United States v. Suchowolski

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Defendant plead guilty to theft of government property, in violation of 18 U.S.C. 641, for his unlawful receipt of social security benefits, and was sentenced to 18 months’ imprisonment. The court concluded that the district court did not err in applying a two-level enhancement under USSG 2B1.1(b)(11)(C)(i) for using an unauthorized means of identification to obtain another means of identification. The court concluded that defendant created fraudulent accounts in 2008 and 2011 without authorization; defendant's conduct fell within the ambit of USSG 2B1.1(b)(11)(C)(i) and 2B1.1 cmt. n.1; and the plain meaning of the phrase "actual" does not distinguish between living and deceased persons. As the Government demonstrated, the court has affirmed application of the Guideline outside the context of credit fraud, and applied the enhancement under circumstances factually analogous to those at hand. Finally, the court concluded that the rule of lenity does not preclude the application of the enhancement. Accordingly, the court affirmed the judgment. View "United States v. Suchowolski" on Justia Law