Court Opinion

ID: 9896684
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-11-14 01:00:33.615692+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T09:15:12.068108
License: Public Domain

Case: 22-20464        Document: 00516965150             Page: 1      Date Filed: 11/13/2023

             United States Court of Appeals
                  for the Fifth Circuit                                        United States Court of Appeals
                                                                                        Fifth Circuit

                                     ____________                                     FILED
                                                                              November 13, 2023
                                      No. 22-20464                               Lyle W. Cayce
                                    Summary Calendar                                  Clerk
                                    ____________

   United States of America,

                                                                      Plaintiff—Appellee,

                                            versus

   Olotin Alfred Alatan,

                                              Defendant—Appellant.
                     ______________________________

                     Appeal from the United States District Court
                         for the Southern District of Texas
                              USDC No. 4:19-CR-633-1
                     ______________________________

   Before King, Haynes, and Graves, Circuit Judges.
   Per Curiam: *
         A jury convicted Olotin Alfred Alatan of one count of conspiracy to
   commit healthcare fraud, eight counts of aiding and abetting healthcare
   fraud, and one count of engaging in monetary transactions in property
   derived from specified unlawful activity. On each count, he was sentenced

         _____________________
         *
             This opinion is not designated for publication. See 5th Cir. R. 47.5.
Case: 22-20464       Document: 00516965150           Page: 2      Date Filed: 11/13/2023

                                      No. 22-20464

   to concurrent 120-month terms of imprisonment and three-year terms of
   supervised release.
          Alatan argues that the district court erred in applying (1) a two-level
   enhancement under U.S.S.G. § 2B1.1(b)(2)(A)(i) for an offense that
   involved more than 10 victims, and (2) a two-level enhancement under
   § 2B1.1(b)(11)(C)(i) because the offense involved the unauthorized use of a
   means of identification unlawfully to obtain another means of identification. 1
   We review these arguments, raised here for the first time, for plain error. See
   United States v. Juarez, 626 F.3d 246, 253-54 (5th Cir. 2010).
          Regarding § 2B1.1(b)(11)(C)(i), Alatan argues that he had the
   authorization of the Medicare beneficiaries in this case to submit claims on
   their behalf and that he was authorized, as a Medicare provider, to submit
   Medicare claims for his patients. Thus, he contends, he did not use any
   patient’s means of identification unlawfully or without authorization. He
   also argues that his use of patient information did not result in the production
   of any other means of identification. Alatan, however, has not shown that the
   district court erred in applying the enhancement. See United States v.
   Ramirez, 979 F.3d 276, 282 (5th Cir. 2020); United States v. Kalu, 936 F.3d
   678, 681 (5th Cir. 2019).
          Turning to his challenge to the number of victims, Alatan argues that
   § 2B1.1(b)(2)(A)(i) and application note 4(E) to that Guideline do not
   include the Medicare beneficiaries in this case as “victims.” His argument
   is based on his erroneous contention that he did not unlawfully use his
   patients’ means of identification to obtain another means of identification
   when he submitted fraudulent Medicare claims on their behalf.                   Our

          _____________________
          1
            The record does not support Alatan’s assertion on appeal that an enhancement
   under § 2B1.1(b)(2)(B) was applied in this case.

                                            2
Case: 22-20464       Document: 00516965150            Page: 3      Date Filed: 11/13/2023

                                       No. 22-20464

   precedent forecloses this argument. United States v. Mazkouri, 945 F.3d 293,
   304-05 & n.3 (5th Cir. 2019). Alatan has shown no error in the application of
   this enhancement. In any event, the ultimate guidelines number was 120
   months due to the statutory maximum which is below what the guidelines
   would have been even if the two enhancements had not been added. 2
          AFFIRMED.

          _____________________
          2
                 The guidelines range for the offense level of 36, including those two
   enhancements, for a criminal history of 1 was 188-235, while a guidelines range for the
   offense level of 32 (had the two two-level enhancements been removed) would be 121-151.
   Since the maximum sentence was 10 years, the guidelines range would be 120 months under
   either scenario.

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