Opinion ID: 795539
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: sufficiency of the evidence

Text: 22 Next, Gates argues that even if the preponderance of the evidence standard is proper, there is inadequate evidence to support the enhancement of his sentence. In particular, he claims that there was inadequate evidence showing that he exercised a leadership role in the check scheme, a finding that led to a three-point enhancement in his sentencing determination. He claims that although he admitted to recruiting two people into the scheme, he denied that he was a manager or a supervisor. Further, he claims that there is no factual support for the court's conclusion that he gave instructions to Heistand, another member of the conspiracy, concerning what role Heistand would play. Gates claims that there was nothing in the PSR to show that he was acting in a management role. He states that he had no control over the division of proceeds, and that Conley was the one who directed the other conspirators to present the counterfeit checks for cashing. Id. 23 The Government counters Gates's arguments by referring to the sentencing guidelines, which state: If the defendant was a manager or supervisor (but not an organizer or leader) and the criminal activity involved five or more participants or was otherwise extensive, increase by 3 levels. Appellee's Br. at 17 (quoting U.S.S.G. § 3B1.1(b)). The comment to the guidelines outline the factors that the district court should consider when deciding whether an enhancement is proper: 1. the exercise of decision making authority; 2. the nature of participation in the commission of the offense; 3. the recruitment of accomplices; 4. the claimed right to a larger share of the fruits of the crime; 5. the degree of participation in planning or organizing the offense; 6. the nature and scope of the illegal activity; and 7. the degree of control and authority exercised over others. Id. (citing U.S.S.G. § 3B1.1 cmt., n. 4.) It is not necessary for the defendant to meet each of these requirements. United States v. Ospina, 18 F.3d 1332, 1337 (6th Cir.1994). 24 Next, the Government cites United States v. McDaniel, 398 F.3d 540 (6th Cir. 2005), a case with similar facts to those here. In McDaniel, the defendants engaged in a scheme to steal outgoing checks from the U.S. Mail. Id. at 543. Then, they altered the checks and inserted the names of the individuals who were recruited to cash the checks. Id. In that case, we found that even though a defendant was not the primary organizer of the scheme, the fact that he recruited another co-conspirator and taught him the method for altering the checks was enough evidence to support an enhancement as a manager or supervisor. Id. at 552. 25 We review a district court's decision concerning a defendant's role in an offense for clear error. A district court's determination regarding a defendant's role in the offense is reversible only if clearly erroneous. United States v. Davis, 306 F.3d 398, 423 (6th Cir.2002). In this case, Gates admitted to recruiting other individuals to act as check-cashers. He proposed the scheme to the recruits, drove them to the bank, and shared in the proceeds. See Sent. Tr. JA 183 (district court relying on grand jury testimony of co-conspirator to determine Gates's involvement). There is no question that there were more than five participants in the scheme. See PSR, JA 225 (listing seven co-defendants). In view of the directions in the sentencing guidelines, and our ruling in McDaniel, the district court did not commit clear error when it found that Gates was a manager.