United States v. Beltramea

160 F. Supp. 3d 1119, 2016 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 12718, 2016 WL 427096
CourtDistrict Court, N.D. Iowa
DecidedFebruary 3, 2016
DocketNo. 13-CR-20-LRR
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 160 F. Supp. 3d 1119 (United States v. Beltramea) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, N.D. Iowa primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
United States v. Beltramea, 160 F. Supp. 3d 1119, 2016 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 12718, 2016 WL 427096 (N.D. Iowa 2016).

Opinion

ORDER

LINDA R. READE, CHIEF JUDGE, U.S. DISTRICT COURT, NORTHERN DISTRICT OF IOWA

TABLE OF CONTENTS

I. INTRODUCTION .... 1121

II. RELEVANT PROCEDURAL HISTORY .... 1121

III. RELEVANT FACTUAL BACKGROUND .... 1122

TV. ANALYSIS .... 1124

A. Applicable Law .... 1124

B. Scope of Eighth Circuit Remand .... 1125

C. “Involved In” and “Traceable To” .... 1126

D. Double Counting .... 1128

E. Excessive Fines Clause .... 1130

V. CONCLUSION .... 1133
I. INTRODUCTION

The matters before the court are the government’s forfeiture allegations against Defendant Randy Beltramea in the Second Superseding Indictment (docket no. 59).

II. RELEVANT PROCEDURAL HISTORY

On October 24, 2013, the grand jury returned a sixteen-count Second Superseding Indictment (docket no. 59) charging Defendant with various counts of wire fraud, identity theft, money laundering, false statements and tax offenses. The Indictment further contained forfeiture allegations for the wire fraud counts (Counts 1-2), pursuant to 18 U.S.C. § 981(a)(1)(C) and 28 U.S.C. § 2461(c), and the money laundering counts (Counts 4-7), pursuant to 18 U.S.C. § 982(a)(1). On October 31, 2013, Defendant pled guilty to counts 1-4, 7, 8, 12 and 16 of the Second Superseding Indictment. See October 31, 2013 Minute Entry (docket no. 81) (reflecting Defendant’s entry of his guilty pleas); October 31, 2013 Order (docket no. 84) (accepting Defendant’s guilty pleas). On December 11, 2013, the government filed a “Motion for a Preliminary Order of Forfeiture” (“Motion for Preliminary Order”) (docket no. 87), which listed seven pieces of real property and two monetary amounts that the government alleged were subject to forfeiture. Motion for Preliminary Order at 2-3. The real property listed by the government included three rental properties and land comprising Parcel A and Parcel B [1122]*1122of a proposed land development called “Castlerock Estates” (“Castlerock”). Id. The Motion for Preliminary Order reflected that Defendant had consented to forfeiture of the real property and money described therein. Id. at 1. That same day, the court entered a Preliminary Order of Forfeiture (docket no. 88) as to all of the items listed in the Motion for Preliminary Order. The court based the Preliminary Order of Forfeiture “on the guilty plea entered on October 31, 2013 and the consent of the defendant.” Preliminary Order of Forfeiture at 1. On April 4, 2014, the court sentenced Defendant to 111 months of imprisonment. See April 4, 2014 Minute Entry (docket no. 120). As part of the court’s judgment, Defendant was ordered to forfeit the property listed in the Preliminary Order of Forfeiture. See Judgment (docket no. 121) at 7.

On April 14, 2014, Defendant timely filed a Notice of Appeal (docket no. 124) to the,. United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit. In its opinion, dated May 6, 2015, the Eighth Circuit affirmed Defendant’s sentence but vacated the forfeiture because “[t]he government presented no factual allegations connecting the [properties allegedly subject to forfeiture] to any offense for which [Defendant] was convicted,” finding that ordering forfeiture absent such factual nexus was plain error. Opinion of USCA (docket no. 220) at 8; see also United States v. Beltramea, 785 F.3d 287, 291 (8th Cir.2015). The case was remanded to the court for further proceedings on the ■ forfeiture issue. Beltramea, 785 F.3d at 291.1

In light of the Eighth Circuit’s opinion and judgment (docket no. 221), the court set a forfeiture hearing. See June 30, 2015 Order (docket no. 228). On July 16, 2015, the government filed a “Brief in Support of Forfeiture” (“Government Brief’) (docket no. 229). That same day, Defendant filed a brief on the issue. See Defense Brief (docket no. 230). On July 30, 2015, the court held the forfeiture hearing. See July 30, 2015 Minute Entry (docket no. 232). The matter is fully submitted and ready for decision.

III. RELEVANT FACTUAL BACKGROUND2

The wire fraud and money laundering offenses underlying the government’s forfeiture allegations arise from Defendant’s attempt to develop approximately eighty acres of land into a housing development called Castlerock. In 2000, Defendant funded his purchase of the Castlerock land with a $270,000 loan from “Community Savings Bank” (“CSB”). PSIR ¶12. In 2004, Defendant received a line of credit from CSB, in the amount of $500,000, to further fund Castlerock. PSIR ¶ 14. For both the loan and the line of credit, Cast-lerock served as collateral.3 The CSB loan and line of credit were originally divided such that one funded Parcel A of Castler-ock and the other funded Parcel B. In 2009, Defendant had the CSB loan and line [1123]*1123of credit refinanced and consolidated into a single loan secured by both parcels of Castlerock. PSIR ¶ 25.

Defendant was an investment advisor from the 1990s until his license to sell securities was revoked in 2005. PSIR ¶¶ 9, 11. After 2005, in his efforts to develop Castlerock, Defendant contacted former investment clients to solicit funds for his use on the project. See, e.g., PSIR ¶¶ 17, 21, 22, 35, 40. When soliciting funds from three former clients, Bob Wheeler and James and June Cook, Defendant fraudulently misrepresented the purpose for which he intended to use their funds. Instead of describing his plans for Castlerock, Defendant falsely told Wheeler and the Cooks that he would use their funds to purchase and operate a series of Subway restaurants.4 PSIR ¶¶ 35, 40. Defendant falsely stated that he currently owned a restaurant called Hot Harry’s and that he and a partner were finalizing the purchase of multiple Subway restaurants. PSIR ¶¶ 35, 40. In fact, Defendant did not own Hot Harry’s, Subway denied his application to purchase a Subway franchise and his efforts to buy a five percent stake in another Subway restaurant ultimately failed. PSIR ¶¶ 27, 35, 38. Based on Defendant’s misrepresentations, on November 30, 2009, Wheeler wrote a $50,000 check payable to “Angelwing Equity” (“Angelw-ing”), which was Defendant’s real estate investment company. PSIR ¶ 35; Government Exhibit 70. Likewise, on August 25, 2010, the Cooks wrote a $75,000 check payable to Angelwing. PSIR ¶ 40; Government Exhibit 86.

Upon receiving the $50,000 check from Wheeler, Defendant deposited it into An-gelwing’s bank account, Government Exhibit 70, and then immediately wrote a $44,831.10 check to Abode Construction. PSIR ¶ 35; Government Exhibit 130. The check satisfied an outstanding invoice for work that Abode Construction performed at Castlerock.

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Bluebook (online)
160 F. Supp. 3d 1119, 2016 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 12718, 2016 WL 427096, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-beltramea-iand-2016.