Opinion ID: 723173
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: determination of loss

Text: 10 In a fraud or deceit case, USSG § 2F1.1(a) establishes a base offense level of six. Then, this is increased according to the loss involved in the offense. § 2F1.1(b). In this case, the district court increased the base offense by four levels under § 2F1.1(b)(1)(E). Although the court found that the intended loss was $33,463.79, the four-level increase under § 2F1.1(b)(1)(E) arises when the loss is more than $20,000.00. Where the intended loss can be determined, that figure will be used if it is greater than the actual loss. USSG § 2F1.1, comment. (n. 7). 11 Here, if it was proper to consider the purchase price of the Pontiac, $20,963.79, as an intended loss, then we need not decide whether the bank transactions would need to be added, for the Pontiac purchase price alone is above the $20,000.00 threshold. 12 Conerly relies upon United States v. Chichy, 1 F.3d 1501, 1507-08 (6th Cir.), superceded on other grounds, United States v. Cobleigh, 75 F.3d 242 (6th Cir.1996), cert. denied, 114 S.Ct. 620 (1993), in support of his position that the value of the Pontiac should be subtracted from the loan amount to determine the loss, because the automobile would have been used as an asset to secure the loan of the purchase price. However, this case is different from the factual situation in Chichy and in United States v. Lavoie, 19 F.3d 1102 (6th Cir.1994), because here the defendant used a false identity to obtain the loan, so the creditor might never have been able to repossess the collateral in the event of a default. Conerly contends also that it was error in computing the loss to have used the intended loss of the automobile, because the conduct was not charged in the indictment. He relies upon United States v. Moored, 997 F.2d 139 (6th Cir.1993), where we held that uncharged, unrelated conduct should not be used in calculating a sentence. Id. at 144. However, although the Pontiac transaction was not listed in the indictment, it was certainly related conduct, because Conerly used his false social security number on his identification card in his transaction with the Pontiac dealership. The court's calculation of the intended loss at a figure greater than $20,000.00 was not clearly erroneous.