United States v. Reginald Guy

633 F. App'x 851
CourtCourt of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit
DecidedDecember 14, 2015
Docket14-11262
StatusUnpublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 633 F. App'x 851 (United States v. Reginald Guy) 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. Reginald Guy, 633 F. App'x 851 (5th Cir. 2015).

Opinion

PER CURIAM: *

Defendants-Appellants Reginald Guy and Abbas Zahedi were convicted by a jury of one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud, five counts of health care fraud, and four counts of aggravated identity theft. Guy was sentenced to a total of 156 months of imprisonment, three years of supervised release, and restitution of $2,406,844. Zahedi was sentenced to a total of 145 months of imprisonment, three years of supervised release, and the same amount of restitution. They appeal their convictions and sentences.

1. Zahedi

Zahedi argues that the evidence was insufficient to support his conviction for a single conspiracy because the evidence established two separate conspiracies. He preserved his objection, so we review his sufficiency challenge de novo. See United States v. Grant, 683 F.3d 639, 642 (5th Cir.2012).

The evidence was sufficient for a reasonable factfinder to find that Zahedi and others participated in a single overall conspiracy to commit health care fraud. See Grant, 683 F.3d at 643. The evidence established that Zahedi, a chiropractor, allowed Metroplex Sports Rehab Center (Metroplex) to submit false claims for services he did not provide, and he received a percentage of the health insurance payments. After Zahedi opened another clinic, he continued to submit false bills, using Gregory Wattron’s provider identification number, and he continued to coordinate with James Sterns, the owner and operator of Metroplex, to prevent double billing. The jury’s finding that there was a single overall conspiracy is supported by the evidence. See United States v. Morrow, 177 F.3d 272, 291 (5th Cir.1999).

Zahedi also contends that there .was a material variance between the indictment and the evidence presented at trial. Zahedi did not raise this objection in the district court, so our review is limited to the plain error standard. See United States v. Collins, 774 F.3d 256, 262 (5th Cir.2014); see also Puckett v. United States, 556 U.S. 129, 135, 129 S.Ct. 1423, 173 L.Ed.2d 266 (2009).

Zahedi has not shown that there was a material variance between the indictment *854 and the evidence presented at trial. The indictment specifically alleged that Zahedi and others conspired to commit health care fraud at Metroplex and continued the same scheme at DFW Rehab and Diagnostics (DFW). The government presented sufficient evidence to establish that Zahedi participated in a single overall conspiracy, so he failed to show that there was a material variance between the indictment and the evidence presented at trial. See United States v. Mitchell, 484 F.3d 762, 770 (5th Cir.2007); United States v. Lewis, 476 F.3d 369, 384 (5th Cir.2007). But even if there had been a variance, Zahedi has not shown that it affected his substantial rights for purposes of plain error review because the government established Zahedi’s involvement in at least one of the proved conspiracies. See Mitchell, 484 F.3d at 770.

Zahedi also contends that the indictment was duplicitous because it charged multiple conspiracies in a single count. As he concedes, he did not raise this contention in the district court. “Objections to the indictment, such as objections on the basis of duplicity, must be raised prior to trial.” United States v. Creech, 408 F.3d 264, 270 (5th Cir.2005) (internal quotation marks and citation omitted). Zahedi waived this issue by failing to raise it prior to trial. See id. In any case, as discussed above, the evidence showed one conspiracy, so the indictment was not duplicitous.

Zahedi next asserts that the district court erred in finding that he was responsible for the money billed and collected by Metroplex after he withdrew from the conspiracy. He did not raise this argument in the district court, so our review is limited to plain error. See Puckett, 556 U.S. at 135, 129 S.Ct. 1423. He has not shown that the district court plainly erred in finding that he was responsible for a loss of less than $2,500,000. Ordinarily, the district court’s finding of loss is a factual one reviewed for clear error. See United States v. Harris, 597 F.3d 242, 250-51 (5th Cir.2010). The failure to object to a district court’s factual finding forecloses our reversal on plain error review because “[questions of fact capable of resolution by the district court on proper objection at sentencing can never constitute plain error.” United States v. Claiborne, 676 F.3d 434, 438 (5th Cir.2012). Neither has Zahedi shown that the district court plainly erred in finding him responsible for this loss amount because the evidence established a single overall conspiracy from which he did not withdraw. And Zahedi would be responsible for the entire loss because he was responsible for the reasonably foreseeable relevant conduct of his coconspirators. See United States v. Torres, 114 F.3d 520, 527 (5th Cir.1997); United States v. Scurlock, 52 F.3d 531, 540 (5th Cir.1995).

Zahedi next asserts that his 145-month within-guidelines sentence was substantively unreasonable and disproportionate to his codefendants’ sentences. Zahedi’s within-guidelines sentence is presumptively reasonable. See United States v. Mondragon-Santiago, 564 F.3d 357, 360 (5th Cir.2009). The district court considered the record, the presentence report (PSR), and Zahedi’s arguments, then determined that a sentence within the advisory guidelines range was appropriate. Zahedi has not shown that there was a sentencing disparity among similarly situated defendants nationwide, and his focus on his nonsimilar codefendants is misplaced. See United States v. Candia, 454 F.3d 468, 476 (5th Cir.2006). Zahedi has failed to rebut the presumption of reasonableness. See United States v. Cooks, 589 F.3d 173, 186 (5th Cir.2009).

*855 For the first time on appeal, Zahedi contends that the district court violated his due process rights by improperly imposing a harsher sentence on him for exercising his right to a jury trial.

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Bluebook (online)
633 F. App'x 851, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-reginald-guy-ca5-2015.