United States v. Kelly J. Jackson

32 F.3d 1101, 1994 U.S. App. LEXIS 21569, 1994 WL 420330
CourtCourt of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit
DecidedAugust 12, 1994
Docket93-1003
StatusPublished
Cited by48 cases

This text of 32 F.3d 1101 (United States v. Kelly J. Jackson) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals for the Seventh 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. Kelly J. Jackson, 32 F.3d 1101, 1994 U.S. App. LEXIS 21569, 1994 WL 420330 (7th Cir. 1994).

Opinions

COFFEY, Circuit Judge.

Kelly J. Jackson challenges his sentence for bank fraud on the ground that the district court failed to give any notice of its intent to impose a two-level enhancement for abuse of a position of trust until the moment of sentencing.

I. BACKGROUND

Jackson pleaded guilty to one count of causing the fraudulent transfer of $231,708.61 from a First Wisconsin Bank internal account for the purpose of executing and attempting to execute a scheme and artifice to obtain money under the custody and control of the bank in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1344. The presentence report (PSR) set Jackson’s base offense level at six pursuant to U.S.S.G. § 2Fl.l(a) and added eight levels to reflect the amount of “loss” involved. § 2Fl.l(b)(l)(I). Two points were added for more than minimal planning, § 2Fl.l(b)(2)(A), and two more for the defendant’s role in the offense. § 3B 1.1(c) (enhancement for defendant who is an “organizer, leader, manager, or supervisor” in the offense). Subtracting three points for timely acceptance of responsibility, § 3E1.1, resulted in an adjusted base offense level of 15, which, when combined with a criminal history category of I, resulted in a Guideline sentencing range of 18 to 24 months.

[1104]*1104At the sentencing hearing the court asked whether a Guideline enhancement for an abuse of a position of trust, § 3B1.3, had been considered in the calculation. The probation officer advised the court that he had not considered an enhancement based on an abuse of trust and therefore he did not recommend it in the PSR. Defense counsel objected stating that neither he nor the defendant had been given notice that this would be a factor considered until the very moment of sentencing and requested an adjournment to prepare a response. The court denied counsel’s request, finding that the fraudulent internal transfer was a clear violation of the trust the bank placed in Jackson, and imposed a two-level increase. Because the court refused to accept the recommended two-level enhancement for Jackson’s role in the offense, i.e., leader/organizer, the applicable Guideline range was the same as recommended in the PSR. The court sentenced Jackson to an 18 month term of imprisonment, to be followed by 5 years of supervised release, and ordered him to pay $3,400 in restitution.1

II. ANALYSIS

Because Jackson’s sentence was enhanced on a legal ground different from that noticed in the PSR, or the prosecutor’s recommendation, the issue presented by the defendant on appeal is whether the failure to give notice in advance of the sentencing hearing resulted in a sentence imposed either in violation of law or as a result of an incorrect application of the Guidelines. See 18 U.S.C. § 3742. We agree with the defendant’s position that there is a notice problem, as we will discuss below, but initially address two threshold issues: (1) the fact that the defendant has already completed his sentence and (2) the possibility that Jackson’s position of money marketing clerk was likely no different than that of a bank teller. See U.S.S.G. § 3B1.3, comment, (n. 1) (“[t]his adjustment [abuse of trust], for example, would not apply to an embezzlement by an ordinary bank teller”).

In this case, the defendant has completed his prison sentence. In that regard, we would encourage defendants facing relatively short sentences to seek release pending appeal or move for an expedited appeal because it is often difficult to file an appeal, docket it, set a briefing schedule, hear oral argument, and draft an opinion before a very short sentence has been served. See 18 U.S.C. § 3143(b) (allowing for release of a defendant pending appeal).

A. Abuse of Trust Enhancement

Jackson did not present an argument at sentencing on the abuse of trust enhancement, because the defendant and his counsel, without knowledge of the court’s intentions, were unprepared to make such an argument. See infra at 1107 & n. 4. Nonetheless, we have authority to correct the court’s error in applying the two-level enhancement for abuse of trust under Fed.R.Crim.P. 52(b) which provides that “[p]lain errors or defects affecting substantial rights may be noticed although they were not brought to the attention of the court.” See United States v. Seacott, 15 F.3d 1380, 1383 (7th Cir.1994).

The commentary to the Sentencing Guidelines states

“The position of trust must have contributed in some substantial way to facilitating the crime and not merely have provided an opportunity that could as easily have been afforded to other persons. This adjustment, for example, would not apply to an embezzlement by an ordinary bank teller.”

U.S.S.G. § 3B1.3, comment, (n. I).2

The record reveals that the defendant graduated from high school and attended college for a period of time but has not received a degree. At the time of his arrest, he had [1105]*1105been employed by the bank for some eleven months and was earning $14,952 as a “money market clerk.” These facts convince us that the court erred in applying the enhancement for abuse of trust or use of special skill because Jackson’s education, training, salary, and employment position do not appear to be that of a person in a position of trust or one with special skill. See U.S.S.G. § 3B1.3, comment, (n. 2) (“[s]peeial skill refers to a skill not possessed by members of the general public and usually requiring substantial education, training or licensing”). Under ordinary circumstances, we would vacate the defendant’s sentence and remand to the district court with instructions to conduct a sentencing hearing on the issue of whether Jackson’s position was like that of a bank teller and thus not subject to the position of trust enhancement. As mentioned above, however, the defendant did not move for release pending appeal or for an expedited appeal and he has completed his prison sentence, thus we remand to the district court to determine if the defendant’s position (money marketing clerk) was similar to that of a bank teller, and in the event it was, whether he is entitled to a two-point reduction in his offense level and a possible decrease in his five-year term of supervised release.

B. Notice

It is well-known that the imposition of sentence is a critical stage of criminal proceedings, if not the most critical, particularly where the defendant has pleaded guilty. United States v. Rosa, 891 F.2d 1074, 1079 (3d Cir.1989); see also Fourteenth Annual Review of Criminal Procedure: United States Supreme Court and Courts of Appeals 1988-1984, 73 Geo. L.J. 249, 671 n. 2502 (1984-85) (authorities mentioned therein). Under the Sentencing Guidelines, the court’s resolution of disputed sentencing factors has a measurable effect on the punishment imposed. Burns v. United States, 501 U.S. 129, 133, 111 S.Ct. 2182, 2185, 115 L.Ed.2d 123 (1991) (citing U.S.S.G.

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Bluebook (online)
32 F.3d 1101, 1994 U.S. App. LEXIS 21569, 1994 WL 420330, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-kelly-j-jackson-ca7-1994.