Opinion ID: 3000706
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Enhancement for More than Minimal Plan-

Text: ning Sloan also challenges the district court’s application of the two-level enhancement for “more than minimal planning” under § 2F1.1(b)(2)(A). Because Sloan did not raise this challenge to the district court first, we will review the district court’s application of this sentencing enhancement for plain error. United States v. Cunningham, 405 F.3d 497, 502 (7th Cir. 2005). Sloan contends that there was no planning other than his preparation and placement of the advertisements in the Christian Freedom Chronicle and, therefore, the enhancement for more than minimal planning was not applicable. We disagree. On a finding that the defendant engaged in “more than minimal planning,” § 2F1.1(b)(2)(A) allows a sentencing court to increase the defendant’s offense level by two. No. 06-2392 19 United States v. Sonsalla, 241 F.3d 904, 907 (7th Cir. 2001). This enhancement is applicable where “criminal acts, each of which are not purely opportune, are repeated over a period of time.” Id. (citing United States v. Brown, 47 F.3d 198, 204 (7th Cir. 1995)). In this case, the district court acted within its authority by accepting the recommended findings of the PSR, unchallenged by Sloan, that Sloan’s acts were not purely opportune but rather constituted evidence of more than minimal planning. Id. at 907-08 (citing United States v. Mustread, 42 F.3d 1097, 1101-02 (7th Cir. 1994)). Moreover, Sloan’s fraudulent activity spanned several months, during which time he drafted and printed four false advertisements, withdrew money from the bank ac- counts of his victims, and wrote and mailed checks to his victims under the guise of matrix earnings. These actions were deliberate and made in such a way as to conceal the fraudulent scheme. Thus, the upward adjustment for more than minimal planning was appropriate.