State v. Udy

2012 UT App 244, 286 P.3d 345, 716 Utah Adv. Rep. 42, 2012 WL 3733772, 2012 Utah App. LEXIS 254
CourtCourt of Appeals of Utah
DecidedAugust 30, 2012
Docket20100726-CA
StatusPublished
Cited by8 cases

This text of 2012 UT App 244 (State v. Udy) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Utah primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State v. Udy, 2012 UT App 244, 286 P.3d 345, 716 Utah Adv. Rep. 42, 2012 WL 3733772, 2012 Utah App. LEXIS 254 (Utah Ct. App. 2012).

Opinion

OPINION

McHUGH, Presiding Judge:

T1 Ronald Dean Udy appeals from his concurrent sentences of one to fifteen years in prison for securities fraud, a second degree felony, and zero to five years in prison for false statements in a securities document, a third degree felony. See Utah Code Ann. § 61-1-1 (2011) (securities fraud); id. § 61-1-16 (false statements); id. § 61-1-21 (penalties). 1 We vacate the sentences and remand for resentencing.

BACKGROUND

{2 The Utah Division of Securities (the Division) revoked Udy's broker-dealer/agent license on October 9, 2008, for issuing unregistered securities in violation of a Stipulation *348 and Consent Order, and barred him from employment with any licensed broker-dealer or investment advisor in Utah. Nonetheless, Udy continued to offer and sell promissory notes. On December 21, 2005, the State charged Udy with four felony counts related to his alleged solicitation of loans from dozens of victims: one count of making false statements in a securities document, two counts of securities fraud, and one count of sale by an unlicensed broker-dealer or agent. The State calculated that Udy owed nearly $14.7 million in restitution, an amount that Udy challenged. On December 3, 2007, Udy entered a guilty plea to one count of securities fraud and one count of false statements in a securities document and the State dismissed the other charges. The trial court held the plea in abeyance on the condition that Udy pay restitution to all of the identified victims and obey all securities laws. Just nine days after the plea, Udy solicited an additional $50,000 from one of his previous victims. The victim reported Udy to the Division in June 2009. As a result, the trial court revoked Udy's plea in abeyance and entered his plea as guilty.

T3 At a "sentencing" hearing on May 3, 2010 (the First Hearing), defense counsel represented that Udy was working on a "business deal" with an expected "$15 million" commission with which Udy planned to pay restitution. Udy personally addressed the court and described the deal. He also apologized to the State and to the victims. According to Udy, the deal would fail if he were incarcerated because he was "the middle man on it." Although the State was skeptical, some of the victims asked the trial court to give Udy time to finalize the deal so that he could repay them. The trial court asked Udy how long he needed to close the deal, to which Udy replied, "60 days at most."

T4 The trial court then announced that it was "ready to sentence" Udy and stated,

I'm going to give him 1 to 15 on the two second degree felonies;[ 2 ] zero to 5 on the third; stay the imposition of that sentence. I'm going to make him do a year in jail. And then after the year in jail, he'll be on 36 months probation. But this is the deal. Right now it's May 8rd. We'll go to June, July and I'm going to cut you a little slack here, if you have-we'll set a review on the 2nd of August-no, ... I'll give you even some more time. Let's do the review on the 3rd of August, 8:80 in the morning. You have these people paid off because this money has come in in the 60 day time frame, I'll reconsider the jail sentence and I may cut it down. You'll do a little jail. [There's] going to be a little punitive as-peet to it, but I'm willing to do that and some of those people have urged me to do that. And if you don't, you're going to do the year regardless.

After further discussion, the trial court warned that if the restitution was not paid within three months, Udy was "at least going to go to jail, and he may go to prison." The court explained that it was "relying on what he's telling me right now and I'm really skeptical.... It just sounds like a lot of hot jy 97 air

5 An unsigned document titled "Minutes Sentencing Sentence, Judgment, Commitment" (the First Order) from the First Hearing states that Udy was sentenced to suspended prison terms, and that "if the defendant pays off all vietims, court will consider jail sentence, if the victims are not paid off, defendant will serve the 865 days as ordered." The First Order characterized the hearing set for August 8, 2010 (the Second Hearing), as a "Review Hearing."

T6 At the Second Hearing, Udy's counsel informed the trial court that Udy had been unable "to make substantial restitution payments," but asked for more time to complete the deal, stating, "[I}f [Udy] is taken into custody today, ... it's very likely that that particular business deal would fall through." When trial counsel then submitted a letter and an email and attempted "to bring the Court up to speed with respect to what has been occurring," the trial court interrupted, stating, "[Glive me a break. I gave him a *349 drop dead date and I let him tell me how long it would take. Did I not?" After Udy's counsel acknowledged, "You did, your hon- or," the court stated, "It's over. It's over." Udy's attorney then attempted to speak, stating, "Your Honor-" but the court interjected, "No, no, no. It's over. I gave him an opportunity...." After refusing to hear from the defense, the trial court invited the State to comment, eliciting the State's "feeling" that the letter "was just printed up," and its "instinctual feeling" that "Mr. Udy is probably being scammed and he's taken some of this ... latest money that he's received from people, sent it on to this bigger fish that's scamming him." The State concluded by stating, "[The bottom line is that this money is not coming," to which the trial court responded, "I don't believe it is either."

T7 Udy's counsel again attempted to speak, stating, "Your Honor, I have another matter-" at which point the trial court cut him off with, "No. No, we're not talking any more. Enough is enough. And I said jail time." The trial court then stated that it had "revisited this ... and I feel so sorry for these people who have been ripped off." The trial court then sentenced Udy to concurrent prison terms of one to fifteen years and zero to five years. Udy's counsel protested the sentence, saying that he understood "prison was suspended [and] that he was sentenced to one year in the Salt Lake County Jail." The trial court replied, "No, I'm backing up on that.... I initially said that I was going to give him a year in jail. I'm not. He lied to me. And if he lies to me, then he's going to pay the price.... So he's going to prison. And I did sentence him to prison, but I suspended it. Now he's going forthwith."

8 In response to trial counsel's request for further explanation, the trial court stated its belief that Udy had intentionally deceived the court at the May hearing when "he assured [the court] that that money would be here so he could pay off those people.... He lied.... He doesn't get the benefit of the better sentence." Udy's counsel then stated that the trial court had already sentenced Udy to one year in jail but had offered "a discount" if he was able to pay the restitution. The trial court disagreed, explaining that it had offered Udy "the benefit of the doubt" and provided him an "opportunity" to show that he deserved leniency.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
2012 UT App 244, 286 P.3d 345, 716 Utah Adv. Rep. 42, 2012 WL 3733772, 2012 Utah App. LEXIS 254, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-udy-utahctapp-2012.