Opinion ID: 682433
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 7

Heading: Glorioso and Acceptance of Responsibility

Text: 39 At sentencing, Glorioso requested, but the district court denied, a two-level reduction in his base offense level for acceptance of responsibility for his criminal conduct as allowed under U.S.S.G. Sec. 3E1.1. This decision is one of fact, particularly suited for the district court to make, and will not be disturbed unless clearly erroneous. United States v. Osmani, 20 F.3d 266, 269 (7th Cir.1994); United States v. Fuller, 15 F.3d 646, 650 (7th Cir.), cert. denied, --- U.S. ----, 114 S.Ct. 2689, 129 L.Ed.2d 820 (1994). See also U.S.S.G. Sec. 3E1.1 cmt., n. 5 (The sentencing judge is in a unique position to evaluate a defendant's acceptance of responsibility. For this reason, the determination of the sentencing judge is entitled to great deference on appeal.). Acceptance of responsibility simply means the defendant clearly demonstrates a recognition and affirmative acceptance of personal responsibility for his criminal conduct. U.S.S.G. Sec. 3E1.1(a). An oft-recited application note to Sec. 3E1.1 reminds defendants of the central purpose of the acceptance of responsibility reduction: This adjustment is not intended to apply to a defendant who puts the government to its burden of proof at trial by denying the essential factual elements of guilt, is convicted, and only then admits guilt and expresses remorse. U.S.S.G. Sec. 3E1.1 cmt., n. 2. The sum total of Glorioso's acceptance of responsibility consists of his confession, following conviction and in preparation of sentencing, of his criminal conduct. Not until trial was complete and an unfavorable verdict returned did Glorioso admit his crimes and express any, albeit a paltry, sense of remorse for his acts. Awarding the two-level reduction for this would be contrary to the basic system of incentives and disincentives established by the acceptance of responsibility reduction, namely to reward those who plead guilty--saving the judiciary and Government from the time, expense and effort of a trial--or who take some other equivalently concrete act, such as pretrial payment of full restitution. United States v. Gomez, 24 F.3d 924, 926 (7th Cir.1994); United States v. Beserra, 967 F.2d 254, 255 (7th Cir.), cert. denied, --- U.S. ----, 113 S.Ct. 419, 121 L.Ed.2d 341 (1992) (A plea of guilty is (normally) a necessary, but is not a sufficient, condition for the reduction). Post-conviction confessions imbue relatively no benefit on the criminal justice system and therefore are undeserving of the quid pro quo of decreased imprisonment. Beserra, 967 F.2d at 256. 40 There are, and constitutionally must be, certain limited instances in which a defendant can put the Government through the machinery of a trial but still realistically claim the benefit of the acceptance of responsibility reduction, such as admitting the factual elements of guilt but challenging the constitutionality of a statute. See, e.g., U.S.S.G. Sec. 3E1.1 cmt., n. 2; United States v. Corral-Ibarra, 25 F.3d 430, 440 (7th Cir.1994) (going to trial to assert defense of entrapment may still allow acceptance of responsibility reduction). Glorioso's only explanation for pursuing a trial, and foregoing a guilty plea, was his desire to avoid being forced to testify against his co-defendants, presumably out of fear of their reprisal. No matter, he made a conscious decision to forego the benefits of the acceptance of responsibility reduction and opt instead for the security of not being a squealer--possibly the more rational decision but unfortunately not one the sentencing guidelines recognize as worthy of excusing the need to accept responsibility before the trial to win a reduced sentence. He adds that during trial he also refrained from challenging his factual guilt by refusing to offer evidence contradicting the Government's case. Forebearing from denying responsibility is not, however, the same as accepting responsibility, the latter of which requires some affirmative act evidencing a clear fessing up of one's guilt for the crimes charged. U.S.S.G. Sec. 3E1.1(a); Beserra, 967 F.2d at 255; United States v. Escobar-Mejia, 915 F.2d 1152, 1153 (7th Cir.1990). All in all we can quite confidently say the district court did not err in refusing to grant Glorioso the two-point reduction for accepting responsibility.