Opinion ID: 2994885
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Sonsalla’s Abuse of His Position of Trust

Text: Significantly Facilitated His Offense In order for Section 3B1.3 to apply, the district court must find that: (1) the defendant occupied a position of trust, and (2) the defendant’s abuse of that position of trust significantly facilitated the commission of the crime. United States v. Stewart, 33 F.3d 764, 768 (7th Cir. 1994); see U.S.S.G. sec. 3B1.3 commentary at 1. Contrary to Sonsalla’s argument, the district court did not rely solely on his title of Vice- President in determining that he held a position of trust at the bank. Rather, the responsibilities and privileges that characterized his position were the key to his knowledge of the banking system and the operations of the bank. In addition, as Vice- President, he oversaw commercial and real estate loans and acted as compliance officer. Thus, regardless of his title, Sonsalla’s actual duties involved substantial discretion and responsibility, and the record amply supports the district court’s finding that Sonsalla occupied a position of trust. Cf. Hernandez, 231 F.3d at 1091 (staff accountant who had access to corporate funds, autonomy in preparing check requests and minimal supervision occupied position of trust); Dion, 32 F.3d at 1150 (installment loan officer occupied position of trust). The record also supports the district court’s finding that Sonsalla would not have been able to execute his fraudulent scheme had he not occupied such a sensitive position with the bank. His position allowed him access to large amounts of cash, including funds customers had given him personally to deposit into their accounts. Cf. United States v. Christiansen, 958 F.2d 285, 288 (9th Cir. 1992) (defendant’s position as bank branch representative gave her access to large amounts of cash). Utilizing the knowledge gained through his position and lengthy experience at the bank, Sonsalla was able to exploit the bank’s weaknesses, including its lax oversight of money orders. Furthermore, because of his role as the bank’s compliance officer, no one else was looking over his shoulder to ensure that his loan documentation and customer accounts were in order, thus allowing him to commit and conceal his crime for many years. Had someone else been acting as compliance officer, Sonsalla’s files would have been reviewed and found to be in disarray years earlier. Instead, it was not until McHugh’s inquiry about his loan account that the bank initiated the audit that revealed his fraudulent scheme. Cf. Dion, 32 F.3d at 1150 (because of position at bank, defendant was able to misapply funds and conceal their location by recharacterizing transactions); Stewart, 33 F.3d at 769 (defendant, a licensed insurance broker, mailed communications to clients and others containing false representations that concealed his conversion of clients’ funds); Christiansen, 958 F.2d at 288 (defendant’s position allowed her to conceal theft for extended period of time). In light of all of the above, the district court’s finding that Mr. Sonsalla’s abuse of his position of trust significantly facilitated his offense was not clearly erroneous.