United States v. Michele Dee Shorthouse

Michele Dee Shorthouse appeals the sentence imposed after she had pleaded guilty to procuring the use of fire to commit the felony of interstate travel to commit arson and to travelling in interstate commerce with the intent to commit murder. The district court sentenced her to ten years for the latter offense and five years for the former offense, to be served consecutively, and on release from imprisonment to supervised release for six years. We affirm the judgment of the district court.

FACTS

Shorthouse, who at the time of the crime resided in Portland, Oregon, hired one Tony Johnson to burn down the house in Vancouver, Washington in which her current boyfriend’s ex-wife was living. When the burning of the house failed to scare the victim out of the neighborhood Shorthouse agreed to pay Johnson $10,000 to kill the same woman. She was apprehended before any killing took place.

PROCEEDINGS

Shorthouse pleaded guilty to violating 18 U.S.C. § 844 (h) and 18 U.S.C. § 2 in that she aided, abetted, induced and procured the use of fire in order to commit a violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1952 , interstate travel to commit arson. She also pleaded guilty to travelling in interstate commerce…