United States v. Olis

450 F.3d 583, 2006 WL 1382271
CourtCourt of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit
DecidedMay 22, 2006
Docket06-20103
StatusPublished
Cited by22 cases

This text of 450 F.3d 583 (United States v. Olis) 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. Olis, 450 F.3d 583, 2006 WL 1382271 (5th Cir. 2006).

Opinion

RHESA HAWKINS BARKSDALE, Circuit Judge:

Jamie Olis appeals from the denial, under 18 U.S.C. § 3143, of his motion for bail pending resentencing. AFFIRMED.

I.

In his corporate-management positions, Olis was involved in a complex transaction, enabling Olis and two coworkers to borrow $300 million but make it appear to their corporate auditor, among others, that these funds were generated from operations. United States v. Olis, 429 F.3d 540, 541 (5th Cir.2005) (direct appeal). To ensure their scheme would not cause the banks involved to lose money, Olis and his coworkers secretly took other actions; they intentionally concealed them from the auditor responsible for determining the transaction’s accounting treatment. Id. at 542.

At his jury trial, Olis was found guilty on six counts of securities fraud, mail and wire fraud, and conspiracy. Sentenced to *585 292 months imprisonment, Olis appealed his conviction and sentence. The former was affirmed, the “wealth” of evidence against Olis being noted. Id. at 543. The latter was vacated, however, because: he had been sentenced prior to United States v. Booker, 543 U.S. 220, 125 S.Ct. 738, 160 L.Ed.2d 621 (2005), and its Sixth Amendment holding was implicated, Olis’ sentence having been enhanced under the pre- Booker mandatory Guidelines regime by facts not proved to the jury beyond a reasonable doubt, Olis, 429 F.3d at 543; and the district court’s loss-calculation “overstated the loss caused by Olis’s crimes”, id. at 541 (emphasis in original).

Accordingly, this matter was remanded for resentencing. On remand, it was determined sentencing probably would not take place for several months (summer of 2006), due, in part, to the amount of loss being in dispute; Olis and the Government opted to have experts address loss calculation and an evidentiary hearing is to be held. Concomitantly, the district court denied Olis’ motion for bail pending resen-tencing, as well as his motion to reconsider.

II.

Solely at issue is the bail-denial, which is reviewed de novo. Generally, such denial is reviewed for an abuse of discretion, United States v. Milhim, 702 F.2d 522, 526 (5th Cir.1983); but, when, as here, it involves an error of law that entails statutory interpretation, review is de novo. See United States v. Orellana, 405 F.3d 360, 365 (5th Cir.2005).

A convicted defendant has no constitutional right to bail. See United States v. Williams, 822 F.2d 512, 517 (5th Cir.1987). Thus, as the parties acknowledge, any putative right to bail derives from 18 U.S.C. § 3143, which “establishes a presumption against” its being granted. Id. The parties disagree, however, about which subsection of § 3143 applies to Olis’ procedural posture: he has been convicted and sentenced; his conviction has been affirmed but his sentence has been vacated; and he awaits resentencing.

Section 3143 provides, in part:

(a) Release or detention pending sentence. — (1) ... [T]he judicial officer shall order that a person who has been found guilty of an offense and who is awaiting imposition or execution of sentence ... be detained, unless the judicial officer finds by clear and convincing evidence that the person is not likely to flee or pose a danger to the safety of any other person or the community if released ....
(b) Release or detention pending appeal by the defendant. — (1) ... [T]he judicial officer shall order that a person who has been found guilty of an offense and sentenced to a term of imprisonment, and who has filed an appeal or a petition for a unit of certiorari, be detained, unless the judicial officer finds—
(A) by clear and convincing evidence that the person is not likely to flee or pose a danger to the safety of any other person or the community if released ... and
(B) that the appeal is not for the purpose of delay and raises a substantial question of law or fact likely to result in—
(i) reversal,
(ii) an order for a new trial,
(Hi) a sentence that does not include a term of imprisonment, or (iv) a reduced sentence to a term of imprisonment less than the total of the time already served plus the expected duration of the appeal process ....

18 U.S.C. § 3143 (emphasis added). Accordingly, pursuant to subsection (a), a *586 convicted defendant may be released pending sentencing if “the judicial officer finds by clear and convincing evidence that the person is not likely to flee or pose a danger to the safety of any other person or the community”. Id. § 3143(a)(1).

The only circuit court to address subsection (a) in relation to a pending resentenc-ing has explained it applies only “where a defendant is awaiting sentencing the first time”. United States v. Holzer, 848 F.2d 822, 824 (7th Cir.1988) (emphasis added). The reasons for releasing a convicted defendant prior to sentencing — such as his getting his affairs in order — do not apply to an incarcerated defendant whose conviction has been affirmed. Id.; see S.Rep. No. 98-225, at 26 (1983), as reprinted in 1984 U.S.C.C.A.N. 3182, 3209 (explaining a short release may be appropriate “for such matters as getting [the defendant’s] affairs in order prior to surrendering for service of sentence”). One district court applied subsection (a) to a defendant awaiting re-sentencing, United States v. Pfeiffer, 886 F.Supp. 303 (E.D.N.Y.1995), but that case was distinguishable because the defendant had not yet been incarcerated. See United States v. Ben-Avi, 2005 WL 1949980, at *2 (S.D.N.Y. 15 Aug. 2005).

On the other hand, subsection (b) permits a defendant with a “pending appeal” to be released only if, inter alia,

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Bluebook (online)
450 F.3d 583, 2006 WL 1382271, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-olis-ca5-2006.