FILED U.S. COURT OF A P P E A LS E LE V EN T HC IR C U IT JUNE 5, 2008 THOMAS K. KAH

N CLERK [ DO NO T P UB L I S H]

I N THE UN I TE D STATE S C OU RT OF APPE ALS F O R T H E E L E V E N T H C IR C U IT

________________________ N o. 07- 14354 N on -A rgum entC al endar

________________________ D . C . D ocketN o. 05 -000 45 -C R -1-1 U N I T E D S T A T E S O F A M E R I C A , P la in tif f - A p p e lle e , v ersu s N A T H A N P A R K E R , D e f e n d a n t- A p p e lla n t.

________________________ A pp ea l fr om the U ni t ed S t at es D i stri ctC ou rt f o rth e N o r th e r n D is tr ic t o f G e o r g ia

_________________________ ( Ju n e 5, 2008) B efo re T JO F L A T , A N D E R S O N an d P R Y O R , C i rcu i tJu d g es. P E R C U R I A M: O n O c t obe r19, 2005, a N or the r n D i s tr i c tof G e or gi a gr a nd j ur y r e tur ne d aCounts On ethrou gh F our c ha rg e d th ede fend ants wi th c on sp ir a c y to c omm it m a il 1 fra ud, wire f raud, ba nk fra ud, fra udulent use of soc ial security numbers, and money

laundering. Counts Five through Fifte en alleg ed wirefra ud offenses; Counts S ix teen through Twenty-Eight alleg ed mail fra

ud offenses; Counts Twenty-Nine through Thirty-Two alleg ed bank f raud of fens e s; C ounts Th ir

ty-Thre ethrou gh T hir

ty-E ight alle g e d f

ra ud ulent u seof

so c ia l se c urity numb er s ; an d

C o unt s T h i rty-N i n e thro u ghFo rty-N i n e a l l ege d m o n ey l aun d er i n g. 2 f or ty - ni ne c ounti ndi c t m e nta ga i ns tN a tha n P a r ke ra nd e l e ve n othe r s . T he 1 in d ic tm e n t w a s th e c u lm in a tio n o f a n in v e s tig a tio n in to a s c h e m e to c o m m it m or t ga ge f

r a ud by ( 1) pur c ha s i ng hous e s , i nf l a t i ng the i rva l ue thr ough bogus a p p r a is a ls , a n d s e llin g th e m to s tr a w b u y e r s , a n d ( 2 ) b r o k e r in g o rp a r tic ip a tin g in th e s a le o f

p r o p e r ty a t a n in f

la te d v a lu e , w h ic h , in tu r n , g a v e th e d e f e n d a n ts in f la te d p r o f

its . T h e d e f

e n d a n ts e x e c u te d th e irs c h e m e b y u s in g f a ls e d o c u m e n ts a nd pr e s e nt i ng l e ndi ng i ns t i tut i ons f a l s e i nf or m a t i on t o i nduc e the m t o m a ke l oa ns t o t he bu ye rs , m any of w ho m w er e s tra w bu ye rs . P ar ker use d h i s posi t i on as a l oan of f i c e rw i th a m or t ga ge c om pa ny l oc a t e d i n m e tr opol i t a n A t l a nt a t o m a ke the s c h e m e w o r k . O n A pr i l 13, 2007, P a r ke r , ha vi ng e nt e r e d i nt o a pl e a a gr e e m e ntw i th the G o v e r n m e n t, p le d g u ilty to th e C o u n t T h r e e c o n s p ir a c y o f f e n s e a n d th e C o u n ts F i ve a nd T hi r t e e n w i r e f r a ud of f e ns e s . T he di s tr i c tc our ts e nt e nc e d P a r ke ron A ugus t24, 2007, t o pr i s on t e r m s of 60 m onths on C ountT hr e e , 55 m onths on C ountF i ve , t o run c ons e c ut i ve l y t o the C ountT hr e e t e r m , a nd 55 m onths on C ount T h ir te e n , to ru n c o n c u r r e n tly w ith th e C o u n t F iv e te r m .3

P ar ker now appeal s hi s s ent ence s, cl ai m i ng thatthe G ov ernm entbrea ched the pl ea agre em entatse nt enci ng by re com m endi ng thatthe courti m po se se nt ence s a b o v e th e b o t t o m o f

th e Gu i d e l i n e s s e n t e n c e r a n g e . T h e b r e a c h o c c u r r e d i n two w a y s : ( 1) the G ove r nm e nti m pr ope r l y i nf or m e d the c our ttha ti tw a s notbound by the pl e a a gr e e m e ntbe c a us e P a r ke rha d br e a c he d the a gr e e m e nt , a nd ( 2) the G ov ernm entre com m ended a sent ence atthe “ l ow end” of t he G ui del i nes s ent ence r a n g e , r a th e rth a n th e “lo w e s t e n d ” a s p r o v id e d in th e p le a a g r e e m e n t. P ar ker di d n otbri ng these po i nt s t o t he di stri ctcourt ’ s a t t ent i on at s e n te n c in g . T h e r e f

o r e , a b s e n t p la in e r r o r , w e w ill n o t d is tu rb h is s e n te n c e s . U n i t ed S t at es v . D e L a G arza, 51 6 F . 3 d 1 2 6 6 , 1 2 6 9 (1 1 th C i r. 2 0 0 8 ). T o est ab l i sh pl a i n e r r or , P a r ke rm us tc onvi nc e us tha t( 1) e r r oroc c ur r e d, ( 2) tha tw a s pl a i n, (3 ) th ataffected h i s su b st an t i al ri g h t s, an d (4 ) th atseri o u sl y affected the fairness, i nt egri ty, or pu bl i c r eput at i on of the j ud i ci al proceedi ng . In m ostca se s, for a n e r r ort o a f

f e c tthe de f

e nda nt ’ s s ubs t a nt i a l r i ght s , the e r r orha d t o ha ve be e n pr e j udi c i a l . T ha ti s , the e r r orm us tha ve a f f e c t e d the out c om e of

the s e nt e nc i ng p r o c e e d in g . I d .

“ T he gove r nm e nti s bound by a ny m a t e r i a l pr om i s e s i tm a ke s t o a de f e nda nt a s p a r t o f a p le a a g r e e m e n t th a t in d u c e s th e d e f e n d a n t to p le a d g u ilty . F ur the r m or e , w he the rthe gove r nm e ntvi ol a t e d the a gr e e m e nti s j udge d a c c or di ng4

t o t he defendant ’ s r ea sonabl e und er st andi ng atthe t i m e he e nt er ed hi s pl ea . ” U ni t e d S t a t e s v. T a y l or , 77 F . 3d 368, 370 ( 11th C i r . 1996) ( c i t a t i ons a nd quot a t i ons o m itte d ) . W he r e w e c onc l ude tha tthe gove r nm e ntbr e a c he d the pl e a a gr e e m e ntby m aki ng an i m prop erre com m endat i on atse nt enci ng , w e c an “ l ea ve the gu i l ty pl ea i nt a c ta nd r e m a nd the c a s e f orr e s e nt e nc i ng be f

or e a di f f e r e ntj udge , ” orpe r m i tthe de f e nda ntt o w i thdr a w the pl e a . T a y l or , 77 F . 3d a t371- 72. T he G ove r nm e ntdi d notbr e a c h the pl e a a gr e e m e nti n thi s c a s e ; he nc e , no e r r or , m uc h l e s s pl a i n e r r or , oc c ur r e d. T he a gr e e m e ntdi d notf orbi d the Go v e r n m e n tf

r o m i n f o r m i n g th e d i s tr i c tc o u r tth a t , i n th e Go v e r n m e n t ’ s v i e w, P a r ke rha d vi ol a t e d the t e r m s of the a gr e e m e nta nd c ons e que nt l y ha d r e l e a s e d the G ov ernm entfr om i t s obl i gat i on as t o m ake the se nt enci ng re com m endat i on P ar ker s a y s the a gr e e m e ntc a l l e d f or . M or e ove r , a s e nt e nc e pa c ka ge a tthe “ l ow e nd” of the G ui de l i ne s s e nt e nc e r a nge i s s y nony m ous w i th one a tthe “ l ow e s te nd” of the r a nge , orthe “ bot t om ” of the r a nge . P uta nothe rw a y , the “ l ow e nd” of the G u id e lin e s s e n te n c e r a n g e is s im p ly th e lo w e s t p o s s ib le s e n te n c e w ith in th a t r a n g e . S ee , e. g. , U ni t ed S t at es v. A gb ai , 49 7 F . 3d 12 26 , 12 30 (11t h C i r. 20 07 ); U ni t ed S t a t e s v. O r i s nor d, 483 F . 3d 1169, 1183 ( 11th C i r . ) , c e r t . de ni e d, 128 S . C t . 673 (200 7); U ni t ed S t at es v. T ho m as , 44 6 F . 3d 13 48 , 13 56 (11t h C i r. 20 06 ).5

P a r k e r ’s s e n te n c e s a r e , a c c o r d in g ly , A FFI R M ED .