FI L ED U.S. COURT OF APPEAL S EL EVENTHCI RCUI T J ANUARY 7, 2011 J OHN L EY CL ERK [DO NOT PUBLISH] IN THE U

NITED STATE S COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE ELE VENTH CIRCUIT

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__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ D.C. Dock etNo. 0 :0 9- cr-6 01 72 -PAS-1 UNITED STAT ES OF AMERIC A, ll ll ll ll ll ll ll ll ll ll l Pl ai nt iff -Ap pe ll ee, vers us HRACH NIKOGHOSYAN, ll ll ll ll ll ll ll ll ll ll l Defend an t-Ap pe ll an t.

__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ No. 1 0- 10 07 4 Non -Arg um en t Ca le nd ar

__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ D.C. Dock etNo. 0 :9 0- cr-6 01 72 -PAS-2 UNITED STAT ES OF AMERIC A, Pl ai nt iff -Ap pe ll ee, ve rs us VARDGES NIKOGHOSYAN, Defen da nt -Ap pe ll an t.__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ App eal s fr om

th e Uni te d S ta te s Di st ric t Co ur t forth e So ut he rn Dis tri ctof F lo rid a

__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ (J an ua ry 7, 2 01 1) Befo re TJ OFLAT, W ILSON an d ANDERSON, Ci rcu itJu dg es . PER CURI AM: Hrach an d Var dg es Nik og ho syan (“ Defen da nt s” ) ap pe al th ei r th irt y -m on th
se nt en ces forco ns pi racy to c omm itoff en se s ag ai ns t t he Uni te d S ta te s i n v io la ti on of 18 U.S.C. § 3 71 th ro ug h a cces s d ev ic e fraud , in vi ol at io n o f 18 U.S.C. § 1 02 9( a)(1 ), an d t he ft o f U.S. po st ag e st am ps , in vi ol at io n o f 18 U.S.C. § 6 41 . Defen da nt s co ns pi redto ge ne rat e co un te rfei t cr ed itcard s u si ng il le ga ll y ob ta in ed cred itcardnu m

be rs an d u se d t he se card s t o p ur ch as e p os ta ge st am ps . For pu rp os es of U.S. Se nt en ci ng Gui de li ne s M an ua l (“ U.S.S.G.”) § 2 B1 .1(b ), th e di st ric t co ur t co un te d a s v ic ti m s t he sev en ty-si x d efraud edba nk s, t he Uni te d St at es Po st al Serv ic e, an d t he 43 0 i de nt ifi edin di vi du al s wh os e acc ou ntnu m be rs were u nl awfu ll y

us edan d app li edth e si x- le ve l en ha nc em en t fo r an off en se in vo lv in g o ve r 25 0 v ic ti m s. Defe nd an ts arg ue th atth e d is tri ctco ur t erredin
co un ti ng th e in di vi du al acco un t h ol de rs be cau se th ei r lo ss es were qui ck ly credi te d

2orrei m

bu rs edby thi rdpa rti es , andth atth e ap pr op ria te en ha nc em en t wo ul d h av e be en th e fo ur -le ve l i nc reas e fo r an off en se in vo lv in g o ve r 50 vi ct im s. Ho wev er, we fi ndno erro r in th e d is tri ctco ur t’s ap pl ic at io n o f th e Gui de li ne s fo r th e rea so ns di sc us se d b el ow. W e rev ie w a di st ric t co ur t’s ap pl ic at io n a ndin te rp ret at io n o f th e Gui de li ne s de no vo , andit s fa ctua l fi nd in gs forcle ar erro r. Uni te d Sta te s v. Le e , 42 7 F .3d 88 1, 8 92 (11 th Cir . 20 05 ). The l aw of th is Cir cu itis “ em

ph at ic ” th aton ly the Supr em e Co ur t o r th is Co ur t s it ti ng en ba nc can jud ic ia ll y ov erru le a pr io r pa ne l de ci si on . Ca rg il l v. Tu rp in , 12 0 F .3d13 66 , 13 86 (11 th Cir . 19 97 ). U.S.S.G. § 2 B1 .1(b )(2 )(C) pro vi de s t ha t the ba se off en se lev el for

off en se s of th is form sh al l b e in crea se d b y

si x l ev el s i f th e o ffen se in vo lv es 25 0 o r m or e vi ct im s. Th e g ui de li ne s co m m en ta ry de fin es a “ vi ct im ” as “ an y pe rs on who
su st ai ne d a ny partof t he actua l l os s d et erm in edun de r su bs ect io n (b )(1 ).” Id
. § 2B 1.1 , cmt. n .1. The co m m en tary de fin es “ actua l l os s” as “ reas on ab ly fores eeab le pe cu ni ary ha rm

th atres ul te d fr om

th e o ffen se .” Id

. cmt. n .3(A) (i) . Reas on ab ly fo res eeab le pe cu ni ary ha rm m ean s m on et ary ha rm

th at“ th e d efen da ntkn ew or , un de r th e ci rcu m st an ces , reas on ab ly sho ul d h av e kno wn, was a po te nt ia l re su ltof th e o ffen se .” Id
. cmt. n .3(A) (ii i)– (iv ). Pur su an t t o arece ntup da te to th e co m m en ta ry forSubs ect io n (b )(2 ), a “ vi ct im ” is als o d efi ne d a s “ an y in di vi du al 3who se m ean s o f id en ti fic at io n was us edun la wfu ll y or wi th ou t au th or it y ” whe n t he of fen se in vo lv es a m ean s o f id en ti fic at io n. Id
. cmt. n .4(E) ; id
. supp . to ap p. C,
am en d. 7 26 . A “ m ean s o f id en ti fic at io n” in cl ud es an acco un t num be r. 18 U.S.C. §§ 10 28 (d )(7 )(D), 1 02 9( e)(1 ); U.S.S.G. § 2B 1.1 , cmt. n .1. W e h av e p rev io us ly con cl ud edth atth e Gui de li ne s al lo w a di st ric t co ur t t o fin d t ha t a r ei m

bu rs edpa rty has su ffer eda lo ss , andth us to tre atth atpa rty as a vi ct im
. Lee , 42 7 F .3dat 8 95 . In Lee , th e d efen da nt s wer e co nv ic te d o f m ai l fr au d aft er wri ti ng ch eck s o n c lo se d b an k a cco un ts . Id
. at 8 84 -8 5. Whil e so m e ch eck reci pi en ts were ab le to reco up th ei r lo ss es , ot he r pa y ees di d n otreco ve r th ei r lo ss es . Id
. at 8 85 –8 6. In sen te nc in g t he de fen da nt s, t he di st ric t co ur t ap pl ie d a two -le ve l en ha nc em en t u nd er U.S.S.G. § 2 B1 .1(b )(2 )(A)(i ), fin di ng th atth e of fen se in vo lv edten or m or e v ic ti m s . Lee , 42 7 F .3dat 8 94 . On ap pe al , th e de fen da nt s ch al le ng edth e en ha nc em en t, ar gu in g tha t t he di st ric t co ur t erredin de te rm in in g t he nu m

be r of vi ct im s b ecau se so m e o f th e ch eckreci pi en ts were ab le to off se t t he ir l os se s, an d the refo re, t ho se in di vi du al s s ho ul d n otha ve be en co ns id eredvi ct im s u nd er the en ha nc em en t. Id . W e reject edth atarg um en t an d he ldth atth e d is tri ctco ur t p ro pe rly im po se d the two -le ve l en ha nc em en t b ecau se rei m bu rs edvi ct im s n on ethe le ss su fferan in it ia l l os s. Id
. at89 5. Upo n re vi ew of

th e rec or d a ndup on co ns id erat io n o f th e p art ie s’ bri efs , we

4affi rm . Our d eci si on in Lee is bi nd in g a ndha s n otbe enov erru le d b y th e Supr em e Co ur t o r th is Co ur t s it ti ng en ba nc , andwe are thu s b ou ndby it. Fu rth erm or e, ou r ho ld in g i n Lee is co ns is te ntwit h t he rece nt ly upd at edco m m en ta ry for § 2 B1 .1, whi chde fin es a “ vi ct im ” wit ho utreg ardto whet he r an in di vi du al is subs eque nt ly rei m bu rs ed
. Se e U.S.S.G. § 2 B1 .1, cmt. n .4(E) ; id
. supp . to ap p. C, amend . 72 6. App el la nt s’ reque stforora l ar gu m en t i s d en ie d. AFFIRMED.

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