Pursuant to 5 T H C IR . R. 47.5, the court has determined that thi s opinion should not * be publishe d an d is not precedent except under the limited circu mstance s set forth in 5 T H C IR . R. 47.5 .4. 

### INTHE UNI TED S TATESCOU RT OFAPPEALS

FORTHE FIFTH CIRCU IT

N o. 08- 30740

UN I TE D S TA TE S OF AM ERI CA P l ai n t i f f

- A pp el l ee v. J AMES E L L I S A S HF OR D D efen d a n t- A p p ell a n t

A pp ealf

rom t h e U n i t ed S t ates D i st ri ctC ou rt f ort he W es t er n D i st r i c tof Loui si ana U SD C N o. 1: 08- C R

- 22

B ef ore D AV IS, O W E N , an d H AY N E S , C i rcui tJu dg es . P E R C U R IA M: * A pp el l an tJam es E l l i s A shfor d cha l l en ges t h e di st ri ctcourt ’ s r est i t u t i on o r de ri m po s e d a f

t e rhe pl e d g u i l t y t o o ne c o unto f at hr e e c o unti ndi c t m e nt
c har g i n g h i m wi t h t h e f t o f g o v e r n m e n t f

u n d s a n d a s c h e m e t o d e f r a ud t he U n it e dS t a t e s v ia m a ilf r a u d
. F in d in gn o e r r o r , w e A F F I R M th e d is t r ic tc o u r t ’s rest i t u t i on order. A sh fordw a s i n d i ctedf or fi l i n g frau d u l en t cl a i m s f or d i sa ster reli ef w i th the F ed era lE m erg en cyM a n a ge m en t A ge ncy (“ FE M A” ) af t erH urri c ane K at r i na. United States Court of App eals

Fifth Circuit 

### F I L E D Jul y 2, 2009 Cha rl es R. F ulb ru g e II I ClerkN o. 08- 30740

Th e in dict ment st ate d th at the “exactdate s [are] uncert ain .” 1 2 Count1 cha r ge d hi m w i t h knowi ngly s t e al i ng m o r e t han $1 , 00 0 i n f e de r alf unds by c l ai m i n g di sast er assi st an ce t o w h i ch h e w as not enti t l ed betw een Sep t em ber 14 , 20 05 , and M ar c h 31 , 20 06
. Count s 2 and 3 al l e ge d as c he m e t o de f r audt he fede r algo ver nm entf r om on o rabo utSept em ber15, 2005, thr o ugh D ec em ber10, 2 0 0 5 , v ia tw o in s ta n c e s o f m a il fr a u d
. O n th e m o r n in go f a s c h e d u le dtr ia l,

1 A s h fo r dp le dg u iltyto C o u n t 2 o f th e in d ic tm e n t w ith o u t a p le a a g r e e m e n t. A t s e n te n c in g , th e d is tr ic t c o u r t o r d e r e d t h a t A s h fo r dp a y$ 1 1 ,5 7 3 .1 1 in
r es t i t ut i on, w hi c h i ncl uded the val ue o f t he t w o FE M Ac hec ks and an addi t i onal $7 , 21 5. 11 i n ho t e l bil l s t hatFEM A i m pr o pe r l y pa i d f o rAsh f o r d’ s po s t
- K at r i na h ou sing
. T h e h otel bill s w ere n ot m en ti on ed in th e i n d i ctm en t, a n dthe y re l a te t o hou si n g exp en ses f rom O ct ober 200 5 throug h F e bru ary 200 6 – da t es e x c e e d i n gi n p a r tt h e t i me a l l e g e di n C o u n t2 o f t h e i n d i c t me n t
. A s h f o r dc l a i ms t h at t h e res t i t u t i on order s h ou l d be l i m i t ed t o t h e $4, 358 speci f i cal l y m en t i on ed i n t he i ndi c t m e nt , be c aus e s o m e o f t he ho t e l e xp e ns e s w e r e i nc ur r e d o ut s i de t he t i m e f r am e a l l ege d i n C ount2. T h e le g a lityo f a re s tit u tio n o r d e ris re v ie w e dd e n o v o . Uni t e d S t at e s v. A d a ms , 363 F. 3d 363, 365 ( 5t h C i r . 2004)

. I f t he r es t i t ut i on or der i s f ound t o b e perm i t t ed byl aw , t h e p ropri et y of the pa rt i cul ar rest i t u t i on aw ard i s r evi ew ed fo ra b u s e o f d is c r e tio n . Id
. U ndert he M andat or y Vi c ti m s R estit ut i on A c t , 18 U
. S. C. § 3 66 3A ( 20 00 ) ( “M VR A” ) , ade fe nda nti s o n l y respo ns ibl e f o rpa yi ng
r e s tit u tio n fo rth e co n d u c t u n d e r ly in gth e o ffe n s e o f c o n v ic tio n . Un i t ed S t ate s v . Wr ight , 4 96 F. 3d3 71 , 3 81 ( 5t h Ci r . 2 00 7)

. H o w e ve r , “ [w ] he r e af r aud ul e nt schem e i s an el em en tof t h e convi ct i on , th e courtm ay aw ard rest i t u t i on f or a cti on s p u rsu a n t to th a t sch em e.” I d. ( quot i ng Uni t e d St at e s v . I nm an , 411 F
. 3d 591 , 595 ( 5th C i r. 200 5) ) (i n t erna l qu ot ati on m arks om i t t ed). T h e res t i t u t i on f or a sch em e to d efrau di s l i m i tedto th e sp ecif i c te m p ora lscop e of the i n d i ctm en t.N o. 08- 30740

3 I nm an , 411 F
. 3d at 595
. B ecau se t h ere i s n o w ri t t en pl ea agreem en ti n t h i s c ase andno pl e a t e r m s a r e c o nt ai ne d i n t he r ecord, w e m u s tl o o k t o t he a c t i o ns al l ege d i n t he c hargi ng doc um ent , rath er t han spec ul at i ng upon t he m ut ual unde r s t an di n g of

t he pa r t i e s , t o de t e r m i ne t he s c o pe o f Ash f o r d’ s f r aud ul e nt
s c h e m e . S e eA d a ms , 363 F. 3d at366. A sh fordw a s ch a rg ed w i th , a n dpled gu i l ty to, de visi n g a n dex ecu ti n g “a
s c he m e a nd a r t i f

i c e t o de f

r audt he U ni t e d St at e s and f o ro bt ai ni ng m o ne y and pr o pe r t y bym e ans o f fal s e a nd f

r aud ul e ntpr e t e ns e s , r epre s e nt at i o ns , a nd pro m i se s[
. ] ” To ac c om pl i sh t hi s cri m e, A shf or d w as s pec i f

i c al l y ac c use d of

( 1) f i l i ng a c l ai m f

o r$ 4, 35 8 i n em erg e nc y be ne f i t s f r o m FEM A; ( 2) fal s e l y s t at i ng t h a th i s p r i ma r yr e s i d e n c e wa s d a ma g e db ya h u r r i c a n e ; a n d( 3 ) c o mm i t t i n gt wo in s ta n c e s o f m a il fr a u d c o r r e s p o n d in gto th e ch e c k s h e im p r o p e r lyo b ta in e d
. W e con cl u de that t h e condu ctt h at r esul t ed i n t h e rec ei pt of $7, 215
. 11 i n hotel p a y m e n ts fa lls w ith in th e te m p o r a l s c o p e o f th is co u n t o f c o n v ic tio n . A shfor d i s c orrec tt h at som e of t h e h ot elpay m en t s r ei m bu rsed expen ses i n curred ou t si de the t i m e f ram e set f

ort h i n C ou n t2 of

t h e i n di ct m en t ; how ever, o u ra n a ly s is is n o t d e p e n d e n t u p o n th e d a te s A s h fo r d r e c e iv e dth e b e n e fit o f h is f r audul entc onduct
. W e c ons i deri nst ead w het hert he hot els ch em e it se l f w as pa rtof t h e sam e course of

w rongd oi n g as the act s of con vi ct i on an d arose out of th e fa ls e s ta te m e n t r e g a r d in gd a m a g e to h is p r im a r yre s id e n c e . Se eWr ight , 496 F .3 da t 3 8 2 ; s e eals o Uni t e d St at e s v . Cot hr an , 302 F
. 3d 279 , 289 & n. 11 (5t h C i r. 2 0 0 2 ) (“A lth o u g h w e so m e tim e s h a v e str u g g led to d e fin e th e ou te r b o u n d s o f a pa r t i c ul arf

r aud ul e nts c he m e , w e ha ve focuse d o n t he a c t i o ns a l l e ge d i n t he i n di ct m en tan d th ei r t em poralsc ope. ” )

. Th e rec ord i s c l ear t h at A shfor d
c o m m i t t e d t h e s am e fal s e a nd f r aud ul e ntpr e t e ns e s , r e pr e s e nt at i o ns , a nd p r o m is e s th a t w r o n g lye s ta b lis h e dh is e lig ib ilityfo rt h e t w o e m e r g e n c yb e n e fit
c hec ks t o al so obt ai n i m pro per paym ent f orhi s hot els t ay. I n shor t , t her e w as bu tone schem e t h at l ed t o A shfor d’ s c on vi ct i on f or C ou n t2, an d the rest i t u t i onN o. 08- 30740

4 a m o u n tco r r e c tlyre fle c te dlo s s e s ca u s e db yth a t s c h e m e . SeeUni t e d S t at e s v. S t ouf f er , 9 8 6 F .2 d9 1 6 , 9 2 8 -2 9 (5 th C ir
. 1 9 9 3 )

. T h e o n lyco n d u c t r e s u ltin gin lo s s e s o c c u r r in ga fte rD e c e m b e r1 0 , 2 0 0 5 w a s A s h fo r d ’ s co n tin u e dre s id e n c e in t h e hotel ; everyt h i n g el se, m ostnotabl y t h e p l an n i n g, p reparati on , an d requ est fo rre im b u r s e m e n t, o c c u r r e d w ith in th e d a te s c o n ta in e d in th e in d ic tm e n t. S ee Wr ight , 4 9 6 F. 3 da t3 8 2 ( d i s t i ng ui s hi ng Inm an , 411 F
. 3d at 595 )

. Th e di st ri ct
c our tw as c or r ec tt o t r eatt he $7, 215. 11 hot elrei m burs em entas a l os s c ause d by t he o f fe ns e o f

c o nvi c t i on , and a ppr o pr i at e l y i nc l ude d t hata m o unti n t he
r e s t i t ut i o n o r de r e d p ur s uantt o t he M VR A. Ac c o r di n gl y, w e AFF I RM t he
r e s tit u tio n o r d e r .