United States v. Joyce Lee Hickman, A/K/A Joyce Saunders

374 F.3d 275, 2004 U.S. App. LEXIS 11730, 2004 WL 1328287
CourtCourt of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit
DecidedJune 15, 2004
Docket03-20839, 03-20840
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 374 F.3d 275 (United States v. Joyce Lee Hickman, A/K/A Joyce Saunders) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
United States v. Joyce Lee Hickman, A/K/A Joyce Saunders, 374 F.3d 275, 2004 U.S. App. LEXIS 11730, 2004 WL 1328287 (5th Cir. 2004).

Opinion

PER CURIAM:

The defendant was convicted of 32 counts of health care fraud by a jury. On original appeal, this court reversed her conviction on the first three counts of the first indictment and remanded for resen-tencing. In this appeal the .defendant asserts the district court erred in (1) enhancing her sentence under U.S.S.G. § 2Fl.l(b)(8)(B) because an insurance company is not a “financial institution,” (2) orally imposing an amount of restitution different from that contained in the written judgment, thereby causing the written judgment to be illegal, (3) omitting two essential elements of the charged offense and failing to require proof beyond a reasonable, doubt as to a’third element, and (4) granting the prosecution’s motion to remove a venireperson “for cause” over the objection of the defendant. We find no error, and AFFIRM.

I.

On July 24, 2001 Joyce Lee Hickman (“Hickman”), also known as Joyce Saunders, was convicted on 32 counts of health care insurance fraud in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1347. Hickman was sentenced to serve 210 months in confinement followed by three years of supervised release and was ordered to pay restitution of $9,348,654. On appeal, this court affirmed Hickman’s conviction on counts four through thirty-two of the indictment. United States v. Hickman, 331 F.3d 439, 448 (5th Cir.2003). We reversed Hickman’s conviction on counts one through three of the first indictment and remanded the case to the district court for resentenc-ing. . Id. On remand, the district court again sentenced Hickman to 210 months confinement followed by three years supervised release. 1 Because Hickman’s *278 conviction was reversed with regard to the first three counts of the indictment, the restitution order also was reduced. Hickman filed a timely appeal to this court.

II.

Hickman first argues that the district court erred in enhancing her sentence four levels pursuant to U.S.S.G. § 2F1.1(b)(8)(B), because an insurance company does not qualify as a “financial institution.” 2 Hickman acknowledges that insurance companies are specifically included in the definition of “financial institution” provided in Application Note 19 to U.S.S.G. 2F1.1. 3 Hickman nevertheless argues that our decision in United States v. Soileau, 309 F.3d 877 (5th Cir.2002), and the Seventh Circuit’s decision in United States v. Tomasino, 206 F.3d 739 (7th Cir.2000), render Application Note 19 invalid — she avers that the Sentencing Commission violated Congress’s directive by expanding the definition of “financial institution” to include entities not specifically listed in 18 U.S.C. § 20. 4 Hickman further argues that the Sentencing Commission’s attempt to limit the effects of Tomasino cannot be applied retroactively.

Hickman’s argument is unavailing. In Tomasino the Sentencing Commission had determined that pension funds were “financial institutions” under the guidelines. The Seventh Circuit held that the Commission’s determination was merely an interpretation of the statutory definition of “financial institutions” set out in 18 U.S.C. § 20 and that such an interpretation was inappropriately broad. The court recognized, however, that the Sentencing Commission would be permitted to expand the definition of “financial institution” if it were clearly taking on its legislative role.

In response to Tomasino the Sentencing Commission issued Amendment 617, which stated: “this amendment also makes a minor revision (adding ‘in broader form’) to the background commentary regarding the implementation of the directive in section 2507 of Public Law 101-647, nullifying the effect of United States v. Tomasino.” U.S.S.G., Appendix C, Amendment 617 (citation omitted). The Seventh Circuit, which decided Tomasino, recently discussed the effect of Amendment 617 in United States v. Collins:

Tomasino recognized that if the Commission were to add this language to the background commentary it would be “clear” evidence “that the Commission ... was exercising its legislative power” in promulgating the broader definition of financial institutions.
When the Sentencing Commission amended the background commentary to show that it was exercising its legislative power to expand the congressional definition of “financial institutions,” it merely clarified its authority to enact the preexisting definition in Application Note [19] to [§ 2Fl.l(b)(8)(B) ], and so *279 there is no issue in applying the clarification retroactively. See Tomasino, 206 F.3d at 742-43 (“A clarifying guideline can lawfully be applied retroactively.[.]”); see also United States v. Hartz, 296 F.3d 595, 598 (7th Cir.2002) (court may apply clarifying amendments retroactively). Consequently, we may look to the Sentencing Commission’s expanded definition of “financial institutions.”

361 F.3d 343, 347 (7th Cir.2004). Hickman has not offered, nor can we think of, any reason not to follow the Seventh Circuit’s interpretation of its own caselaw.

We also find unavailing Hickman’s argument that in Soileau this court held that U.S.S.G. § 2F1.1(b)(8)(B) cannot be applied to any entities not specifically listed in the definition of “financial institution” provided in 18 U.S.C. § 20. Soileau is clearly distinguishable from the instant case. In Soileau we faced the question of whether Medicare was a financial institution for purposes of U.S.S.G. § 2F1.1(b)(8)(B). Medicare is not listed as a “financial institution” under Application Note 19, nor has Congress ever defined the term “financial institution” to include Medicare. Insurance companies, on the other hand, are specifically listed as a “financial institution” under Application Note 19 in what was a valid use of the Commission’s legislative powers. Collins, 361 F.3d at 347; see also United States v. Lauersen, 348 F.3d 329, 343 & n. 15 (2d Cir.2003).

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Bluebook (online)
374 F.3d 275, 2004 U.S. App. LEXIS 11730, 2004 WL 1328287, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-joyce-lee-hickman-aka-joyce-saunders-ca5-2004.