United States v. Quinn
United States v. Quinn
Opinion of the Court
MEMORANDUM
Steven Quinn appeals the sentence imposed following his guilty plea to one count of transportation of a minor in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 2423(a). We affirm. Because the parties are familiar with the facts, we do not recite them here.
Quinn claims that his five-year mandatory minimum sentence violated the principles of federalism because the statute incorporated a state misdemeanor offense whose maximum punishment was only nine
We also reject Quinn’s argument that the mandatory minimum provision violates due process because it is unconstitutionally vague. The phrase “any sexual activity for which any person can be charged with a criminal offense” has a plain and ordinary meaning. United States v. Panfil, 338 F.3d 1299, 1301 (11th Cir. 2003). Neither the statute’s plain language nor its context give a person of ordinary intelligence reason to believe that the phrase “any sexual activity” excludes the misdemeanor conduct here. See United States v. E.C. Investments, Inc., 77 F.3d 327, 331-32 (9th Cir. 1996).
Finally, we hold that Quinn’s five year sentence does not violate the Eighth Amendment. A comparison of the gravity of Quinn’s offense to the harshness of the penalty imposed does not “raise an inference of gross disproportionality.” Cacoperdo v. Demosthenes, 37 F.3d 504, 507-08 (9th Cir. 1994).
AFFIRMED.
This disposition is not appropriate for publication and is not precedent except as provided by 9th Cir. R. 36-3.
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.