United States v. Paladino, No. 13-3689 (3d Cir. 2014)
Annotate this CasePaladino responded to internet ad placed by an undercover federal agent that offered videotapes of young boys engaged in sexual conduct. Paladino agreed to provide videos of boys engaged in sexually explicit conduct in exchange for those offered by the agent. After Paladino picked up the package, officers tried to arrest him, but he fled. After a car chase, during which he struck several cars and discarded the videos, Paladino was apprehended. Officers executed a search warrant at Paladino’s residence, and recovered media and a laptop computer that contained 5,201 files with images of child pornography. Paladino pled guilty to distributing material depicting sexual exploitation of a minor, 18 U.S.C. 2252(a). The district court sentenced him to 120 months’ imprisonment followed by supervised release. The Third Circuit affirmed the sentence. In 2013, Paladino was released. His probation officer reported that Paladino had violated conditions obligating him not to associate with persons convicted of a felony; to comply with the Computer Restriction and Monitoring Program; and to participate in a mental health or sex offender treatment program. At Paladino’s revocation hearing, defense counsel stated that Paladino challenged the missed treatment violation; there was no further discussion of that challenge. The government and defense counsel agreed to eight months of imprisonment followed by continued supervision. The judge asked “Mr. Paladino, is that your understanding?” Paladino responded “Yes.” The judge imposed the agreed sentence. The Third Circuit vacated, finding that the court committed plain error by failing to “address the defendant personally in order to permit the defendant to speak or present any information to mitigate the sentence.”
Some case metadata and case summaries were written with the help of AI, which can produce inaccuracies. You should read the full case before relying on it for legal research purposes.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.