United States v. Beulke

892 F. Supp. 2d 1176, 2012 WL 4324907, 2012 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 135716
CourtDistrict Court, D. South Dakota
DecidedSeptember 20, 2012
DocketNo. CR10-40126-RAL
StatusPublished
Cited by15 cases

This text of 892 F. Supp. 2d 1176 (United States v. Beulke) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. South Dakota primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
United States v. Beulke, 892 F. Supp. 2d 1176, 2012 WL 4324907, 2012 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 135716 (D.S.D. 2012).

Opinion

OPINION AND ORDER REGARDING GOVERNMENT’S COLLECTION MOTIONS

ROBERTO A. LANGE, District Judge.

Defendant David Beulke pleaded guilty to embezzling from his long-time employer, the 3M Corporation, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1341. Doc. 2; Doc. 3. On April 1, 2001, this Court sentenced Beulke to 51 months in prison and ordered Beulke to pay the amount he embezzled — $5,610,-563.00 — in restitution. Doc. 26; Doc. 35. Beulke liquidated assets to pay much of his restitution obligation, but he still owed $1,250,418.46 at the time of the hearing on the pending motions. Doc. 56 at Ex. A. This Court established a payment plan for restitution at the sentencing hearing under which Beulke must pay 50% of the deposits in his inmate trust account quarterly while in jail, 10% of the amount in his inmate trust account while at a Residential Reentry Center, and monthly payments of $1,000.00 once he is released. Doc. 28 at 6.

On April 4, 2012, the Government filed a Motion for Permission to Enforce Collection requesting that this Court (1) order Beulke to turn over any tax refunds received as a result of payment of restitution in 2011, as well as any future tax refunds; (2) grant the Government permission to enforce the restitution order against [1179]*1179Beulke’s 401(k) account; and (3) find that Beulke is delinquent in the payment of restitution to refer Beulke to the Treasury Offset Program (“TOP”) for offset of any of Beulke’s federal disbursements to go toward his restitution. Doc. 38; Doc. 39. The Government also filed a Motion for Order Pursuant to 18 U.S.C. § 3664(n) asking this Court to order Beulke to apply all of his 3M pension payments to the restitution order while he is incarcerated. Doc. 47; Doc. 48. This Court grants in part and denies in part the Government’s motions.

I. Tax Benefits

Beulke does not resist the Government’s request for his surrender of any tax refunds received as a result of payment of restitution in 2011. In his brief and at the hearing, Beulke agreed that he has a duty to apply all money from income tax refunds to his criminal restitution obligation and has agreed to do so.

II. 401(k) Account

Beulke contests the Government’s request to enforce the restitution order against his 401(k) account resulting from his employment with the 3M Corporation. Doc. 44. Beulke argues that some of his deposits into the 401(k) occurred prior to his embezzlement scheme and that his wife, Linda Beulke (“Mrs. Beulke”), who sued him for divorce after he was sentenced, is entitled to half the 401(k) as part of the forthcoming property division in the divorce action. Doc. 44 at 8. This Court accordingly allowed Mrs. Beulke to participate in the hearing on the pending motions.

The Mandatory Victims Restitution Act (“MVRA”) requires a sentencing court to order defendants to pay full restitution to their victims. 18 U.S.C. §§ 3663A-3664. This Court applied the MVRA in ordering Beulke to pay full restitution to 3M, even though he had negotiated directly with 3M and its insurer to reduce his repayment obligation. Among other things, the MVRA makes civil remedies for collecting unpaid fines available to the Government for collecting unpaid restitution judgments. See 18 U.S.C. §§ 3613(f), 3664(m)(l)(A). The chief enforcement provision is set forth in § 3613(a):

The United States may enforce a judgment imposing a fine in accordance with the practices and procedures for the enforcement of a civil judgment under Federal law or State law. Notwithstanding any other Federal law (including section 207 of the Social Security Act), a judgment imposing a fine may be enforced against all property or rights to property of the person fined ...

Id. Section 3613(a) recognizes three types of exceptions to the enforcement of restitution orders. The first type includes several exemptions available under I.R.C. § 6334(a). 18 U.S.C. § 3613(a)(1). The second type is property exempt under the Federal Debt Collection Practices Act. 18 U.S.C. § 3613(a)(2). The third type is the wage exemption available to debtors under the Consumer Credit Protection Act (“CCPA”). 18 U.S.C. § 3613(a)(3). None of these exceptions apply to Beulke’s ERISA-qualified 401(k). ERISA’s anti-alienation provision does not prohibit the Government from collecting unpaid restitution from a 401 (k) account. See United States v. Novak, 476 F.3d 1041, 1049 (9th Cir.2007) (en banc) (explaining that § 3613(a) overrides ERISA’s anti-alienation provision and allows the Government to “reach defendants’ ERISA-covered retirement plan benefits when enforcing criminal restitution orders”); see also United States v. Irving, 452 F.3d 110, 126 (2d Cir.2006) (holding that “U.S.C. § 3613(a) permits courts to consider ERISA protected assets in determining [1180]*1180appropriate fines and restitution”); United States v. Miller, 588 F.Supp.2d 789, 796 (W.D.Mich.2008) (“This Court joins the ranks of several other federal courts ... holding that ERISA presents no bar against enforcing restitution orders in criminal judgments by garnishing the defendant’s pension plan distributions.”). Thus, the Government may seize Beulke’s interest in his 401(k) under the MVRA enforcement mechanisms.

Beulke, who is the plan participant, and Mrs. Beulke, who is a plan beneficiary, Doc. 46-1, argue that the Government cannot garnish the entire 401(k) account because Mrs. Beulke has acquired an interest in the account as a result of South Dakota marital property law, even before she is divorced from Beulke. In support of this argument, the Beulkes rely on South Dakota Codified Laws (“SDCL”) § 25-4-44, which states: “When a divorce is granted, the courts may make an equitable division of the property belonging to either or both, whether the title to such property is in the name of the husband or the wife.” Mrs. Beulke also cited to Bell v. Bell, 499 N.W.2d 145 (S.D.1993), where the Supreme Court of South Dakota noted that pension plan benefits accrued during a marriage are a marital asset subject to division at divorce. Id. at 147. Mrs. Beulke argued at the hearing that under United States v. Yielding, 657 F.3d 722 (8th Cir.2011), generally “[o]wnership interests are defined by the law of the State in which the interest arose.” Id. at 729.

The Beulke’s reliance on SDCL § 25-4-44, Bell, and Yielding is misplaced. State property law does not delineate Mrs.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
892 F. Supp. 2d 1176, 2012 WL 4324907, 2012 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 135716, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-beulke-sdd-2012.