2006 D e c i sion s O p inion s of the U nit e d S t at e s C our t of Appe al s for the Thir d C ir c uit 4-19-2006 

# U SA v . M atur a P r e c e de n t i al or N on-P r e c e de n t i al : N on-P r e c e de n t i al D ocke t N o . 05-2603

F o l low thi s a nd a dd it ion al work s at : http://d i git alc ommon s .l a w . vi l l a no va . e du/thir dc ir c uit_2006

Thi s de c i sion i s br ou ght t o you for f r e e a nd ope n a c c e s s b y the O p inion s of the U nit e d S t at e s C our t of Appe al s for the Thir d C ir c uit at V i l l a no va U nive r sity S choo l of L a

w Di git al Reposit or y

. It h as be e n a c c ept e d for inclusion in 2006 D e c i sion s b y a n author i z e d a dmini s tr at or of V i l l a no va U nive r sity S choo l of L a

w Di git al Reposit or y

. F or mor e inform at ion, p le as e c on t a ct Be n j amin . C a rl s on@l a

w . vi l l a no va . e du . Re c omme nde d C it at ion " U SA v . M atur a" (2006). 2006 D e cisio n s . P ape r 1246. http://d i git alc ommon s .l a

w . vi l l a no va . e du/thir dc ir c uit_2006/1246

### Hon. PaulR. Mi c he l , Chi e f Judge of theUni t e d St at e s Cou rt of Appe a l s for the * 

### Fe de r a lCi r c ui t , s i tt i ng by de s i gnat i on. 1 NOT P RE CE DE NT I AL U N IT E D S T A T E S C O U R T O F A P P E A L S F O R T H E T H IR D C IR C U IT

N o. 

### 05- 2603

UNI TED STATES OF AMERI CA

v. W I LL I AM MA TU RA , Appe l l ant

O n A p p ea l from the U n it ed S tat es D istri ct C o u rt f o r th e E a ste rn D istric t o f P e n n sy lv a n ia ( D . C . C r i m . N o. 03- cr - 00738) D istric t Ju d g e : H o n . L e g ro m e D . D a v is

Subm i t t ed U nderT hi r d C i r cui tL A R 34. 1( a)

A pr i l 17, 2006 B efor e: SL O V I T E R , A M B R O and M I C H E L , C i r cui tJ udges * ( Fi l ed A pr i l 19, 2006)

OP I NI ON

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SL O V I T E R , C i r cui tJ udge. W i l l i am M atur a pl ed gui l t yt o cons pi r acyt o comm i theal t hcar e fr aud i n vi ol at i on of 18 U . S. C . § 371, and obs t ruct i on of a he al t hcar e fr aud i nves t i gat i on, i n vi ol at i on of 18 U . S . C . § 1 5 1 8 . A cc o rdin g to the P re-S en tenc e R ep o rt(P S R ), the n o w ad v isory S e n te n c in g G u id e lin e s p ro v id e d f o r a s e n te n c in g ra n g e o f 8 7 -1 0 8 m o n th s ’ i m p ri s o n m e n t. T hi s w as bas ed on M atur a’ s gui l t ypl ea a nd a tw o- poi ntenhanc ement forabus e of a pos i t i on of trus t . T he D i s t r i ctC our tdepart ed dow nw ar d fr om t he advi s or ys ent ence r ange beca us e of M atur a’ s “s ubs t ant i al contr i but i on t o t he comm uni t y , ” A pp. at136, and s ent ence d hi m t o s i xt y( 60) m ont hs ’ i m pr i s onm ent . H e appe al s fr om t hats ent ence , cont endi ng t hatt he D i s t r i ctC our ti m pr oper l yenhanc ed hi s s ent ence bas ed upon an err oneous det er m i nat i on t hatM atur a had a bus ed a pos i t i on of trus t , and thatt he D i s t r i ct C ou rthad i m properl yden i ed h i m a do w nw ard dep arture on v ari ou s ot her groun ds. A ccor di ng t o M atur a, t he enha ncementof hi s s ent ence bas ed on abus e of a po si t i on of trustw as i m proper for t w o reasons: 1. H e did not occup ya po si t i on of trust w i t h r es pectt o t he i ns ur ance company ; 2. A bus e of trus ti s an el ement of a gr eat er offe ns e and ther efor e s houl d have t o be admi t t ed bya def endantorpr oven bey ond a re a s o n a b le d o u b t. M atur a’ s cont ent i on t hathe di d notoccupya pos i t i on of trus tw i t h r egar d t o t he insu ran ce co m p an yh as n o m erit . In U n it ed S tat es v . S h erm an , 1 6 0 F . 3 d 9 6 7 (3d C ir . 1998) , t hi s cour thel d t hatt he def endant , a doct orw ho had fr audul ent l ybi l l ed i ns ur ance

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co m p an ies, h ad ab u sed a p o sit ion o f trust. W e stated that “[ t] o d eterm ine w h ethe r a pos i t i on of trus texi s t s , w e cons i dert hr ee f act or s : “( 1) w hethert he pos i t i on al l ow s t he defe ndantt o comm i ta di ffi cul t - t o- det ectw r ong; ( 2) t he degr ee of author i t y. . . w hi ch the p o sit ion v ests in d ef

en d an t vis-a-vis t h e o b

ject of the w ron g fu l act; an d (3) w h ethe r th ere h a s b e e n re lia n c e o n th e in te g ri ty o f th e p e rs o n o c c u p y in g th e p o s itio n .” Id . a t 9 6 9 . W e found thatt hes e thr ee f

act or s w ei ghed i n favorof fi ndi ng t hatt he doct oroccupi ed a po si t i on of trustw i t h respectt o the i nsurance co m pan i es he bil l ed. T hese co m pan i es u ti li ze d an h o n o r sy stem an d lack ed an yo ther m ea n s o f m o n it o ri n g the d ef en d an t’ s b i l l i n g p r a c t i c e s . T h e f a c t s h e r e c l o s e l yr e s e mb l e t h o s e i n S h e r ma n , a n d t h e r e f o r e we h o ld tha t th e D istri ct C o u rtn eit h er e rred n o r ab u sed it s d iscreti o n in h o lding that M atura o c c u p ie d a p o s itio n o f

tru s t a n d a b u s e d th a t p o s itio n . M a tu ra ’s s e c o n d c o n te n tio n is th a t a b u s e o f tru s t is a n e le m e n t o f

a g re a te r o f

f e n s e . E ven i f abus e of trus ti s an el ement of a gr eat eroffe ns e r athert han a s ent enci ng fac t or( an i s s ue upon w hi ch w e expr es s no opi ni on) , t hi s cour thas hel d t hats ent enci ng j udges m ay m ake f i ndi ngs of fa ctbya pr eponder ance of the evi dence r egar di ng s uch el ement s . See U ni t ed St at es v. C ooper , 437 F. 3d 324, 330 ( 3d C i r . 2006) ( ci t i ng U ni t ed St at es v. M ack, 2 2 9 F . 3 d 2 2 6 , 2 3 3 -35 (3d C ir . 2 0 0 0 )). T h is co u rtd o es n o t hav e jurisdicti o n o v er M atura ’s claim that the D istri ct C o u rt err ed w hen i tdeni ed M atur a an a ddi t i onal dow nw ar d departur e des pi t e the fa ctt hat M atur a l i ved a l ar gel ycr i m e- fr ee l i fe a nd des pi t e evi dence t hatenhanc ement s hads ig n if

ic a n tly in c re a s e d M a tu ra ’s s e n te n c e . S e e C o o p e r, 4 3 7 F .3 d a t 3 3 3 . For t he for egoi ng r eas ons , w e w i l l aff i r m t he s ent ence i m pos ed byt he D i s t r i ct C o u rt.