Court Opinion

ID: 2964739
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2015-09-21 21:30:23.103729+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T09:32:57.167433
License: Public Domain

USCA1 Opinion

	

                                [NOT FOR PUBLICATION]

                            United States Court of Appeals
                                For the First Circuit
                                 ____________________

          No. 96-1972

                                    UNITED STATES,

                                      Appellee,

                                          v.

                                   JERALD J. COHEN,

                                Defendant - Appellant.

                                 ____________________

                     APPEAL FROM THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

                          FOR THE DISTRICT OF NEW HAMPSHIRE

                   [Hon. Steven J. McAuliffe, U.S. District Judge]
                                              ___________________

                                 ____________________

                                        Before

                               Torruella, Chief Judge,
                                          ___________

                           Campbell, Senior Circuit Judge,
                                     ____________________

                              and Stahl, Circuit Judge. 
                                         _____________

                                _____________________

               Morris M. Goldings, with whom Richard S. Jacobs and Mahoney,
               __________________            _________________     ________
          Hawkes & Goldings were on brief for appellant.
          _________________
               Jean B.  Weld, Assistant  United States Attorney,  with whom
               _____________
          Paul M.  Gagnon,  United  States   Attorney,  was  on  brief  for
          _______________
          appellee.

                                 ____________________

                                    June 25, 1997
                                 ____________________

                    Per   Curiam.    Defendant-Appellant  Jerald  J.  Cohen
                    Per   Curiam.
                    ____________

          ("Cohen") pled guilty to  one count of conspiracy to  commit bank

          fraud and bank bribery, in  violation of 18 U.S.C.    371,  1344,

          and   215(a)(1).      Cohen's   offense   conduct  involved   his

          participation  in a loan  scheme whereby  he received  nearly $16

          million in real estate loans, for which he paid at least $734,500

          in "kickbacks" to particular bank officials.  On August 20, 1996,

          the district court sentenced Cohen to 15 years' imprisonment.  At

          Cohen's sentencing hearing, the district court denied his request

          for a two-level downward adjustment for being a minor participant

          under United  States Sentencing Guidelines    3B1.2.   On appeal,

          Cohen's  only contention  is  that the  district court  committed

          clear error when it failed to grant him the downward adjustment.

                    "Assessing  a  defendant's role  in  the  offense is  a

          fact-specific  task,   suggesting  by   its  very   nature  'that

          considerable  respect  be paid  to the  views  of the  nisi prius

          court.'   It  follows, therefore,  that unless  a mistake  of law

          looms  .  .  .  [,]  a  sentencing  court's  determination  of  a

          defendant's role will be set aside only for clear error."  United
                                                                     ______

          States v.  Tejada-Beltr n, 50  F.3d 105,  110-11 (1st  Cir. 1995)
          ______     ______________

          (quoting United States v. McDowell, 918 F.2d 1004, 1011 (1st Cir.
                   _____________    ________

          1990)).  "The  defendant bears the burden  of proving that he  is

          entitled to a downward  adjustment for his role in  the offense."

          United  States v.  Gonz lez Soberal,  109 F.3d  64, 73  (1st Cir.
          ______________     ________________

          1997).

                                         -2-

                    The Sentencing  Guidelines allow the district  court to

          grant a two-level  downward adjustment to a  minor participant in

          the  criminal   activity.     This  departure  applies   to  "any

          participant who  is less  culpable than most  other participants,

          but whose role could not  be described as  minimal."   U.S.S.G.  

          3B1.2, comment. n.3; see  United States v. Ocasio, 914  F.2d 330,
                               ___  _____________    ______

          333 (1st Cir. 1989).

                    Cohen argues that the  district court made three errors

          in the  course of ruling that  he was not less  culpable than the

          other  participants  in  this  conspiracy  or  than  the  average

          participant who commits this offense.  He  alleges that:  (1) the

          district  court  relied  on  the  mere  fact  that  he  knowingly

          participated  in the kickback scheme  to conclude that  he was as

          culpable  as  the  other  conspiracy members;  (2)  the  district

          court's  finding that Cohen was not less culpable than the others

          was clearly erroneous in  the face of the  probation department's

          and the  U.S. Attorney's1 allegedly contrary  assertions; and (3)

          the amount of fraudulent  loans Cohen received and the  bribes he

          paid to bank  officials had  already been taken  into account  in

          establishing  the base offense level, implying that consideration

          of  these  amounts  in  determining  that  he  was  not  a  minor

          participant amounted to double-counting.  Cohen claims that these

          three  errors require that  we reverse  his sentence  and remand.
                              
          ____________________

          1   While  the U.S.  Attorney's Office  apparently conceded  that
          Cohen was less culpable than the other members of the conspiracy,
          the Office  made clear at the sentencing  hearing that it did not
          believe that Cohen  was less culpable than the  average defendant
          who commits this sort of bank fraud.

                                         -3-

          Beyond these broad and conclusory assertions, however, he has not

          been able to point  to facts in the  record sufficient to  compel

          the conclusion  that his culpability was  significantly less than

          that of  the other participants in  the scheme or --  more to the

          point -- that  his culpability was less than that  of the average

          defendant who commits  bank fraud  and bribery.   Nor does  Cohen

          develop or support his argument that  the district court's ruling

          regarding  his  culpability  relative  to  the  other  conspiracy

          participants,  contrary  to assertions  of  the  parties and  the

          probation department, is necessarily reversible error.

                    In  addition to  noting Cohen's  failure to  present us

          with  evidentiary  support  for  a  minor  participant   downward

          adjustment,  we find no error  in the district court's conclusion

          that  he was not  entitled to such  an adjustment.   The district

          court  specifically noted  that  Cohen's  conduct, including  his

          active participation in the  conspiracy's intended purposes, made

          him at least as culpable as the other criminal participants.  The

          record  specifically reveals  that, during  a one-and-a-half-year

          time period,  Cohen repeatedly  applied  for loans  for which  he

          provided bribes and from  which he received considerable benefit.

          As sole borrower  of four loans, Cohen's role was integral to the

          success  of the  scheme as related  to these  loans.   We find no

          error  in the  district court's  refusal to  grant Cohen  a minor

          participant downward adjustment.

                    Upon   full  consideration  of  the  record,  appellate

          briefs,  and argument of counsel,  we affirm the  decision of the

                                         -4-

          district court on the basis of its rulings at Cohen's August  20,

          1996, Sentencing Hearing.

                    Affirmed.
                    ________

                                         -5-