United States v. Kopp

766 F. Supp. 227, 1991 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 8292, 1991 WL 105497
CourtDistrict Court, D. New Jersey
DecidedApril 30, 1991
DocketCr. No. 89-264 (GEB)
StatusPublished

This text of 766 F. Supp. 227 (United States v. Kopp) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. New Jersey primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
United States v. Kopp, 766 F. Supp. 227, 1991 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 8292, 1991 WL 105497 (D.N.J. 1991).

Opinion

OPINION AND ORDER

BROWN, District Judge.

INTRODUCTION

Larry Kopp is before this Court for sentencing on his plea of guilty to two counts of a twelve count Indictment. Count 1 charges that from November 15, 1987 through January 31, 1988, in this District, Kopp conspired and agreed with Stuart Sherer to defraud the Ensign Bank FSB of up to $14 million and to obtain the money, funds, credits, assets and property of the Ensign Bank by means of false and fraudulent pretenses. The Indictment charges [228]*228that Kopp ordered codefendant Sherer to create false, fraudulent and forged leases and estoppel letters to attorneys for the bank. These false documents were used in support of the loan application for Ramsey Retail Associates, a real estate partnership of which Kopp was a partner, for the purpose of misrepresenting to Ensign Bank the amount of money being earned by the property and thereby inducing Ensign Bank to advance money which would not otherwise have been advanced. It was part of this conspiracy that the defendant caused the bank to advance $13.75 million to Ramsey Retail Associates in reliance upon the false, fraudulent and forged documents. Count 2 of the Indictment repeats the charges contained in Count 1 and additionally charges that Larry Kopp knowingly and willfully executed the scheme to defraud, in that he attended a meeting to close the loan sought from Ensign Bank and obtained the funds being advanced. Because Mr. Kopp’s criminal conduct occurred after November 1, 1987, the Sentencing Reform Act of 1984 is applicable. The Sentencing Guidelines which were in effect at the time the offense occurred are being used as these guidelines are more advantageous to the defendant than the revised Guidelines which were promulgated on November 1, 1989. A three-day sentencing hearing was conducted with extensive testimony in order to resolve the parties’ objections to the Presentence Report submitted by the Probation Office. The primary issue presently before the Court is how to appropriately determine the estimated, probable or intended loss 1 to Ensign Bank as a result of the defendant’s conduct and what increase in the base offense level, if any, is warranted. The parties have also raised various other objections to the Presentence Report which are considered in the latter portion of this Opinion. The Court must additionally determine whether downward or upward departures are appropriate. The parties responded to the Presentence Report, the above hearings were held, and the parties were permitted extensive post-hearing submissions. The Court now considers these matters ready for decision.

BACKGROUND

A. Background of the Kopp Businesses

Larry Kopp and his brother Marvin Kopp operated a real estate development business comprising several corporations engaged in building construction, and various partnerships holding title to buildings developed by the brothers. In November 1984, Marvin Kopp died. Financial disputes arose between the defendant and his brother’s widow, Judith Kopp, in which Judith accused the defendant of dissipating partnership- assets for personal use. In June 1988, Kopp’s nephew, David Kopp, approached the FBI and reported that his uncle and Stuart Sherer, a Kopp employee, were involved in several criminal schemes. He agreed to use a tape recorder to capture conversations with Sherer and Kopp. After being confronted with recordings of his conversations with David Kopp, Sherer agreed to cooperate and record additional conversations with Larry Kopp.2

B. The Ensign Bank Fraud

Between 1986 and 1987 Larry Kopp borrowed heavily, pledging various partnership properties as security and gradually dissipating the partnership assets. In August 1987, one of the real estate partnerships, Ramsey Retail Associates, began to negotiate with the Ensign Bank FSB for a $14 million mortgage on a shopping mall. This financing was necessary because Ramsey’s prior lender was about to declare a default as a result of a second mortgage Kopp placed on the property without the permission of the first lender. In addition, Kopp sought to obtain a loan amount over and above the amount necessary to retire [229]*229the outstanding loans3 representing developer’s profit from the project. From November 1987 through January 1988, Kopp delivered forged documents to Ensign Bank in order to obtain the loan. In addition, Kopp signed two certified rent rolls, which attested to the truth of false rental income information submitted in support of the loan. The forged leases, forged estoppel letters and fraudulent rent rolls were intended to support Kopp’s contention that the property was fully rented and earning sufficient rents to make the mortgage payments called for by the terms of the loan. The false documents submitted to the bank were necessary because parts of the shopping center were vacant, lessees had numerous complaints about the management of the building, and several prospective tenants had already informed Kopp that they intended to break their leases and refuse to accept occupancy.

Though the loan commitment was for $14 million, the defendant still could not show a sufficient debt service ratio to collect the entire amount of the loan. Therefore, the loan closed in two stages: in December 1987, for $13 million, and in January 1988, for an additional $750,000. Mr. Kopp explained that the funds from the $13 million loan closing in December were disbursed almost entirely to pay the construction loan and the second loan on the property as well as various other debts. He further explained that he intended to repay the loan and intended to continue to look for additional tenants besides those listed in the false rent roll.

Interest payments on the loan were delinquent beginning in February 1988 and the loan eventually went into default. Ensign Bank demanded a deed in lieu of foreclosure and was forced to operate the property beginning in April 1988 until its subsequent sale for $14.5 million.

DISCUSSION

A. The Offense and Appropriate Guideline Range

Defendant plead guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud and one count charging a substantive offense of bank fraud in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1344.4 Under U.S.S.G. § 3D1.2(b)(l), the two counts are grouped together as one count charges conspiracy and the other count charges the substantive offense. The applicable guideline for an offense charged under 18 U.S.C. § 1344 is U.S.S.G. § 2F1.1 Fraud and Deceit. The Base Offense Level for this offense is 6. Section 2F1.1(b)(1) provides that the Court must increase a defendant’s offense level based on the “estimated, probable or intended” amount of dollar loss exceeding $2,000 which resulted from the defendant’s fraudulent scheme. U.S.S.G. § 2F1.1(b)(1).

B. The Varying Theories of Loss Calculation

1. The Presentence Report.

The probation officer completing the Presentence Report relied on the bank’s reported out-of-pocket expenses to calculate loss. The officer explained that there was no indication that the defendant attempted to defraud the bank of the entire loan.

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

Related

United States v. Sharon Kay Johnson
908 F.2d 396 (Eighth Circuit, 1990)
United States v. Michael Duane Westmoreland
911 F.2d 398 (Tenth Circuit, 1990)
United States v. Donald Ray Cockerham
919 F.2d 286 (Fifth Circuit, 1990)
United States v. Chiarelli
898 F.2d 373 (Third Circuit, 1990)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
766 F. Supp. 227, 1991 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 8292, 1991 WL 105497, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-kopp-njd-1991.