Source: https://case-law.vlex.com/vid/United-States-v-Pescatore-022411-FED2-10-0520-cr-L-596286014
Timestamp: 2019-04-22 18:51:07+00:00

Document:
Opinion Judge: KEARSE, Circuit Judge.
Party Name: UNITED STATES OP AMERICA, Appellee, v. MICHAEL PESCATORE, Defendant-Appellant.
Judge Panel: Before: KEARSE, WINTER, and HALL, Circuit Judges.
Appeal from an order of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York., Thomas C. Platt, Judge, denying defendant's postconviction motion for an order either compelling the government to use a portion of his forfeited assets to satisfy his restitution obligations, or vacating so much of the judgment of conviction as ordered him to pay restitution in excess of his victims' actual losses.
LORETTA E. LYNCH, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Hew York, Brooklyn, New York (Varuni Nelson, Beth P. Schwartz, Kathleen A. Nandan, Assistant United States Attorneys, Karen R. Hennigan, Special Assistant United States Attorney, Brooklyn, New York, of counsel), for Appellee.
JAMES R, FROCCARO, Jr., Port Washington, New York, for Defendant-Appellant.
Before: KEARSE, WINTER, and HALL, Circuit Judges.
For the reasons that follow, we conclude that the district court did not err in rejecting Pescatore's restoration request; that the amended judgment did not reduce the $3 million amount that Pescatore was ordered to pay in restitution; and that Pescatore is not entitled to an immediate--if any--order excusing him from paying that amount. The amount to be paid is limited to the restitution amounts needed to make Pescatore's victims whole, plus interest that Pescatore is obligated to pay on the properly ordered restitution amounts that he has not timely paid, see 18 LT.S.C. § 3612(f)(1), plus any penalties to which he may be subject for unpaid restitution amounts as to which he is or was delinquent and/or in default, see id. §§ 3612(g), 3572(h)-(i). If all required payments of restitution, interest, and restitution-related penalties total less than $3 million, Pescatore will be entitled to a refund of the remainder. Accordingly, we affirm the denial of Pescatore's motion but remand for further proceedings.
Pescatore, Astra, and numerous others were indicted by a federal grand Jury in 2004 . An 84-count second superseding indictment (the "Chop Shop Indictment")--alleging, inter alia. operation of chop shops in violation of IB U.S.C. § 2322, alteration or removal of motor vehicle identification numbers in violation of id. § 511, mail fraud in violation of id, § 1341, conspiracy to defraud the United States in violation of rd, § 371, and money laundering in violation of id. § 1956--named Pescatore in most of the counts.
In February 2005, Pescatore was also charged, in six counts of a new federal indictment, with extorting money from a number of individuals. In February 2005, the extortion case was tried, and Pescatore was convicted on three of the six counts.
In March 2006, pursuant to a plea agreement dated March 9, 2006 (the "Plea Agreement" or "Agreement"), Pescatore pleaded guilty to one count of the Chop Shop Indictment (count 22), which charged him with owning, operating, maintaining, or controlling a chop shop, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 2322. Pescatore admitted that, in that operation from March 1987 through June 14, 2004, he "engaged in receiving stolen motor vehicle parts" that were used "to rebuild damaged motor vehicles" (Plea Hearing Transcript, March 9, 2006 ("Plea Tr."), at 19-20) and hired employees to take apart, rebuild, and sell such vehicles (id. at 21), The scheme also involved, inter alia. altering and removing vehicle identification numbers so that stolen cars could be sold to unwitting customers, (See id. at 22) .
e. Restitution: In an amount to be determined by the Court, but no less than $3 million. The parties agree that restitution with respect to the defendant's tax liabilities may be ordered by the Court (18 U.S.C. §§ 3663 and 3663A).
(Plea Agreement ¶ i.e.). The final sentence of this provision applied to Pescatore's federal tax liabilities but became moot, as Pescatore paid that debt prior to being sentenced.
The Office will recommend that any net proceeds derived from the sale of the Forfeited Assets be made available to eligible victims, pursuant to 18 U.S.C. § 981(e), 28 C.F.R. Pt. 9 and Attorney General Order No. 2088-97 (June 14, 1997), it being understood that the Office has authority only to recommend and that the final decision whether to grant such relief rests with the Department of Justice, which will make its decision in accordance with applicable law.

References: v. 
 § 3612
 § 2322
 § 511
 § 1341
 § 371
 § 1956
 § 2322
 § 981