Opinion ID: 76586
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Upward Adjustment Based on Number of Involved Passports

Text: 28 Third, Polar argues that the district court erred in applying an upward adjustment based on its finding regarding the number of passports — 27, in total — attributable to him. The applicable guideline, § 2L2.1, provides a six-level increase if the offense involved 25 to 99 passports. See U.S.S.G. 2L2.1(b)(2)(B). Polar contends that the government failed to introduce sufficient evidence linking at least 25 passports to his offense. 29 We review the district court's factual findings for clear error and we review its application of the law to those facts de novo.  United States v. Singh, 335 F.3d 1321, 1323 (11th Cir.2003) (considering challenge to the number of documents calculated for purposes of § 2L2.1(b)(2)). The government bears the burden of proving the applicability of guidelines that enhance a defendant's offense level. United States v. Cataldo, 171 F.3d 1316, 1321 (11th Cir.1999). Similarly, when a defendant challenges a factual basis of his sentence, the government has the burden of establishing the disputed fact by a preponderance of the evidence. United States v. Liss, 265 F.3d 1220, 1230 (11th Cir.2001). The district court's factual findings for purposes of sentencing may be based on, among other things, evidence heard during trial, undisputed statements in the PSI, or evidence presented during the sentencing hearing. United States v. Saunders, 318 F.3d 1257, 1271 n. 22 (11th Cir.2003). 30 We find that the district court committed no error in attributing at least 25 passports to Polar. At sentencing, the government introduced the testimony of Agent Llorca, who testified that he had linked 26 passports containing counterfeit ADIT stamps to Polar's activities. Agent Llorca testified that, after a review of Polar's subpoenaed cellular phone records and Social Security applications containing the same or similar alien numbers, he had identified 26 aliens who received counterfeit ADIT stamp marks from Polar — either from him directly or from him through Finbarb. When Agent Llorca interviewed these aliens and presented them with photo spread, they identified either Polar or Finbarb (who, according to evidence at trial, was supplied by Polar with counterfeit stamps) as the person who had supplied them with the counterfeit ADIT stamp marks. Agent Llorca also testified that, from these 26 aliens, he seized 16 passports containing counterfeit ADIT stamps and that laboratory analysis revealed that the ink on the ADIT stamp marks all came from the same source as the ink on the ADIT stamp that Polar supplied to Finbarb at one of their undercover meetings. The above testimony, together with the stamped passport that Polar sold to Finbarb in their undercover transaction, provided evidence of at least 27 passports containing counterfeit ADIT stamps that were linked to Polar. 31 Moreover, contrary to Polar's contention, the government did not need to produce all 27 passports counted for purposes of the § 2L2.1(b)(2)(B) adjustment. The testimony of Agent Llorca and Finbarb, along with the laboratory results, provided sufficiently reliable evidence. It is well established in this circuit that the sentencing court may rely on reliable hearsay, and Polar points us to nothing in the record indicating the evidence here lacked reliability. United States v. Zlatogur, 271 F.3d 1025, 1031 (11th Cir.2001) (reliance on hearsay evidence at sentencing is permissible as long as the evidence has sufficient indicia of reliability, the court makes explicit findings of fact as to credibility, and the defendant has an opportunity to rebut the evidence) (citation omitted), cert. denied, 535 U.S. 946, 122 S.Ct. 1338, 152 L.Ed.2d 242 (2002). Considering all of the evidence introduced, and giving due regard to the district court's credibility assessments, we conclude that the district court did not clearly err in attributing 27 illegally-stamped passports to Polar and in making the corresponding six-level upward adjustment. 32