Opinion ID: 196037
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Huntington

Text: 30 Huntington pled guilty to two counts of bank fraud, 18 U.S.C. Sec. 1344, and one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud, 18 U.S.C. Secs. 371, 1344. The scheme involved the forging and cashing of blank checks stolen from a local health center; the checks were stolen by Webster, forged by Huntington and cashed by numerous individuals at various branches of the Casco Northern Bank on newly opened accounts. Apart from Webster's membership in both conspiracies, the bank fraud scheme was unrelated to the drug ring. Huntington pled guilty to the three fraud charges against him on December 6, 1993. 31 Some three months later, on the morning of his presentence conference, Huntington moved to withdraw his plea on the grounds of involuntariness; Huntington claimed that he had been threatened by two codefendants--by Webster and by Huntington's own nephew Stephen Huntington--to plead guilty or face physical harm. On April 29, 1994, the court held an evidentiary hearing on the plea-withdrawal motion, at which Huntington was the sole witness. At the hearing's conclusion, the court denied the motion, finding that Huntington's story was a blatant, last-minute fabrication. 32 The court sentenced Huntington on July 22, 1994. Huntington's conduct equated to an offense level of 11, which included a two-level increase for more than minimal planning. U.S.S.G. Sec. 2F1.1(b)(2)(A). The court imposed a two-level upward adjustment for Huntington's organizational role in the scheme, U.S.S.G. Sec. 3B1.1(c), and a further two-level upward adjustment for obstruction of justice, based primarily on Huntington's perjurious testimony at the plea-withdrawal hearing. U.S.S.G. Sec. 3C1.1. With a criminal history category of III, the resulting guideline sentencing range was 24 to 30 months, and the court sentenced him to the maximum amount of 30 months. 33 In making an upward adjustment for Huntington's role in the offense, the district court found as follows:[T]his defendant collaborated with Webster as to devise, carry out this scheme, forge and negotiate stolen checks, and that he typed false and fictitious amounts and information about the payees on several stolen checks. The Court further finds that he forged the authorized signatures and assisted Webster in giving instructions to other participants in the scheme, directing their efforts in the offense conduct. 34 Based on the first sentence of these findings, and on certain other comments made by the sentencing judge, Huntington argues that the district court misunderstood the legal standard and thought it enough that Huntington was extensively involved in the conspiracy. The guideline requires that Huntington must have controlled or organized the activities of at least one other participant in the bank fraud scheme. U.S.S.G. Sec. 3B1.1(c); Fuller, 897 F.2d at 1220; United States v. Castellone, 985 F.2d 21, 26 (1st Cir.1993). 35 At sentencing the court specifically found that, in addition to playing a central role in devising the whole scheme, Huntington directed and instructed various individuals on how to negotiate the forged checks at the banks. While the former conduct provides evidence suggesting an enhanced role, see U.S.S.G. Sec. 3B1.1 comment. (n. 4), the latter conduct conclusively establishes that Huntington controlled or organized at least one other participant. 36 The record supports this assessment. There was evidence that Huntington instructed an individual named Jolin how to present the forged checks for acceptance and directed him to different branches of Casco Northern Bank for that purpose. Steven Huntington, the appellant's nephew, testified at the sentencing hearing that the appellant recruited him to take part in the scheme and that the appellant did all the talking when distributing the forged checks to him and another check casher named Glantz. At the very least, Huntington served as Webster's lieutenant, and the guidelines do not limit supervision to one person. U.S.S.G. Sec. 3B1.1 comment. (n. 4). 37 Huntington says that the role-in-the-offense enhancement amounts to impermissible double counting in view of the district court's earlier enhancement for more than minimal planning. The two-level increase for more than minimal planning was based on the fact that the bank fraud scheme involved repeated episodes of fraud; the two-level increase for role in the offense, as we have just discussed, was predicated on Huntington's direction and supervision of others. Because the two adjustments were based on separate factors, there was no double counting. United States v. Balogun, 989 F.2d 20, 23-24 (1st Cir.1993). 38 Huntington also contests the upward departure for obstruction of justice under U.S.S.G. Sec. 3C1.1. In making this adjustment, the court relied upon three separate instances of alleged perjury, but any one is sufficient. United States v. Tracy, 36 F.3d 199, 201 (1st Cir.), cert. denied, --- U.S. ----, 115 S.Ct. 609, 130 L.Ed.2d 518 (1994). We confine ourselves to the district court's finding that Huntington had testified falsely at the plea-withdrawal hearing when he claimed that he was absolutely innocent of the bank fraud charges. 39 Under United States v. Dunnigan, --- U.S. ----, ----, 113 S.Ct. 1111, 1116, 122 L.Ed.2d 445 (1993), a witness commits perjury if he or she gives false testimony concerning a material matter with a willful intent to provide false testimony, rather than as a result of confusion, mistake or faulty memory. In Dunnigan, the Supreme Court instructed that a sentencing court must make independent findings necessary to establish the enhancement, preferably addressing each element of the alleged perjury in a separate and clear finding. Id. at ----, 113 S.Ct. at 1117. Huntington argues that the court's findings are legally insufficient to support a determination of perjury under the Dunnigan standard. We disagree. On the first episode of perjury the court found as follows: 40 The Court bases its findings from the testimony of this defendant ... at the proceedings to determine whether he should be permitted to withdraw his guilty plea. The Court is satisfied that his disclaimer of participation in these offenses in this offense conduct at that time, his protestation of innocence [was] false, that that testimony related to a material matter and that it was intended to influence the judgment of the Court in making the determination as to whether he should be permitted to withdraw his plea of guilty. In that respect the Court is satisfied there was an obstruction of justice by this defendant. (emphasis added). 41 These findings encompass all the predicates for perjury and thus satisfy the requirements of Dunnigan. 42 As for the factual bases for those findings, the record amply supports the judge's ruling under the clear error standard. Tracy, 36 F.3d at 202. At the plea-withdrawal hearing Huntington testified that he was absolutely innocent of the bank fraud charges brought against him, claiming that he had been duped into signing the checks by Webster. But at sentencing four months later Huntington admitted his knowing participation in the bank fraud scheme, although not to the full extent for which the district court ultimately found him responsible. As such, Huntington's protestations of absolute innocence at the withdrawal hearing were not in any way ambiguous and amounted to perjury. See United States v. Austin, 948 F.2d 783, 789 (1st Cir.1991) (perjury committed at withdrawal hearing requires obstruction of justice adjustment). 43 For the foregoing reasons the sentences of all four appellants are affirmed.