Opinion ID: 78389
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: The District Court Abused Its Discretion When It Declined To Order Restitution.

Text: Although the presentence investigation report recommended it, restitution was not an issue in previous appeals because the district court found zero loss. The government has raised the issue now that the district court has found some loss but declined to order restitution on the ground that the issue would be decided by the Provider Reimbursement Review Board. The government argues that restitution is required by the Mandatory Victims Restitution Act of 1996, 18 U.S.C. § 3663A, and is not before the Provider Reimbursement Review Board. Gupta argues that restitution is within the discretion of the district court and that the Provider Reimbursement Review Board is in a better position than the district court to order restitution. The district court must order restitution. Gupta's conduct is covered by the Mandatory Act, which requires district courts to order restitution without regard for a defendant's ability to pay when an identifiable victim suffers a pecuniary loss. Id. Although the Mandatory Act ordinarily does not apply to offenses that occurred before it became effective on April 24, 1996, United States v. Siegel, 153 F.3d 1256, 1258-60 (11th Cir.1998), the Act applies to conspiratorial offenses that began before that date but concluded after it. United States v. Futrell, 209 F.3d 1286, 1290 (11th Cir.2000) (per curiam) (The ongoing nature of the conspiracy enables application of the new statute without violating the Ex Post Facto Clause.). The conspiracy in which Gupta was convicted of participating began before April 24, 1996, and continued beyond that date. Three counts of the indictment charged conduct that continued after April 24, 1996. The first count, the Medicare fraud count, charged conspiracy to submit false claims, 18 U.S.C. § 286, between May 1991 and September 22, 1997. The second and third counts charged mail fraud, id. §§ 2, 1341, between September 1991 and September 22, 1997. The government also proved that specific instances of conspiratorial conduct occurred after April 1996. The government proved that Gupta paid a straw owner in July 1996 after selling one of the dismissed corporate defendants to a hospital at a profit. On remand, the district court must determine how much is owed and order Gupta to pay restitution.