Opinion ID: 545168
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Robert Boyd

Text: 36 Boyd argues that the district court erred in determining his base offense level. The standard of review for application of the sentencing guidelines is whether the trial court's findings are clearly erroneous. United States v. Mejia-Orosco, 867 F.2d at 221. 37 Boyd entered a guilty plea and was sentenced for a violation of 18 U.S.C. Sec. 1952(a)(3)--Interstate or Foreign Travel or Transportation in Aid of Racketeering Enterprise. The Sentencing Guideline for this offense is section 2E1.2(a), which provides that the base offense level is the greater of the following: 38
39 (2) the offense level applicable to the underlying crime of violence or other unlawful activity in respect to which the travel or transportation was undertaken. 40 Application Note 2 to section 2E1.2(a) states that if the underlying conduct violates state law, the court should use the offense level that corresponds to the most analogous federal offense. In this case, the underlying state offense was arson. 41 The applicable guideline for a federal arson offense is section 2K1.4, which ordinarily provides for a base offense level of 6. However, the guideline specifically states that if the defendant's arson caused death, the district court must apply the most analogous guideline from Chapter Two, Part A (Offenses Against the Person), if the resulting offense level is greater than that determined above. Sentencing Guideline Sec. 2K1.4(c)(1). Under this requirement, the district court determined that the most analogous guideline in Chapter Two was section 2A1.2 (Second Degree Murder). The base offense level under section 2A1.2 is 33, which the district court applied to Boyd because the offense level is greater than six. On motion of the Government, the district court then reduced Boyd's base offense level to 15, pursuant to Sentencing Guideline section 5K1.1. Since the district court's sentence applies the literal language of the guidelines, this Court cannot conclude that the district court's sentence is clearly erroneous.
42 Boyd also alleges that the district court erred in ordering him to make restitution. Boyd claims that his actions caused no loss, so therefore the restitution is impermissibly in excess of the crime of conviction. However, the record establishes that the total losses resulting from the arson in which Boyd participated were $766,959.00. Of this amount of loss, the district court ordered that Boyd pay only $3,500.00, at the rate of $100.00 per month. This Court is unable to conclude that the district court abused its discretion in ordering restitution in this amount.