# United States Court of Appeals
FortheSeventhCircuitChicago,Illinois60604ArguedNovember10,2010DecidedDecember23,2010
BeforeRICHARDD.CUDAHY,CircuitJudgeDANIELA.MANION,CircuitJudgeDIANES.SYKES,CircuitJudge
No.101518UNITEDSTATESOFAMERICA, PlaintiffAppellee,

v.EDWARDBOSIRE,DefendantAppellant. AppealfromtheUnitedStatesDistrictCourtfortheEasternDistrictofWisconsin.
No.09CR84CharlesN.Clevert,Jr.,ChiefJudge

.ORDEREdwardBosirepleadedguiltytomailfraudandwassentencedto39months’imprisonment.Onappealhearguesthatheshouldhavereceivedatwolevelreductionasaminorparticipantinthefraud.Becausethedistrictcourtdidnotclearlyerrinrefusingthisreduction,weaffirmthejudgment.EdwardBosireandhiswife,AngelaMartinMulu,bothasylumrefugeesfromKenya,engagedinafouryearfraudschemethattargetedseveralMidwestreligiouscommunities.Thecouplerepresentedthemselvesassiblingsand toldtheirvictimsthattheywerehomelessillegalimmigrantssufferingfromseriousmedicalconditionsincludingmalariaandtuberculosis,andthattheyhadsignificantlegalbillsattendanttotheirimmigrationstatus.Duringthefouryearperiodcoveredb ytheindictment,thecouplenettedover$1.1millioninproceeds,including$815,000fromtheDiscalcedCarmeliteNunsofPewaukee,NONPRECEDENTIALDISPOSITION

TobecitedonlyinaccordancewithFed.R.App.P.32.1No.101518 Page2Wisconsin.Thoughthecouplesaidtheyneededthe fundsforlegalandmedicalbillsandtuition,theyusedthemoneytomaintaintwo apartmentsandgambledawaynearly$1 million.InMarch2009,thecouplewaschargedwithmailfraudunder18U.S.C.§1341.Bosirepleadedguiltypursuanttoawrittenplea agreement,andconcededthattherelevantconductatsentencingshouldincludethetotalproceedsofthefraud.Theprobationofficersetabaseoffenselevelof7,seeU.S.S.G.§2B1.1(a)(1),andadded14levelsafterconcludingthatthelosswasmorethan$400,000butlessthan$1million,seeid.§2B1.1(b)(1)(H).Theprobationofficeralsoaddedtwolevelsbecause theoffenseinvolved10ormorevictims,seeid.§2B1.1(b)(2)(A)(1),andsubtracted threelevelsforacceptanceofresponsibility, see id .§3E1.1.Bosire’stotaloffenselevelof20andcriminalhistorycategoryofIyieldedanimprisonmentrangeof33to41months.Inresponsetothepresentencereportandagainatsentencing,defensecounselarguedthatBosiremeritedanadditionaltwo levelreductionunderU.S.S.G.§3B1.2(b)asaminorparticipantinthefraud.CounselarguedthatBosirehadfarlesscontactwiththevictimsthanMartinMulu,pointingtoseveralvictimstatementsthatcitednocontactwithBosire.CounselalsomaintainedthatBosirewasjusta“prop”or“driver,”andthatheoftenremainedinthecarwhileMartinMulutalkedt othevictims.Finally,hearguedthatBosirehadlessthanfullknowledgeaboutMartinMulu’sinteractionswiththevictimsbecausethecouplemaintainedseparateresidencesandwereoftenapartwhileBosireattendedclassesandworkedasatruckdriver.Thedistrictcourtrejectedthesearguments, reasoningthatbybeingpresentbutstayinginthecarBosirefacilitatedMartinMulu’sstorythathewasinillhealth.Thecourtalsonotedthatthefraudhadspannedfour years,therewasnoindicationthatBosirewasnotfullyawareofwhatwasgoingonorthathehadforegonethebenefitsofthefraud,andtherewasnoindicationthathehadtriedtostopthefraud.Thedistrictcourtadoptedtheprobationofficer’sproposedfindings,sentencedBosireto39months’imprisonment,andassignedhimjointliabilityforrestitutiontotalingover$980,000.OnappealBosirearguesthatthedistrictcourterredwhenitdeclinedtogranthimaminorrolereduction,renewinghisargumentsboththathewasamere“prop”inthefraudandneithernecessarynoressentialtothefraud’ssuccess.Tomeritthereduction,Bosirehadtoshowbyapreponderanceoftheevidence thathewassubstantiallylessculpablethantheaverageparticipantinthescheme.See U.S.S.G.§3B1.2(b),cmt.n.3(A);UnitedStatesv. Doe,613F.3d681,687(7thCir.2010).Wereviewforclearerrorthefactualfindingsunderlyingasentencingcourt’sdenialofamitigatingroleadjustment.UnitedStatesv. PanaiguaVerdugo ,537F.3d722,724(7thCir.2008).No.101518 Page3
ButBosireprovidednoevidenceatsentencingi nsupportofhisargument.Nordidheintroduceanyevidencechallengingtheaccuracyoftheinformationcontainedinthepresentencereport.SeeUnitedStatesv.Heckel ,570F.3d791,795(7thCir.2009)(statingthatadefendantcannotchallengeapresentencereportbymakinga“baredenial”ofitsaccuracy);seealsoUnitedStatesv.Hankton ,432F.3d779,790(7thCir.2005).TheevidenceatsentencingshowedthatBosireengagedinafouryear schemewithMartinMulutodefraudabroadarrayofreligiousgroupsandpersons.Healsotookseveralstepstoassistinthefraud,byreceivingandcashingchecksonatleastone occasionandbydrivingMartinMulutovisitprospectiveandongoingvictims.Andthoughh edisputesthedegreeofbenefithereapedfromthefraud,itisclearthathedidbenefit—headmittedthathefrequentlygambledwithsomeoftheproceedsandspenttherest.He alsofailedtodoanythingtostopthefraud.Moreover,Bosireadmittedthatheassistedboth incontactingandcontinuingtodefraudtheCarmelites,whoselossconstitutedthebulkofthemoneytaken.NorcanBosiredisavowknowledgeofthefullscheme.Heacknowledgedinhispleaagreementthatthefullproceedsofthefraudwererelevantconductforsentencingpurposes.Itisnotclearfromtherecordi fBosirehimselfspoketoanyvictims,buthisabsenceadvancedthecouple’sstorythathewas“toosick”tomeetwithvictims.AndthoughBosirearguesthathehad“lesserknowledge” becausehewasnotpresentforallthemeetings,thedistrictcourtcreditedMartinMulu’spleahearingtestimonythattherewere“nosecrets”betweenthecouple;itneednothavecreditedBosire’sunswornallocutiontothecontrary,U.S.S.G.§3B1.2,cmt.n.3(C);UnitedStatesv.Howard ,454F.3d700,703(7thCir. 2006).
AFFIRMED.