United States v. Paul Beckmann , 786 F.3d 672 ( 2015 )


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  •                 United States Court of Appeals
    For the Eighth Circuit
    ___________________________
    No. 14-3086
    ___________________________
    United States of America
    lllllllllllllllllllll Plaintiff – Appellee
    v.
    Paul Beckmann
    lllllllllllllllllllll Defendant – Appellant
    ____________
    Appeal from United States District Court
    for the Eastern District of Missouri - St. Louis
    ____________
    Submitted: March 13, 2015
    Filed: May 15, 2015
    [Published]
    ____________
    Before MURPHY and SHEPHERD, Circuit Judges, and HARPOOL, 1 District
    Judge.
    ____________
    HARPOOL, District Judge.
    1
    The Honorable M. Douglas Harpool, United States District Judge for the
    Western District of Missouri, sitting by designation.
    Paul Beckmann pled guilty to one count of possession of child pornography
    after having been previously convicted and sentenced for possession of child
    pornography in 2001. See 18 U.S.C. § 2252A(a)(5)(B), (b)(2). The district court2
    sentenced Beckmann to 120 months of imprisonment, a lifetime of supervised
    release, and ordered him to pay $9,000 of restitution. On appeal, Beckmann
    asserts that the district court erred by: (1) denying his motion to suppress evidence
    found on an external hard drive as the result of an illegal search under the Fourth
    Amendment; (2) denying his motion to suppress evidence as the result of an
    intentional and deliberate violation of Rule 41; and (3) ordering restitution in the
    amount of $9,000. We affirm.
    I.
    Since Beckmann’s conviction for possession of child pornography in 2001,
    Beckmann has been required to register as a sex offender. On August 2, 2011, as
    part of a routine sex offender verification through the United States Marshal’s
    Office, Jefferson County Deputies Barbato and Thebeau visited Beckmann’s home.
    The purpose of the visit was to verify Beckmann’s address and to ensure that he
    was complying with any conditions related to his status as a sex offender.
    Upon arrival, the deputies knocked on Beckmann’s door, told him they were
    there for sex offender verification and asked to enter his home. Beckmann
    consented. Once inside, the deputies observed a laptop computer on the coffee
    table. Beckmann informed the officers that he was under no supervised release
    conditions and that he was lawfully allowed to have a computer and internet
    access. Deputy Barbato asked to look through the contents of Beckmann’s laptop
    in order to “make sure he was not accessing any content he’s not supposed to be
    2
    The Honorable Carol E. Jackson, United States District Judge for the
    Eastern District of Missouri.
    -2-
    accessing.” Beckmann consented. While Deputy Barbato searched the laptop,
    Beckmann showed Deputy Thebeau around the rest of the residence. Deputy
    Thebeau alerted Deputy Barbato that there was another computer in the upstairs
    office. He then obtained permission to use the upstairs restroom. Deputy Barbato
    proceeded upstairs partially for safety reasons and partially because he wanted to
    make sure Defendant was not “going through anything he shouldn’t be.”
    When Deputy Barbato arrived upstairs and looked into the office where
    Beckmann went, he saw a computer desk with a monitor on it and Beckmann
    underneath messing with wires/cords. To alert Beckmann to his presence, Deputy
    Barbato asked Beckmann if this was the “other” computer. Beckmann seemed
    startled and responded yes. Deputy Barbato then asked if he could take a look at
    that computer, as well. Beckmann consented.
    Deputy Barbato sat down and observed one computer tower and two
    external hard drives underneath the desk. Both of the external hard drives were
    connected to the tower but the power cord to one of them was unplugged from the
    wall. Deputy Barbato believed that these were the cords Beckmann was
    manipulating, and he believed that Beckmann had been trying to shut off the
    computer. The deputy plugged the power cord to the unplugged external hard
    drive back into the wall and began to search the computer, including the external
    hard drives. By this time, Beckmann had exited the office. The deputy admitted
    that he did not get specific consent to search the external hard drives nor did he get
    consent to plug the one external hard drive back into the wall; however, he
    considered the external drives to be a part of the “computer” because they were
    plugged into the computer. During his search, Deputy Barbato discovered file
    names suggesting child pornography. The deputy asked Beckmann about the
    suspicious files and Beckmann stated that he did not wish to answer. The officers
    then placed Beckmann into investigative detention. After speaking with his
    -3-
    attorney, Beckmann signed a consent form allowing the officers to seize the laptop,
    computer, and external hard drives pending application for a search warrant.
    The government obtained a search warrant on August 15, 2011 to copy and
    search the property seized. The warrant specified that it was to be executed on or
    before August 29, 2011. “Execution” of the search warrant required a forensic
    analyst to copy and search existing and deleted computer files. The investigator
    began analyzing the seized computers in November of 2011 and the external hard
    drives on January 24, 2012. The analyst located over 2,000 images of child
    pornography on the external hard drive. On April 25, 2012, a report was prepared
    documenting what was found on the computer media. A return of inventory was
    filed with the district court on November 15, 2013. The sergeant handling the case
    stated that he did not intend to prejudice Beckmann or delay the proceedings but
    merely forgot to return the warrant.
    On July 24, 2013, the grand jury returned a one-count indictment against
    Beckmann for possession of child pornography. Beckmann filed a motion to
    suppress certain evidence and statements. The magistrate judge held two
    evidentiary hearings on Beckmann’s motion before issuing a report and
    recommendation. Beckmann filed objections to the report and recommendation,
    and the district judge reviewed the issues de novo. The district judge sustained,
    adopted, and incorporated the magistrate’s report and recommendation with the
    exception of two factual findings. The district court granted Beckmann’s motion
    to suppress certain statements made by Beckmann but denied the motion as to
    other statements and the physical evidence. Beckmann elected not to proceed to
    trial and instead entered a plea of guilty, reserving his right to appeal the order on
    his motion to suppress.
    Prior to sentencing, the parties submitted memoranda concerning the
    appropriate amount of restitution to be ordered. The government submitted victim
    -4-
    impact statements from three of the victims of child pornography – Cindy, L.S.,
    and Vicky. Beckmann possessed three images of Cindy, ten images of L.S., and
    fourteen videos and two images of Vicky. During sentencing, the government
    requested $3,000 of restitution per victim based on the mean amount of restitution
    ordered in the recent Supreme Court case of United States v. Paroline and citing
    two other district court opinions. The government further offered a computation of
    restitution based on the average number of former and expected claims per victim
    and the average amount of loss attributable to each defendant over a twenty year
    period. These calculations yielded the following restitution amounts: Cindy -
    $1,600, L.S. - $2,400, and Vicky - $675. Beckmann argued that the government
    failed to make the causal link required by Paroline in order to justify such
    significant restitution. Even if it could, Beckmann argued, the range of $200-$300
    would be more appropriate because Beckmann was a mere possessor.
    The district court held that Beckmann’s mere possession of child
    pornography was a proximate cause of the victims’ losses because Beckmann
    contributed to “ongoing victimization” and “ongoing victimization causes ongoing
    harm.” The court further held that the government met its burden to show an
    appropriate amount of restitution based on the limited information available. The
    court noted that Paroline cautions against a formal mathematical formula and
    ultimately ordered $3,000 of restitution per victim, finding the amount reasonable
    in light of prior restitution orders, the number of potential defendants involved, and
    Beckmann’s relative culpability.
    II.
    Beckmann first argues that the district court erred by denying his motion to
    suppress the incriminating evidence found on his external hard drive as the fruit of
    an illegal search under the Fourth Amendment. “When reviewing the denial of a
    motion to suppress, we review the district court’s factual findings for clear error
    -5-
    and its legal conclusions de novo.” United States v. Anderson, 
    688 F.3d 339
    , 343
    (8th Cir. 2012). We will affirm the denial of a motion to suppress unless we find
    that the district court’s decision “is unsupported by the evidence, based on an
    erroneous view of the law, or the Court is left with a firm conviction that a mistake
    has been made.” United States v. Riley, 
    684 F.3d 758
    , 762 (8th Cir. 2012)
    (citations omitted).
    The district court found that Beckmann gave the officers consent to search
    his computer.3 Consensual searches are reasonable under the Fourth Amendment.
    Florida v. Jimeno, 
    500 U.S. 248
    , 250-51 (1991). The standard for measuring the
    scope of a person’s consent is “objective reasonableness,” which asks what the
    typical, reasonable person would have understood from the exchange between the
    officer and the suspect. 
    Id. at 251.
    While the voluntariness of a defendant’s
    consent to search is a question of fact that is reviewed for clear error, United States
    v. Quintero, 
    648 F.3d 660
    , 665 (8th Cir. 2011), the reasonableness of an officer’s
    reliance on such consent is a question of law that is reviewed de novo. United
    States v. James, 
    353 F.3d 606
    , 615 (8th Cir. 2003).
    Here, Beckmann argues that it was unreasonable for Deputy Barbato to rely
    on Beckmann’s consent to search the computer in order to justify his search of the
    external hard drive. The scope of a consensual search is “generally defined by its
    expressed object.” 
    Jimeno, 500 U.S. at 251
    . For example, where an officer asks to
    search a car for suspected narcotics, and the occupant agrees without explicit
    limitation on the scope of the search, the officer may search the entire car including
    containers therein that may hold narcotics. 
    Id. If the
    consent “would reasonably
    be understood to extend to a particular container” then “the Fourth Amendment
    3
    Beckmann denies that he consented to the search of the upstairs computer;
    however, the magistrate judge and district judge made clear and explicit factual
    findings that show Beckmann did consent to the search. Suppression Order 4-6;
    Report & Recommendation ¶ 16. Beckmann does not argue these findings are
    clearly erroneous.
    -6-
    provides no grounds for requiring a more explicit authorization.” 
    Id. at 252.
    Reasonableness is measured in objective terms based on the totality of the
    circumstances. Ohio v. Robinette, 
    519 U.S. 33
    , 39 (1996). Where a person is
    present and fails to object to the continuation of a search, courts consider such
    circumstantial evidence to provide proof that the search conducted was within the
    scope of consent. See United States v. Lopez-Mendoza, 
    601 F.3d 861
    , 868 (8th
    Cir. 2010).
    Applying these standards, Deputy Barbato’s belief that consent to search the
    computer included consent to search the connected but unplugged external hard
    drive was not objectively unreasonable. Deputy Barbato testified that he believed
    he had consent to search the external hard drive based on his understanding of the
    word “computer” and the fact that the external drive was attached to the computer
    tower. The deputy’s belief is not objectively unreasonable in light of the common
    understanding that the term “computer” encompasses the collection of component
    parts involved in a computer’s operation. See, e.g., United States v. Herndon, 
    501 F.3d 683
    , 690 (6th Cir. 2007). Beckmann did not explicitly limit the scope of his
    consent to search the computer, nor did he object when Deputy Barbato plugged
    the external hard drive into the electrical outlet and began searching.4 Based on the
    4
    Beckmann argues that he was not in the room at the time Deputy Barbato
    plugged the external hard drive into the wall in order to have had the opportunity to
    withdraw or limit his consent. The magistrate judge stated:
    After he plugged in the power cord, Deputy Barbato got up and sat in
    the chair at the desk. He then used the computer mouse with the
    monitor to activate the computer. Barbato thought the computer
    desktop displayed on the monitor looked normal, although it had icons
    he was unfamiliar with. By this time Beckmann had walked out of the
    room.
    Report & Recommendation ¶ 18. Even assuming Beckmann was not present in the
    room at the time Deputy Barbato plugged the external hard drive’s power cord into
    -7-
    totality of the circumstances presented here, Deputy Barbato had an objectively
    reasonable basis to conclude that Beckmann consented to the search of the external
    hard drive.
    Beckmann argues Deputy Barbato’s belief was unreasonable because an
    external hard drive cannot reasonably be interpreted to constitute a “component
    part involved in the computer’s operation.” He argues that merely plugging a
    device into a computer does not render the device a part of the computer’s
    operation, and he analogizes an external hard drive to a cellular telephone. He
    warns that the district court’s order sets “dangerous precedent for law enforcement
    to be able to search anything and everything that can be plugged into a
    computer[.]” We disagree. First and foremost, the scope of the consent to search
    here, as in all cases, is based on the totality of the circumstances including the
    interaction between the parties, the purpose of the search, and the circumstantial
    evidence surrounding the search. Second, a typical, reasonable person is more
    likely to consider a connected external hard drive a “component part involved in a
    computer’s operation” as compared to a connected cellular telephone. Unlike a
    cellular telephone, the sole purpose of an external hard drive is to store computer
    data.     Additionally, external hard drives, unlike cellular telephones, are
    functionally inoperable – and their contents unreviewable – when unplugged from
    a computer. Thus, Deputy Barbato’s belief that the attached external hard drive
    constituted a “component part involved in the computer’s operation” was not
    objectively unreasonable.
    Beckmann also argues that Deputy Barbato’s belief was unreasonable
    because the deputy witnessed Beckmann attempt to unplug the external hard drive
    from its power source, which effectively limited the scope of the consent. The
    the wall, “[w]e have not, to date, found that officers have a duty to ensure that an
    individual has an opportunity to withdraw or limit consent.” United States v.
    Guevara, 
    731 F.3d 824
    , 829 (8th Cir. 2013).
    -8-
    Court finds Beckmann’s argument unpersuasive. Beckmann provided explicit,
    unlimited consent to search his computer after the deputy witnessed him
    manipulating wires under the desk. Beckmann could have denied consent to
    search the upstairs computer or limited the scope of the consent, but he did not.
    The evidence demonstrates that Beckmann knew how to limit his consent, and did
    so during other situations that day, 5 but he did not do so in this instance. Where a
    suspect provides general consent to search, only an act clearly inconsistent with the
    search, an unambiguous statement, or a combination of both will limit the consent.
    See United States v. Lopez-Mendoza, 
    601 F.3d 861
    , 867 (8th Cir. 2010). A subtle
    indication that a suspect wishes to limit the scope of a search is insufficient to
    render the search unreasonable. See, e.g., United States v. Siwek, 
    453 F.3d 1079
    ,
    1086 (8th Cir. 2006) (suspect’s statement that he lacked key to tonneau cover did
    not amount to denial of consent); United States v. Gray, 
    369 F.3d 1024
    , 1026 (8th
    Cir. 2004) (suspect’s statements that length of search was “ridiculous” and he was
    “ready to go now” did not amount to withdraw of consent). Here, Beckmann
    provided general consent to search his computer and he did not object when
    Deputy Barbato plugged the external hard drive into the wall and began searching
    it. These facts support the conclusion that the search conducted was within the
    scope of Beckmann’s consent.
    Based on the foregoing, the district court did not err in finding the search of
    the external hard drive reasonable and denying Beckmann’s motion to suppress the
    evidence derived therefrom.
    5
    After being placed into investigative detention, Beckmann advised that he
    would answer some questions and not others and he agreed to give certain
    permissions and not others. For example, he agreed to answer questions about his
    computer but refused to answer any questions about downloading child
    pornography. He also refused to allow the computer forensic analyst to verify the
    titles of the files discovered.
    -9-
    III.
    Beckmann next challenges the district court’s denial of his motion to
    suppress certain physical evidence pursuant to Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure
    41. Rule 41 states, in part, that a “warrant must command the officer to . . .
    execute the warrant within a specified time no longer than 14 days” and the
    “officer executing the warrant must promptly return it[.]” Fed. R. Crim. P.
    41(e)(2)(A)(i), (f)(1)(D). Beckmann argues that the government failed to satisfy
    the requirements of Rule 41 because there was a two- to five-month delay in
    executing the warrant and a two-year delay in filing the return of inventory. The
    district court found that the government violated Rule 41 but suppression was
    improper.
    When the government violates Rule 41, the Court may exclude the evidence
    described in the search warrant only “if the defendant is prejudiced or if reckless
    disregard of proper procedure is evident.” United States v. Mutschelknaus, 
    592 F.3d 826
    , 829 (8th Cir. 2010); see United States v. Freeman, 
    897 F.2d 346
    , 349
    (8th Cir. 1990). Beckmann argues that the officers here exhibited a reckless
    disregard for proper procedure in light of the length of the delays, the
    government’s failure to seek additional time from the court either before or after
    issuance of the warrant, and the deputy’s testimony that these searches are rarely
    completed prior to the prescribed deadline. Beckmann argues that he was further
    prejudiced by the delay because he was without his computers containing personal
    information for over two years. He further argues that he was deprived a speedy
    resolution to the investigation and the delay allowed witnesses’ memories to
    become stale.
    Upon review, the Court need not decide whether the government violated
    Rule 41 because there was neither prejudice nor reckless disregard sufficient to
    justify suppression of the physical evidence seized from Beckmann. Even
    -10-
    assuming the government failed to comply with the due date of execution stated in
    the search warrant, 6 and further assuming that such a delay constitutes a violation
    of Rule 41,7 the government did not exhibit reckless disregard for proper
    procedure in light of the length of time typically required to conduct computer
    analyses in child pornography case, see United States v. Mutschelknaus, 
    592 F.3d 826
    , 830 (8th Cir. 2010) (quoting United States v. Syphers, 
    426 F.3d 461
    , 469 (1st
    Cir. 2005) (collecting cases)), and Beckmann suffered no prejudice because
    probable cause continued to exist and the evidence did not become stale or
    deteriorate. See United States v. Gregoire, 
    638 F.3d 962
    , 968 (8th Cir. 2011).
    While best practice would have been for the detectives to file a motion seeking
    additional time to execute the warrant, their failure to do so here does not warrant
    suppression.
    6
    The Court notes that the government has not argued its search was proper
    under Rule 41(e)(2)(B), which was designed to remedy the type of difficulty the
    government encountered here. See Fed. R. Crim. P. 41(e)(2)(B) (“Unless
    otherwise specified, the warrant [seeking electronically stored information]
    authorizes a later review of the media or information consistent with the warrant.
    The time for executing the warrant . . . refers to the seizure or on-site copying of
    the media or information, and not to any later off-site copying or review.”); Fed. R.
    Crim. P. 41 advisory committee’s note on the 2009 amendments (“This rule
    acknowledges the need for a two-step process: officers may seize or copy the entire
    storage medium and review it later to determine what electronically stored
    information falls within the scope of the warrant. . . . A substantial amount of
    time can be involved in the forensic imaging and review of information. This is
    due to the sheer size of the storage capacity of media, difficulties created by
    encryption and booby traps, and the workload of the computer labs.”).
    7
    Rule 41(e)(2)(A)(i) states that “[t]he warrant must command the officer to .
    . . execute the warrant within a specified time period no longer than 14 days.”
    Here, there is no dispute the warrant complied with the terms of Rule 41 because it
    was issued on August 15, 2011 and required execution by August 29, 2011. Thus,
    Beckmann’s argument is not that the warrant failed to comply with the Rule, but
    that the government failed to comply with the warrant.
    -11-
    Second, as to the government’s two-year delay in returning the warrant, the
    district court made a credibility determination that the detective’s delay was due to
    inadvertence rather than deliberate and intentional disregard for the rules. This
    Court is not in a position to overturn the district court’s credibility determination.
    United States v. Shafer, 
    608 F.3d 1056
    , 1065 (8th Cir. 2010) (“A credibility
    finding made by a magistrate judge after a hearing on the merits of a motion to
    suppress is virtually unassailable on appeal.” (internal quotations omitted)).
    Therefore, the Court is unable to find reckless disregard for proper procedure. See
    United States v. Berry, 
    113 F.3d 121
    , 123 (8th Cir. 1997) (analyzing the “reckless
    disregard” issue as akin to “bad faith”). Moreover, Beckmann does not argue
    sufficient prejudice to justify exclusion. See United States v. Turner, No. 13-2566,
    
    2015 WL 1222274
    , at *6 (8th Cir. Mar. 18, 2015) (quoting United States v. Hyten,
    
    5 F.3d 1154
    , 1157 (8th Cir. 1993) (“To determine prejudice, we ask whether the
    search would have occurred had the rule been followed. If so, there is no prejudice
    to the defendant.”). Not only would the search have occurred regardless of the
    officers’ delay in returning the warrant, but the arguments furthered by Beckmann
    concerning prejudice are unconvincing in light of the district court’s findings that
    Beckmann received an initial inventory of the items seized, the witnesses were still
    available at the time charges were brought, and the witnesses exhibited no
    recollection problems at the evidentiary hearing. Furthermore, any interference
    with Beckmann’s possessory interest in personal property is curable through means
    other than suppression. See, e.g., 
    Gregoire, 638 F.3d at 968
    (finding suppression
    not warranted where one-year delay between seizure and search of computer and
    noting any interference with a possessory interest could have been remedied by
    Rule 41(g), which the defendant did not invoke).
    While we are concerned about the government’s failure to comply with the
    warrant’s execution deadline and Rule 41’s “prompt” return mandate, exclusion of
    the evidence is not the proper remedy without showing prejudice or reckless
    disregard. Here, Beckmann failed to make such a showing. Accordingly, the
    -12-
    district court did not err in denying Beckmann’s motion to suppress evidence
    pursuant to Rule 41.
    IV.
    Beckmann finally argues that the district court erred in ordering restitution in
    the amount of $9,000. “District courts routinely exercise wide discretion both in
    sentencing as a general matter and more specifically in fashioning restitution
    orders.” Paroline v. United States, 
    134 S. Ct. 1710
    , 1729 (2014). We review “the
    district court’s decision to award restitution for an abuse of discretion and the
    district court’s finding as to the amount of loss for clear error.” United States v.
    Kay, 
    717 F.3d 659
    , 666 (8th Cir. 2013).
    Under 18 U.S.C. § 2259(a), a district court shall order restitution for
    offenses that involve the sexual exploitation of children and child pornography in
    particular. 
    Paroline, 134 S. Ct. at 1718
    . Restitution is proper under section 2259
    only to the extent that the defendant’s offense proximately caused the victim’s
    losses. 
    Id. at 1720,
    1722. The Supreme Court held that even mere possessors of
    child pornography cause proximate harm to victims of child pornography. 
    Id. at 1726.
    The Court explained that, because child pornography victims suffer
    “continuing and grievous harm as a result of [knowing] that a large, indeterminate
    number of individuals have viewed and will in the future view images of the sexual
    abuse she endured[,]” all persons who reproduce, distribute, or possess child
    pornography play a part in “sustaining and aggravating this tragedy.” 
    Id. The harder
    question in these cases is determining the appropriate amount of restitution
    – i.e. how much of the victim’s losses are attributable to the defendant’s conduct.
    In 2014, the Supreme Court provided guidance to district courts for
    determining the appropriate amount of restitution in child pornography cases. 
    Id. at 1727-28.
    The Court stated that “a court applying § 2259 should order restitution
    -13-
    in an amount that comports with the defendant’s relative role in the causal process
    that underlies the victim’s general losses.” 
    Id. at 1727.
    For example, the amount
    of restitution would not be “severe” in a case where the defendant was a mere
    possessor and where all of the victim’s losses come from the trade of her images;
    however, the amount of restitution in that case would also not be “a token or
    nominal amount.” 
    Id. The Court
    went on to describe, more specifically, how to
    calculate the appropriate amount of restitution:
    There remains the question of how district courts should go about
    determining the proper amount of restitution. At a general level of
    abstraction, a court must assess as best it can from available evidence
    the significance of the individual defendant's conduct in light of the
    broader causal process that produced the victim's losses. This cannot
    be a precise mathematical inquiry and involves the use of discretion
    and sound judgment. . . .
    There are a variety of factors district courts might consider in
    determining a proper amount of restitution, and it is neither necessary
    nor appropriate to prescribe a precise algorithm for determining the
    proper restitution amount at this point in the law's development.
    Doing so would unduly constrain the decisionmakers closest to the
    facts of any given case. But district courts might, as a starting point,
    determine the amount of the victim's losses caused by the continuing
    traffic in the victim's images (excluding, of course, any remote losses
    like the hypothetical car accident described above, 
    see supra, at 1721
    ),
    then set an award of restitution in consideration of factors that bear on
    the relative causal significance of the defendant's conduct in
    producing those losses. These could include the number of past
    criminal defendants found to have contributed to the victim's general
    losses; reasonable predictions of the number of future offenders likely
    to be caught and convicted for crimes contributing to the victim's
    general losses; any available and reasonably reliable estimate of the
    broader number of offenders involved (most of whom will, of course,
    never be caught or convicted); whether the defendant reproduced or
    distributed images of the victim; whether the defendant had any
    connection to the initial production of the images; how many images
    -14-
    of the victim the defendant possessed; and other facts relevant to the
    defendant's relative causal role.
    These factors need not be converted into a rigid formula, especially if
    doing so would result in trivial restitution orders. They should rather
    serve as rough guideposts for determining an amount that fits the
    offense. The resulting amount fixed by the court would be deemed the
    amount of the victim's general losses that were the “proximate result
    of the offense” for purposes of § 2259, and thus the “full amount” of
    such losses that should be awarded.
    
    Id. at 1727-28
    (internal citations omitted).
    In this case, restitution was mandatory under 18 U.S.C. § 2259 and U.S.S.G.
    § 5E1.1. Beckmann, like Paroline, possessed and did not produce or distribute
    child pornography. As the Supreme Court stated, mere possessors are still liable
    for restitution because their actions proximately cause harm to the victim(s). Thus,
    the district court appropriately found that the government met its burden to prove
    proximate causation. The district court next found that the government met its
    burden to prove an appropriate and reasonable amount of restitution based on the
    victim impact statements, the restitution ordered in prior cases, the number of
    potential defendants involved, and Beckmann’s relative culpability. The district
    court cited the appropriate law, considered appropriate factors,8 and ultimately
    8
    Beckmann argues that the district court erred by failing to take into account
    all of the factors cited in Paroline and by finding the government’s calculation
    reasonable in lieu of examining the appropriate factors itself. Beckmann’s
    argument is unpersuasive in light of the explicit language in Paroline. See 134 S.
    Ct. at 1727 (“There are a variety of factors district courts might consider in
    determining a proper amount of restitution, and it is neither necessary nor
    appropriate to prescribe a precise algorithm for determining the proper restitution
    amount at this point in the law's development.” (emphasis added)). Furthermore,
    the sentencing transcript reveals that Judge Jackson did, in fact, consider the
    parties’ arguments, the factors discussed in Paroline, and other courts’ orders
    calculating restitution in child pornography cases. See Sentencing Tr. 18:17-22:23.
    -15-
    ordered restitution in the amount of $3,000 per victim, which is an amount
    consistent with the awards in similar possession cases since Paroline. 9 Therefore,
    we cannot conclude that the district court erred in ordering restitution of $9,000,
    with $3,000 awarded to each victim.
    V.
    For the foregoing reasons, we affirm the conviction and sentence.
    ______________________________
    9
    See, e.g., United States v. Rogers, 
    758 F.3d 37
    , 39 (1st Cir. 2014)
    (upholding possessor’s restitution of $3,150 to victim who appeared in 9 video
    clips); United States v. Hagerman, 586 F. App’x 64, 65 (2d Cir. 2014) (affirming
    restitution of $3,281 for mere possession); United States v. Bellah, No. 13-10169-
    EFM, 
    2014 WL 7073287
    , at *4 (D. Kan. Dec. 12, 2014) (in possession case,
    awarding $1,500 for victim in 1 image, $1,500 for victim in 3 images, $7,500 for
    each of five victims within series containing 68 images, and $5,000 for victim in 3
    videos and 8 images); United States v. Reynolds, No. CRIM. 12-20843, 
    2014 WL 4187936
    , at *7 (E.D. Mich. Aug. 22, 2014) (awarding $8,000 for possession of 16
    images of victim, and $14,500 for possession of 19 images of another victim);
    United States v. Hernandez, No. 2:11-CR-00026-GEB, 
    2014 WL 2930798
    , at *10
    (E.D. Cal. June 26, 2014) (restitution of $2,282.86 ordered for possessor based on
    1 video and unidentified number of images); but see United States v. Cooley, No.
    4:14-CR-3041, 
    2014 WL 5872720
    , at *3 (D. Neb. Nov. 12, 2014) (awards of
    $1,910.46, $69.64, $24.24, $18.30, and $184.14).
    -16-