United States v. MacVicar, No. 23-1130 (1st Cir. 2024)
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The case involves a defendant, Kevin MacVicar, who pled guilty to a single count of possession of child pornography and was sentenced by the district court to a seven-year term, which was below the guidelines sentencing range. The defendant appealed his sentence, arguing it was both procedurally flawed and substantively unreasonable. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit rejected these claims and affirmed the district court's sentence.
The defendant contended that the district court failed to consider his significant mental health treatment efforts and his need for continued treatment when determining the appropriate sentence. The appellate court disagreed, finding that the record clearly showed the sentencing court had adequately considered all relevant factors, including the mitigating factors that the defendant claimed were overlooked.
The defendant also argued that his sentence was substantively unreasonable because the district court placed too much weight on the severity of the offense and not enough on other sentencing factors. The appellate court rejected this argument as well, stating that the sentencing court had provided a plausible sentencing rationale and reached a defensible result. It was not the court's role to adjust the weight given to individual sentencing factors according to the defendant's preferences. Therefore, the defendant's sentence was affirmed.
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