Opinion ID: 2997012
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Sentencing Enhancement for Suborning Perjury

Text: Second, White challenges the two-level upward adjustment of his sentencing level for obstruction of justice under U.S.S.G. § 3C1.1 (2003). We review for clear error a district 8 No. 03-2549 court’s finding that a defendant obstructed justice. United States v. White, 240 F.3d 656, 660 (7th Cir. 2001). And under this standard, a district court’s factual findings will not be disturbed so long as they are plausible in light of the record in its entirety. Id. at 660-61. The subornation of perjury, where the perjury could affect, to some reasonable probability, the outcome of the judicial process, is a form of obstruction of justice. U.S.S.G. § 3C1.1, cmt. n.4(b). A defendant attempts to suborn perjury when he encourages a witness to testify falsely in an effort to improve his chances of acquittal, United States v. Duncan, 230 F.3d 980, 988 (7th Cir. 2000), and the attempt need not have succeeded in affecting the outcome, see United States v. Buckley, 192 F.3d 708, 710 (7th Cir. 1999). White makes three assertions to support his argument that the district court clearly erred when it determined he suborned perjury: (1) the testimony of defense witnesses did not materially differ from the testimony of government witnesses; (2) if there had been an actual attempt to coach his witnesses, the testimony given would have been more helpful to him; and (3) the recorded conversations between White and his witnesses, during which he referred to a “script” and stated that the witnesses should wait until they were all “on point” before talking to his attorney, amounted only to “playful banter.” Each of these arguments is totally unsupported by the record and the latter two border on the absurd. We summarize briefly the testimony of only one of White’s witnesses at trial, which, even standing alone, is enough to support the district court’s determination that White suborned perjury. In direct conflict with the evidence the prosecution presented, Chandra Baker testified during her direct examination that White used the west—not east—bedroom and that on October 18 she observed “Ted” bringing a weapon into the residence. But after being confronted with a tape recording of conversations between No. 03-2549 9 herself and White on cross-examination, she admitted that White had told her to get together with Erica Johnson and Dewayne Lane to be sure that they knew what to say at the trial, and to include in her testimony certain details. White told her that the ultimate goal was to get everyone together for a “pow-wow” and to “break this down,” so that everyone would be “on point.” She testified that White told her to “quiz” Johnson and to accomplish these tasks before meeting with his attorney. Similar testimony was elicited during the direct and cross-examinations of both Nita Reeves and Dewayne Lane. And again each witness admitted to conversations with White only after being confronted with tape recordings. In addition, at the sentencing hearing, BATF Agent Alexander authenticated the tape recordings and conversations. We therefore find that the district judge, who viewed the witnesses and listened to the tapes first-hand, did not in any fashion err when he found that White attempted to suborn perjury, and consequently increased White’s offense level by two for obstruction of justice under U.S.S.G. § 3C1.1.