Opinion ID: 2982026
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Sentencing Enhancement for Threat of Death

Text: Finally, Perales argues that the district court erred in imposing a two-level sentencing enhancement under U.S.S.G. § 2B3.1(b)(2)(F). This court “reviews de novo the district court’s application of the Sentencing Guidelines to a particular set of facts, including whether the facts as found warrant the sentencing enhancement under [] § 2B3.1(b)(2)(F).” United States v. Wooten, 689 F.3d 570, 574 (6th Cir. 2012) (citing United States v. Winbush, 296 F.3d 442, 443 (6th Cir. 2002)). Section 2B3.1(b)(2)(F) instructs that if a threat of death was made during the course of the crime, the sentencing court must increase the defendant’s offense level by two levels. Pursuant to U.S.S.G. § 1B1.3(a)(1), Perales is responsible for all acts that he aided and abetted, as well as all reasonably foreseeable acts taken in furtherance of jointly undertaken criminal activity. Perales does not dispute that Beasley made a threat of death when she told the Genoa Bank teller, “I have a gun,” however, he asserts that this statement should not be imputed to him because her threat was not “reasonably foreseeable.” To support this contention, Perales points out that Beasley did not make a threat of death during the two prior robberies and that his statements regarding how to rob a bank specifically discouraged Beasley from using a gun. As the guidelines notes explain, if two defendants jointly agreed to rob a bank, and one defendant assaults a victim during the robbery, the co-defendant is accountable for the assault “even if the second defendant had not agreed to the assault and had cautioned the first defendant to be -9- No. 12-3982 United States v. Perales careful not to hurt anyone [] because the assaultive conduct was in furtherance of the jointly undertaken criminal activity (the robbery) and was reasonably foreseeable in connection with that criminal activity (given the nature of the offense).” U.S.S.G. § 1B1.3, comment, n.2; see United States v. Dale, 187 F.3d 638, 1999 WL 618069, at  (6th Cir. Aug. 2, 1999) (table) (use of threatening language in a demand note during a bank robbery foreseeable even where the note was written and presented to the bank teller by the defendant’s accomplices while the defendant waited outside the bank in the getaway car); United States v. Parks, 149 F.3d 1185, 1998 WL 384562, at  (6th Cir. June 18, 1998) (table) (“[Defendant] is responsible for his co-defendant’s threatening statement because it was made in furtherance of the jointly undertaken criminal activity and it was reasonably foreseeable.”). Accordingly, the district court did not abuse its discretion by imposing the two-level sentencing enhancement under § 2B3.1(b)(2)(F).