Court Opinion

ID: 9487024
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-05 12:06:11.40979+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T17:52:03.419440
License: Public Domain

WELLFORD, J.,
concurring.
WELLFORD, Senior Circuit Judge, concurring in denial of Josephine Ledezma’s petition for rehearing.
One of the issues raised by Ledezma relates to “perjury” for sentencing purposes. With regard to the augmentation of Ledez-*261ma’s sentence for perjury during trial, appellant argues that United States v. Dunnigan, — U.S. -, 113 S.Ct. 1111, 122 L.Ed.2d 445 (1993), indicates that “[i]t is preferable for a district court to address each element of the alleged perjury in a separate and clear finding,” and that such separate finding was not made in this case.
If the district court here had imposed a perjury enhancement merely because the defendant testified that she is innocent but the jury determined guilt, I would vacate and remand the sentence based upon Mathews v. United States, 11 F.3d 583, 587 (6th Cir.1993), and United States v. Medina, 992 F.2d 573 (6th Cir.1993), cert. denied, — U.S. -, 114 S.Ct. 1049, 127 L.Ed.2d 371 (1994). The district court here, however, made the following finding:
I believe that the record in this case, following a verdict of guilty by the jury, requires that I find the defendant perjured herself on material matters at the time that she testified in her defense. I do not find that any additional efforts required the government [sic], as a result of the perjury.
... But I do think it was perjury. I do think it was material, and I do think that under .the law of the Sixth Circuit, I am required to assess an additional two points for obstruction of justice in light of those findings.
Whether this statement fully satisfied Dunnigan is not clear, but I believe it satisfied the pre-Dunnigan standard applicable in this circuit as set out in United States v. Clark, 982 F.2d 965 (6th Cir.1993). It is indeed, however, “preferable” that the district court in this situation make a “separate and clear finding” of perjury, and necessary that this finding of perjury not be based merely upon the jury verdict. The district court did not base its perjury enhancement merely on the jury verdict in this ease.
Accordingly, I join in the denial of Ledez-ma’s petition.