Source: http://www.ussc.gov/guidelines/2015-guidelines-manual/archive/2005-3c11
Timestamp: 2016-09-25 10:31:14
Document Index: 108894865

Matched Legal Cases: ['§3', '§ 1510', '§ 853', '§ 853', '§3', '§3', '§3', '§2', '§2', '§2', '§2', '§2', '§2', '§2', '§2', '§ 3146', '§ 1621', '§3']

2005 3c1_1 | United States Sentencing Commission
2005 3c1_1
2005 Federal Sentencing GuidelinesCHAPTER THREE - PART C - OBSTRUCTION§3C1.1. Obstructing or Impeding
the Administration of JusticeIf (A) the defendant willfully obstructed or impeded, or attempted to obstruct
or impede, the administration of justice during the course of the investigation,
prosecution, or sentencing of the instant offense of conviction, and (B) the
obstructive conduct related to (i) the defendant’s offense of conviction
and any relevant conduct; or (ii) a closely related offense, increase the offense
level by 2 levels.CommentaryApplication Notes:1. This adjustment applies if the defendant’s obstructive conduct
(A) occurred during the course of the investigation, prosecution, or sentencing
of the defendant’s instant offense of conviction, and (B) related to
(i) the defendant’s offense of conviction and any relevant conduct;
or (ii) an otherwise closely related case, such as that of a co-defendant.2. This provision is not intended to punish a defendant for the exercise
of a constitutional right. A defendant’s denial of guilt (other than
a denial of guilt under oath that constitutes perjury), refusal to admit
guilt or provide information to a probation officer, or refusal to enter
a plea of guilty is not a basis for application of this provision. In applying
this provision in respect to alleged false testimony or statements by the
defendant, the court should be cognizant that inaccurate testimony or statements
sometimes may result from confusion, mistake, or faulty memory and, thus,
not all inaccurate testimony or statements necessarily reflect a willful
attempt to obstruct justice.3. Obstructive conduct can vary widely in nature, degree of planning,
and seriousness. Application Note 4 sets forth examples of the types of conduct
to which this adjustment is intended to apply. Application Note 5 sets forth
examples of less serious forms of conduct to which this enhancement is not
intended to apply, but that ordinarily can appropriately be sanctioned by
the determination of the particular sentence within the otherwise applicable
guideline range. Although the conduct to which this adjustment applies is
not subject to precise definition, comparison of the examples set forth in
Application Notes 4 and 5 should assist the court in determining whether
application of this adjustment is warranted in a particular case.4. The following is a non-exhaustive list of examples of the types of
conduct to which this adjustment applies:
(a) threatening, intimidating, or otherwise unlawfully influencing a
co-defendant, witness, or juror, directly or indirectly, or attempting
(b) committing, suborning, or attempting to suborn perjury;
(c) producing or attempting to produce a false, altered, or counterfeit
document or record during an official investigation or judicial proceeding;
(d) destroying or concealing or directing or procuring another person
to destroy or conceal evidence that is material to an official investigation
or judicial proceeding (e.g.,
shredding a document or destroying ledgers upon learning that an official
investigation has commenced or is about to commence), or attempting to
do so; however, if such conduct occurred contemporaneously with arrest
(e.g., attempting to swallow
or throw away a controlled substance), it shall not, standing alone, be
sufficient to warrant an adjustment for obstruction unless it resulted
in a material hindrance to the official investigation or prosecution of
the instant offense or the sentencing of the offender; (e) escaping or attempting to escape from custody before trial or sentencing;
or willfully failing to appear, as ordered, for a judicial proceeding; (f) providing materially false information to a judge or magistrate; (g) providing a materially false statement to a law enforcement officer
that significantly obstructed or impeded the official investigation or
prosecution of the instant offense;
(h) providing materially false information to a probation officer in
respect to a presentence or other investigation for the court;
(i) other conduct prohibited by obstruction of justice provisions under
Title 18, United States Code (e.g.,
18 U.S.C. §§ 1510, 1511);
(j) failing to comply with a restraining order or injunction issued
pursuant to 21 U.S.C. § 853(e) or with an order to repatriate
property issued pursuant to 21 U.S.C. § 853(p).
This adjustment also applies to any other obstructive conduct in respect
to the official investigation, prosecution, or sentencing of the instant
offense where there is a separate count of conviction for such conduct.5. Some types of conduct ordinarily do not warrant application of this
adjustment but may warrant a greater sentence within the otherwise applicable
guideline range or affect the determination of whether other guideline adjustments
apply (e.g., §3E1.1
(Acceptance of Responsibility)). However, if the defendant is convicted of
a separate count for such conduct, this adjustment will apply and increase
the offense level for the underlying offense (i.e.,
the offense with respect to which the obstructive conduct occurred). See Application
Note 8, below. The following is a non-exhaustive list of examples of the types of conduct
to which this application note applies:
(a) providing a false name or identification document at arrest, except
where such conduct actually resulted in a significant hindrance to the
investigation or prosecution of the instant offense;
(b) making false statements, not under oath, to law enforcement officers,
unless Application Note 4(g) above applies;
(c) providing incomplete or misleading information, not amounting to
a material falsehood, in respect to a presentence investigation;
(d) avoiding or fleeing from arrest (see, however, §3C1.2
(Reckless Endangerment During Flight));
(e) lying to a probation or pretrial services officer about defendant’s
drug use while on pre-trial release, although such conduct may be a factor
in determining whether to reduce the defendant’s sentence under §3E1.1
6. "Material" evidence, fact, statement, or information, as used in this
section, means evidence, fact, statement, or information that, if believed,
would tend to influence or affect the issue under determination.7. If the defendant is convicted of an offense covered by §2J1.1
(Contempt), §2J1.2 (Obstruction of Justice), §2J1.3 (Perjury or
Subornation of Perjury; Bribery of Witness), §2J1.5 (Failure to Appear
by Material Witness), §2J1.6 (Failure to Appear by Defendant), §2J1.9
(Payment to Witness), §2X3.1 (Accessory After the Fact), or §2X4.1
(Misprision of Felony), this adjustment is not to be applied to the offense
level for that offense except if a significant further obstruction occurred
during the investigation, prosecution, or sentencing of the obstruction offense
itself (e.g., if the defendant
threatened a witness during the course of the prosecution for the obstruction
offense).8. If the defendant is convicted both of an obstruction offense (e.g.,
18 U.S.C. § 3146 (Penalty for failure to appear); 18 U.S.C. § 1621
(Perjury generally)) and an underlying offense (the offense with respect
to which the obstructive conduct occurred), the count for the obstruction
offense will be grouped with the count for the underlying offense under subsection
§3D1.2 (Groups of Closely Related Counts). The offense level for that
group of closely related counts will be the offense level for the underlying
offense increased by the 2-level adjustment specified by this section, or the
offense level for the obstruction offense, whichever is greater.9. Under this section, the defendant is accountable for his own conduct
procured, or willfully caused.Historical Note: Effective
C, amendments 251 and 252); November 1, 1990 (see Appendix
C, amendment 347); November 1, 1991 (see Appendix
C, amendment 415); November 1, 1992 (see Appendix
C, amendment 457); November 1, 1993 (see Appendix
C, amendment 496); November 1, 1997 (see Appendix
C, amendment 566); November 1, 1998 (see Appendix
C, amendments 579, 581, and 582); November 1, 2002 (see Appendix