2010 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 7-21-2010 

# U SA v . W esley S n yde r P r e c e de nt i al or N on-P r e c e de nt i al : N on-P r e c e de nt i al D ocke t N o . 08-3081

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Thi s de c i sion i s br ou ght t o you for f r e e and 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 ll anova U nive r sity S choo l of L a

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

w . vi ll anova . e du . Re c omme nde d C it at ion " U SA v . W e sley S n yde r " (2010). 2010 D e cisio n s . P ape r 926. http://d i git alc ommon s .l a

w . vi ll anova . e du/thir dc ir c uit_2010/926NOT P RE CE DE NT I AL UN I TED STATES CO UR T OF A PP EALS F O R T H E T H IR D C IR C U IT N o. 08- 3081 UNI TE D ST ATE S OF AM ERI CA

v. W ES LE Y SNYDER, A ppel l ant 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 M id d le D istric t o f P e n n sy lv a n ia ( D . C . C r i m i nal N o. 07- cr - 00450- 1) D i s t r i ctJ udge: H onor abl e Y vet t e K ane Subm i t t ed U nderT hi r d C i r cui tL A R 34. 1( a)

J ul y12, 2010 B efore: R E N D E L L , JO R D A N and G R E E N A W A Y , JR . , C i rcui tJudg es. ( Fi l ed : J ul y21, 2010 ) OPI NI ON O F THE COURT R E N D E L L , C i r cui tJ udge. W es l eyA . Sny derpl ed gui l t yt o one countof M ai l Fr aud A ffe ct i ng a Fi nanci al I ns t i tut i on i n vi ol at i on of 18 U . S. C . § 1341. T he D i s t r i ctC our ts ent ence d hi m t o 146 m onths ’ i m pr i s onm ent , t hr ee y ear s s upervi s ed r el eas e, r es t i tut i on i n t he amountofT he D i s t r i ctC our thad j ur i s di ct i on pur s uantt o 18 U . S. C . § 3231. T hi s cour thas 1 a p p e lla te ju ri s d ic tio n p u rs u a n t to 2 8 U .S .C . § 1 2 9 1 a n d 1 8 U .S .C . § 3 7 4 2 . 2 $29, 267, 080, and a $100 s peci al as s es s m ent . Sny der ’ s s ent enci ng r ange unde rthe G u idelines w as 1 2 1 to 1 5 1 m o n ths. O n ap p ea l, S n y d er u rge s tha t th e D istri ct C o u rt u n r e a s o n a b l ya p p l i e d t h e s e n t e n c i n g f a c t o r s s e tf

o r t h i n 1 8 U . S . C . § 3 5 5 3 ( a ) . We c o n c lu d e th e D istric t C o u rt im p o se d a p ro c e d u ra llya n d su b sta n tiv e lyre a so n a b le s e n te n c e , a n d w e w ill a f f ir m th e D is tr ic t C o u rt ’s s e n te n c in g o rd e r.

I. 1 W e r evi ew t he D i s t r i ctC our t ’ s s ent enci ng forr eas onabl enes s underan abus e- ofd is c re tio n s ta n d a rd . G al lv. U ni t ed Stat es , 5 2 2 U . S . 3 8 , 5 1 (20 0 7 ). W e m u st “firsten su re thatthe D i s t r i ctC our tcomm i t t ed no s i gni fi cantpr ocedur al err or , ” and, i f no pr ocedur al err orw as comm i t t ed, t hen w e must“cons i derthe s ubs t ant i ve r eas onabl enes s of the s ent ence i m pos ed. ” Id . A s w e not ed i n U nited S tates v. A usbu rn : In c o n sid e rin g a c rim in a l d e f e n d a n t’s c laim th a t a s e n ten c e is unr eas onabl e, a r evi ew i ng courtas ks w hetherthe di s t r i ct cour t : ( 1) exer ci s ed i t s di s cr et i on bygi vi ng “meani ngful con si derat i on t o the § 35 53 (a) fact ors; and (2) app l i ed those fac t or s r eas onabl ybys el ect i ng a s ent ence gr ounded on rea so n s tha t are log ical an d co n sist en t w ith the [ § 3 5 5 3 (a)] fac t or s . W hen w e r eac h t hi s l as ts t ep, w e appl ya def er ent i al s t andar d, t he tr i al cour tbei ng i n t he bes tpos i t i on t o det erm i ne t he appr opr i at e s ent ence i n l i ghtof the part i cul ar ci r cumst ance s of the ca s e. 5 0 2 F . 3 d 3 1 3 , 3 2 8 (3d C ir . 2 0 0 7 ) (qu o tat ion s o m itted). S ec ti o n 3 5 5 3 (a) li sts sev en fa ctors thata s ent enci ng cour tm us tcons i der . T he fi r s tfac t ori s a br oad comm and t o cons i der3

“the natur e and c i r cumst ance s of the off ens e and the hi s t oryand cha r act er i s t i cs of the defe ndant . ” 18 U . S. C . § 3553( a) ( 1) . T he s econd f act orr equi r es the cons i der at i on of the g e n e ra l p u rp o se s o f

se n ten c in g , inc lu d in g : the n ee d fo r th e se n tenc e im p o sed - (A ) to re f

lec t th e se rio u sn e ss o f

th e o f f e n se , to p ro m o te r es pectfort he l aw , and t o pr ovi de j us tpuni s hm entforthe o f f e n se ; (B ) to a f f o rd a d e q u a te d e ter re n c e to c rim in a l co n d u c t; (C ) to p ro tec t th e p u b lic f ro m f u rth e r c rim e s o f

th e d e f e n d a n t; and ( D ) t o pr ovi de the def

endantw i t h neede d educa t i onal or vocat i onal t r ai ni ng, m edi cal car e, orot hercorr ect i onal tr ea tm en t i n the m o st eff ec ti v e m an n er. 18 U . S. C . § 3553( a) ( 2) . T he thi r d fac t orpert ai ns t o “the ki nds of s ent ence s avai l abl e, ” 18 U . S. C . § 3553( a) ( 3) ; t he fourt h t o t he Sent enci ng G ui del i nes ; the fi fth t o anyr el evant p o licysta tem e n t issu e d b yth e S e n ten c in g C o m m iss io n ; th e six th to “ th e n e e d to a v o id u n w a rra n ted se n ten c e d isp a rities ,” 1 8 U .S .C . § 3 5 5 3 (a )(6 ); a n d th e se v e n th to “ th e n e e d to p ro v id e re s titu tio n to a n yv ic tim ,” 1 8 U .S .C . § 3 5 5 3 (a )( 7 ). A t th e tim e o f

s e n te n c in g , S n y d e r w a s 7 2 y e a rs o ld a n d h a d n o c ri m in a l h is to ry. S n y d e rh a d b e e n t h e o wn e ra n d o p e r a t o ro f s i x b u s i n e s s e s i n th e Re a d i n g , P A a r e a . On Sept ember18, 2007, al l s i x of Sny der ’ s compani es fi l ed forbankrupt cy . I nves t i gat i ons bypos t al i ns pect or s and s t at e and f eder al agenc i es fol l ow ed. T hes e i nves t i gat i ons r evea l ed thatSny derhad oper at ed a mor t gage- r el at ed “Ponzi ” s cheme thr ough t he U ni t ed St at es m ai l s , s ucce s s ful l ydefr audi ng m or e than 800 i ndi vi dual s outof m or e than $29 m i l l i on. Sny derpl ed gui l t yt o one countof M ai l Fr aud A ffe ct i ng a Fi nanci al I ns t i tut i on4

i n v i olat i on of 1 8 U . S . C . § 1 34 1. T he D i stri ctC ou rtsent enced him t o 1 46 m on t hs’ i m pr i s onm ent , t hr ee y ear s s upervi s ed r el eas e, r es t i tut i on i n t he amountof $29, 267, 080, a n d a $ 1 0 0 s p e c ia l a s s e s s m e n t. Sny dercont ends t hatt he D i s t r i ctC our ts houl d have gr ant ed a dow nw ar d var i ance bas ed on the i ndi vi dual ci r cumst ance s of thi s cas e and Sny der ’ s i ndi vi dual char act er i s t i cs i n acc or dance w i t h § 3553( a) . Speci fi cal l y , Sny derur ges thatthe D i s t r i ctC our tdi d not adequa t el ycons i derhi s age, poorheal t h, hi s t oryof comm uni t ys ervi ce, and l ack of m a licio u s in ten t. T h is co n tention h as n o m erit . T h e D istri ct C o u rtco n side red the § 3 5 5 3 (a) fa ctors and w ei ghed them appr opr i at el ybefor e i m pos i ng a s ent ence atthe hi gherend of the Gu i d e l i n e s . Th e Di s t r i c tCo u r tn o t e d S n y d e r ’ s a g e a s we l l a s th e f a c tth a tth e c r i me S n y d er h ad b ee n co n v ict ed o f h ad co n ti n u ed fo r tw o d ec ad es. T h e D istri ct C o u rt acknow l edged Sny der ’ s hi s t or yof comm uni t ys ervi ce butdr ew at t ent i on t o t he devas t at i on br oughtupon t he comm uni t ybySny der ’ s cr i m i nal act i vi t y . T he D i s t r i ct C o u rt like w ise g a v e S n y d e r c re d it fo r h is g u iltyp lea a n d a c c e p tan c e o f re sp o n sib ili ty e v e n th o u g h t h e C o u r tf a i l e d t o f i n d S n yd e r ’ s s t a t e m e n to f r e m o r s e p e r s u a s i v e . F i n a l l y, the D i s tr i ctC our tcons i der ed the more than 600 vi ct i m i m pacts t at ement s s ubm i t t ed t o t he C o u rt, d e tailin g a sta g g e rin g a m o u n t o f lo ss . In w e ig h in g a ll o f th e f a c to rs s e t f

o rth in § 3553( a) and cons i der i ng t he ci r cumst ance s as a w hol e, the D i s t r i ctC our tconcl uded that ju st p u n ish m e n t w a rra n ted a se n ten c e a t th e h ig h e n d o f th e G u id e lin e s ra n g e . In su m , it5

is c lea r th a t th e D istric t C o u rt p ro p e rlyc o n sid e re d th e se n ten c in g f a c to rs s e t f

o rth in § 3553( a) and i m pos ed a r eas onabl e s ent ence . III . F o r th e re a so n s s e t f

o rth a b o v e , w e w ill A F F IR M th e O rd e r o f th e D istric t C o u rt.