundre DAVIS, Defendant-Appellant/Cross-Appellee.
- Cited By
- 10 cases
- Status
- Published