Opinion ID: 3000224
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: The Role in the Offense and Use of Stolen Iden-

Text: tity Enhancements Finally, the defendant argues that the district court erred in applying enhancements for an “aggravating role” (as a leader or an organizer) under U.S.S.G. § 3B1.1 and for using a stolen identity under U.S.S.G. § 2B1.1(b)(10)(C)(i). We review both of these factual determinations for clear error. Wasz, 450 F.3d at 726. As noted above, there was ample evidence in the record to show that the defendant was an organizer or a leader of this scheme. In conjunction with Jasny, the defendant identified suitable straw buyers and directed their every move, from signing fraudulent loan agreements to assuming false identities. The district court certainly did not err in increasing Radziszewski’s offense level by two for his role in the offense. See U.S.S.G. § 3B1.1(c) (instructing sentencing courts to increase a defendant’s offense level by two if the defendant was an organizer, leader, manager, or supervisor of a criminal activity involving fewer than five participants). 12 No. 06-1559 The defendant also challenges the enhancement for the theft and misuse of Marian Plewa’s identity. In doing so, however, he does not dispute the fact that Plewa’s identity was stolen and used. Nor does he dispute the applicability of the enhancement for “the unauthorized transfer or use of any means of identification unlawfully to produce or obtain any other means of identification” on this factual record. U.S.S.G. § 2B1.1(b)(10)(C)(i). Indeed, he recognizes that the § 2B1.1(b)(10)(C)(i) enhancement applies when “[a] defendant obtains an individual’s name and social security number from a source . . . and obtains a bank loan in that individual’s name.” See U.S.S.G. § 2B1.1, cmt. n.9(C)(ii)(I). His sole argument, then, is that the enhancement should only apply to Filipowicz, the one who actually posed as Marian Plewa. Given that the defendant directed Filipowicz to pose as Plewa and provided Filipowicz the means to do so, his argument runs counter to logic and reflects a misunderstanding of the Guidelines. The Guidelines specifically provide that in increasing a defendant’s offense level based on specific offense characteristics, a sentencing court should consider “all acts and omissions committed, aided, abetted, counseled, commanded, induced, procured, or willfully caused by the defendant.” U.S.S.G. § 1B1.3(a)(1)(A) (emphasis added). Therefore, by increasing the defendant’s offense level because the defendant had directed his associate to assume a false identity, the district court was conforming to the Guidelines’ directive, and the district court did not clearly err in applying the identity theft enhancement.