Opinion ID: 708869
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: enhancement of sentence without a conspiracy charge

Text: 5 Sumabat was not charged with conspiracy. He contends that without a charge of conspiracy, the dismissed charges cannot be considered as relevant conduct. 6 Under U.S.S.G. Sec. 1B1.3(a)(2), all acts that were part of the same course of conduct or common scheme or plan as the offense of conviction are relevant conduct. The background note to Sec. 1B1.3 states that subsection (a)(2) provides for consideration of a broader range of conduct with respect to one class of offenses, primarily ..., drug offenses for which the guidelines depend substantially on quantity ... U.S.S.G. Sec. 1B1.3 background note. [I]n a drug distribution case, quantities and types of drugs not specified in the count of conviction are to be included in determining the offense level if they were pat of the same course of conduct or part of a common scheme or plan as the count of conviction. Id. The acts for which the district court could hold Sumabat accountable at sentencing are not limited to that act he was found guilty at trial. 7 In determining whether conduct is part of the same course of conduct or common scheme or plan, the sentencing court considers factors including: the nature of the defendant's acts, his role, and the number and frequency of repetitions of those acts. United States v. Hahn, 960 F.2d 903, 910 (9th Cir.1992). In addition, [T]here must be 'sufficient similarity and temporal proximity to reasonably suggest that repeated instances of criminal behavior constitute a pattern of criminal conduct.'  Id. (quoting United States v. Santiago, 906 F.2d 867 (2d Cir.1990). 8 In this case, the Addendum to the presentence report states that each of the transactions considered as relevant conduct followed a nearly identical pattern. The facts of the case make it clear that Sumabat was involved in a single course of conduct spread out over a relatively short period of time. All transactions took place over a two-month time period. All the transactions were part of a common plan. No conspiracy charge was required in order to consider the dismissed counts as relevant conduct. 9