Opinion ID: 4529972
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Conner’s Jury Trial

Text: On November 29, 2018, a grand jury indicted Conner on 19 counts of wire fraud, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1343, and one count of making false, fictitious, and fraudulent statements to FBI agents, in violation of 19 U.S.C. § 1001. On January 11, 2019, the Government filed a motion in limine to admit the prior sworn testimony of Fauntleroy 7 whose health issues, the parties agreed, had made her an unavailable declarant. After hearing argument, the District Court granted the Government’s motion. App. 1231. On January 29, 2019, the District Court held a jury trial. During trial, the Court read into the record Fauntleroy’s prior sworn testimony. Conner therefore did not have an additional opportunity cross-examine Fauntleroy. On February 1, 2019, the jury found Conner guilty on all counts. On May 23, 2019, the District Court sentenced Conner to 46 months’ imprisonment followed by three years’ supervised release. In stating the reasons for the sentence imposed, the District Court adopted the Guidelines calculation set out in the Presentence Investigation Report (“PSR”), to which neither party objected. The PSR advised that the total intended loss attributable to Conner’s fraud was $105,632.01. The PSR also advised that Conner’s total offense level was 21. Taken together with his criminal history category of I, the advisory Guidelines range for his crimes was 37 to 46 months’ imprisonment. In deciding to sentence Conner at the top of this range, the District Court explained that Conner’s gambling addiction did not excuse his severe betrayal of trust and violation of his duty as an attorney and officer of the court to vulnerable people such as Fauntleroy.