United States v. D'Angelo , 802 F.3d 205 ( 2015 )

United States Court of Appeals
For the First Circuit
No. 14-1688
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,
Appellee,
v.
MICHEL D'ANGELO,
Defendant, Appellant.
APPEAL FROM THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
FOR THE DISTRICT OF MAINE
[Hon. Nancy Torresen, U.S. District Judge]
Before
Howard, Chief Judge,
Torruella and Barron, Circuit Judges.
David J. Van Dyke and Hornblower Lynch Rabasco & Van Dyke,
P.A., on brief for appellant.
Renée M. Bunker, Assistant United States Attorney, and
Thomas E. Delahanty II, United States Attorney, on brief for
appellee.
October 6, 2015
TORRUELLA, Circuit Judge. Defendant-appellant Michel
D'Angelo ("D'Angelo") pleaded guilty to bank robbery, 18 U.S.C.
§ 2113(a), and was sentenced to 180 months' imprisonment, a
downwardly variant sentence. He appeals the district court's
denial of credit for acceptance of responsibility under the United
States Sentencing Guidelines ("U.S.S.G.") § 3E1.1. Finding no
error, we affirm.
I. Facts
Because D'Angelo pleaded guilty, our discussion of the
facts is drawn from the change-of-plea colloquy, the unchallenged
portions of the Presentence Investigation Report ("PSR"), and the
transcript of the sentencing hearing. See United States v.
Cintrón-Echautegui, 604 F.3d 1, 2 (1st Cir. 2010).
On September 21, 2012, D'Angelo and his then-girlfriend,
Jennica Miller ("Miller"), robbed the Kennebunk Savings Bank
("KSB") in Berwick, Maine. D'Angelo entered the bank dressed as a
woman in a pink sweatsuit, wearing a wig and sunglasses, and
carrying a purse, while Miller called 9-1-1 and falsely reported
having just been stabbed by her boyfriend in a mobile home park in
an attempt to distract the police.1 D'Angelo carried a screwdriver
"he planned to display as a weapon if the bank tellers were not
1
Shortly before the bank robbery, Miller also called 9-1-1 and
falsely reported having just been stabbed by her boyfriend behind
an outlet store. D'Angelo instructed Miller to place both of these
9-1-1 calls.
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compliant with his demands."2 He approached a bank teller,
demanded cash, and -- according to the witnesses -- threatened to
set a bomb off if any alarm button was pressed. After obtaining
$1,298, D'Angelo fled the scene with Miller.
Two days after the robbery, the police recovered a series
of items that had been discarded along the side of the road, less
than a mile away from the KSB. These included a bleach-soaked pink
sweatsuit, a wig, and a screwdriver, among other things.
Authorities later confirmed that these items belonged to Miller.3
A confidential informant and a family member identified the bank
robber depicted in KSB surveillance images as D'Angelo.
D'Angelo was arrested on April 11, 2013, for bank
robbery. On June 18, 2013, an indictment charged him and Miller
with bank robbery in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 2113(a) and aiding
and abetting such conduct in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 2. D'Angelo
initially pleaded not guilty, and filed two motions to suppress
evidence, which the government opposed. He then withdrew both
motions and, on February 13, 2014, entered a straight guilty plea.4
At his change-of-plea hearing, D'Angelo admitted to all the facts
2
Although D'Angelo denies possessing a screwdriver during the
robbery, the district court found by preponderant evidence that he
did possess the screwdriver.
3
Miller's DNA was found on the pink sweatsuit jacket and the wig.
Subsequently, Miller's mother identified the pink sweatpants and
purse worn by D'Angelo as belonging to her daughter.
4
On January 14, 2014, Miller pleaded guilty as charged.
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stated by the government in its "Prosecution Version," but
clarified that he did not intend to threaten anyone when he entered
the bank and could not recall doing so while inside.
D'Angelo was held at the Cumberland County Jail ("CCJ")
from his arrest on April 11, 2013, until March 8, 2014, when he was
transferred to the Maine State Prison. Between April 11, 2013, and
February 13, 2014, while at the CCJ, D'Angelo violated several
rules, conduct which resulted in seven disciplinary actions. These
violations included: making intoxicants; possessing contraband;
refusing to provide a breath and/or urine sample; opening a secured
slider door; and possession of piercing/tattooing equipment, which
resulted in his reclassification from medium to maximum security
within the CCJ. Another disciplinary action involved a verbal
interaction between D'Angelo and a correction officer in which
D'Angelo purportedly stated, "[i]f I receive twenty years as soon
as I return to this jail and my handcuffs are removed, I'm going to
break the jaw of the closest intake officer."
On March 8, 2014, after he had pleaded guilty, D'Angelo
and a female inmate in the maximum-security wing of CCJ both jammed
the locks of their cell doors to prevent the doors from locking.
The female inmate then exited her cell, crossed to the male section
of the facility, and entered D'Angelo's cell, where they spent more
than three hours engaging in consensual sex before being discovered
by a guard. Following this incident, D'Angelo cut himself and was
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placed on suicide watch before being transferred to the Maine State
Prison.
During his time at CCJ, D'Angelo also sent several
letters to Miller, instructing her to write to him using a "bogus
name," providing her with a "script" of what to say if called to
testify in court, and telling her to "figure a way" to get their
cases severed. He suggested that Miller "get a psych eval[uation],
drug rehab, fucking pregnant, something, just stall," to get her
case "continued as long as possible" because "he need[ed]" to be
tried first.
The PSR calculated a total offense level of thirty-two
for D'Angelo, broken down as follows: a base offense level of
twenty pursuant to U.S.S.G. § 2B3.1(a); a two-level increase for
taking property from a bank (U.S.S.G. § 2B3.1(b)(1)); a three-level
increase for possession of a dangerous weapon (screwdriver)
(U.S.S.G. § 2B3.1(b)(2)(E)); a two-level increase for his
aggravating role because he directed Miller to place false 9-1-1
calls to distract the police (U.S.S.G. § 3B1.1(c)); and a two-level
increase for his attempt to obstruct justice by influencing Miller
to commit perjury (U.S.S.G. § 3C1.1). These calculations produced
an adjusted offense level of twenty-nine, but, because D'Angelo's
prior convictions rendered him a career offender (with a Criminal
History Category of VI),5 his adjusted offense level was thirty-
5
D'Angelo had at least fifteen prior convictions.
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two. The result was a Guidelines sentencing range ("GSR") of 210-
262 months, but the 240-month statutory maximum lowered that range
to 210-240 months.
The PSR did not recommend a three-level reduction for
acceptance of responsibility pursuant to U.S.S.G. § 3E1.1 for
several reasons. First, while D'Angelo provided the Probation
Officer with a written statement taking full responsibility for his
conduct, he denied any recollection of having threatened the bank
teller with a bomb. Second, D'Angelo's conduct while at the CCJ
revealed no indication of repentance and demonstrated that he had
not ceased criminal conduct. Third, D'Angelo attempted to obstruct
justice through his letters to Miller.
D'Angelo objected to the PSR's recommendations to apply
an obstruction of justice enhancement and to deny a § 3E1.1
reduction for acceptance of responsibility. He argued that his
intention to put an end to a lifetime of criminality was evident
through his conscious decision to waive the suppression issues, his
guilty plea, and the fact that all his disciplinary actions while
incarcerated -- except for the sex incident -- occurred prior to
his guilty plea. The PSR was not altered.
Additionally, in a motion for a variant sentence,
D'Angelo highlighted his troubled childhood -- including having
lost his father at age six to suicide, living with an abusive step-
father, and falling from the second story of a building and
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fracturing his skull, which "annihilated" the impulse control
center of his brain -- his history of mental-health diagnoses, and
alcohol and poly-substance abuse.
At his sentencing hearing, D'Angelo denied that he
possessed a screwdriver during the robbery. He also clarified that
he did not recall whether he made a bomb threat while at the bank,
and could neither confirm nor deny having done so. In addition,
D'Angelo admitted that he committed the disciplinary violations
while incarcerated and that he "sent letters to [Miller] . . .
about spinning a web of lies to make their case more viable."
While he conceded that the letters constituted an obstruction of
justice and thus warranted the enhancement, he argued that he was
nevertheless entitled to credit for acceptance of responsibility
under § 3E1.1 because, except for the sex incident, everything else
occurred before he pleaded guilty and after that he "manned up" and
behaved as "a model person" for around four months. The government
opposed D'Angelo's request for credit under § 3E1.1 for essentially
the same reasons stated in the PSR.
The district court stated that it would not consider or
hold "against him" the fact that D'Angelo did not recall making the
bomb threat because his lack of recollection could be due to
D'Angelo's brain injuries or adrenaline. However, the court also
stated that the possession of the screwdriver would be considered
relevant conduct to the offense and found, based on Miller's
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testimony and the corroborating evidence,6 that the government
proved by preponderant evidence that he did have a screwdriver when
he robbed the bank. It also found that D'Angelo's letters to
Miller warranted an obstruction of justice enhancement. The
district court then denied the § 3E1.1 reduction for acceptance of
responsibility because D'Angelo did not admit to the offense's
relevant conduct (possession of the screwdriver), and because a
finding of obstruction of justice generally indicates that
acceptance of responsibility should not be given unless it is an
extraordinary case and the district court did not consider this an
extraordinary case. In addition, the district court referenced
D'Angelo's conduct while incarcerated at CCJ and found that he had
failed to withdraw completely from criminal conduct.
The district court adopted the PSR's Guidelines
calculation, which yielded a GSR of 210-240 months (as reduced by
the 240-month statutory maximum). Although the district court
denied the § 3E1.1 reduction for acceptance of responsibility, it
acknowledged that D'Angelo pleaded guilty, "gave up a suppression
motion," and significantly improved his behavior, for which he
"should get some credit" by means of a "variance." In the court's
view, that was appropriate given D'Angelo's "mental health issues
and his brain trauma." The sentencing judge then stated that he
6
The screwdriver was found at the side of the road along with the
clothing used in the robbery.
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would give D'Angelo the equivalent of two points for acceptance of
responsibility by way of a variance. That produced a variant range
of 168-210 months. After considering the advisory Guidelines, the
sentencing factors in 18 U.S.C. § 3553(a) -- especially the nature
and circumstances of the offense, D'Angelo's history and
characteristics, and the need to protect the public -- the court
sentenced D'Angelo to 180 months' imprisonment followed by three
years of supervised release, restitution of $1,298, and a monetary
assessment fee of $100. This appeal followed.
II. Discussion
D'Angelo challenges the district court's determination
that he did not accept responsibility for his offense and, thus,
was not entitled to an offense-level reduction under § 3E1.1.
Although he concedes that an obstruction of justice enhancement was
appropriate based on his letters to Miller, he argues that credit
for acceptance of responsibility under § 3E1.1 "is not definitively
inconsistent with allegations of obstruction of justice."
Furthermore, D'Angelo alleges that he should not be denied credit
on account of conduct that occurred prior to his guilty plea.
We review "a sentencing court's factbound determination
that a defendant has not accepted responsibility" for clear error.
United States v. Jordan, 549 F.3d 57, 60 (1st Cir. 2008); see also
United States v. Royer, 895 F.2d 28, 29 (1st Cir. 1990). We will
not reverse unless we are "left with a definite and firm conviction
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that a mistake has been committed." Brown v. Plata, 131 S. Ct.
1910, 1930 (2011) (internal quotation marks omitted); see also
Royer, 895 F.2d at 29. Nevertheless, we conduct a plenary review
of any related legal questions, including interpretation of the
Sentencing Guidelines. United States v. Deppe, 509 F.3d 54, 60
(1st Cir. 2007) (citing United States v. Talladino, 38 F.3d 1255,
1263 (1st Cir. 1994)).
U.S.S.G. § 3E1.1 provides for a two-level reduction
"[i]f the defendant clearly demonstrates acceptance of
responsibility for his offense."7 U.S.S.G. § 3E1.1(a). But a
defendant who enters a guilty plea is not automatically entitled to
this adjustment. United States v. Franky-Ortiz, 230 F.3d 405, 408
(1st Cir. 2000). Rather, the defendant must demonstrate "'candor
and authentic remorse' as opposed to mouthing a 'pat recital of the
vocabulary of contrition.'" United States v. McLaughlin, 378 F.3d
35, 39-40 (1st Cir. 2004) (quoting Royer, 895 F.2d at 30). He has
"the burden of proving his entitlement to an acceptance-of-
responsibility credit." Franky-Ortiz, 230 F.3d at 408 (quoting
United States v. Ocasio-Rivera, 991 F.2d 1, 4 (1st Cir. 1993)).
7
It also provides an additional reduction of one level if the
defendant qualifies for the two-level decrease, has an offense
level of sixteen or greater, and the government moves for an extra
reduction for his assistance to authorities. U.S.S.G. § 3E1.1(b).
However, this additional one-level reduction is not at issue here
because it is uncontested that the government was not going to file
any motion for a further reduction.
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Application Note 4 to U.S.S.G. § 3E1.1 provides that
conduct resulting in an obstruction of justice enhancement
ordinarily indicates that the defendant has not accepted
responsibility for his criminal conduct, although it acknowledges
that there may be an extraordinary case in which an adjustment
under § 3E1.1 may apply despite a finding of obstruction of
justice. U.S.S.G. § 3E1.1 cmt. n.4. "In such instances, the
defendant has the burden of proving that an adjustment for
acceptance of responsibility is warranted." United States v.
Maguire, 752 F.3d 1, 6 (1st Cir. 2014) (citing United States v.
Gonzales, 12 F.3d 298, 300 (1st Cir. 1993)).
Although a case where both an obstruction of justice
enhancement and credit for acceptance of responsibility coexist is
"hen's-teeth rare," id., D'Angelo nonetheless claims that such is
his case. He merely states that his case is extraordinary because
he "unambiguously acknowledged his wrongdoing and ceased criminal
activities at the point of his change-of-plea." His attempt falls
short. See id. (noting that the defendant's "on-the-spot admission
of his role in the surveilled drug sale, his divulgement of the
existence and location of the stash house, his consent to the
search of that structure and to the seizure of contraband from it,
his guilty plea, his compliance with the terms of his pretrial
release, and his avowals of contrition" did not compel a finding
that his case was extraordinary).
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Here, the district court's finding that D'Angelo had
falsely denied possession of the screwdriver during the bank
robbery cuts against D'Angelo's claim that he "unambiguously
acknowledged his wrongdoing." D'Angelo does not argue that this
finding is clearly erroneous, see Royer, 895 F.2d at 29, and, based
on Miller's testimony and the corroborating evidence found along
the side of the road, it seems that he could not seriously do so.
In addition, contrary to D'Angelo's assertion that he "ceased
criminal activities at the point of his change-of-plea," the
district court found that criminal activity continued even beyond
his guilty plea, as evidenced by his involvement in the sex
incident. Again, D'Angelo has failed to show that this finding is
clearly erroneous. See id. Thus, we will not overturn the
district court's decision.
Furthermore, although the district court could have
relied on the obstruction of justice alone to deny D'Angelo credit
under § 3E1.1 given the lack of extraordinary features in this
case, it also premised its decision on D'Angelo's denial of
relevant conduct. Application Note 1(A) to U.S.S.G. § 3E1.1
provides that "a defendant who falsely denies, or frivolously
contests, relevant conduct that the court determines to be true has
acted in a manner inconsistent with acceptance of responsibility."
U.S.S.G. § 3E1.1 cmt. n.1(A). Based on Miller's testimony and the
corroborating evidence found along the side of the road, the
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district court found by a preponderance of the evidence that
D'Angelo possessed a screwdriver during the robbery and that he
displayed it as a weapon. The district court also found that the
possession of a screwdriver was relevant conduct to the offense,
and that D'Angelo falsely denied it. D'Angelo does not argue that
these determinations were clearly erroneous, and we see no reason
to conclude so. See Royer, 895 F.2d at 29. Thus, there was an
additional ground to deny him credit for acceptance of
responsibility.
Finally, D'Angelo argues that only conduct subsequent to
his guilty plea is relevant and, therefore, he should not have been
denied credit on account of conduct that occurred prior to his
guilty plea. D'Angelo's argument is contrary to our precedent,
which has allowed courts to consider a defendant's conduct after he
has been charged, regardless of whether said conduct took place
before or after the defendant pleading guilty. See Jordan, 549
F.3d at 61 (holding that "a district court, in determining the
propriety vel non of an acceptance-of-responsibility credit, may
consider a defendant's commission of any post-indictment criminal
conduct, whether or not it bears a significant connection to, or
constitutes a significant continuation of, the offense of
conviction"); McLaughlin, 378 F.3d at 38 (holding that "when a
defendant commits new offenses after having been charged and those
offenses reflect adversely on the sincerity of the defendant's
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avowed contrition, the sentencing court may treat the commission of
those offenses as an indication that the defendant has not accepted
responsibility for the original crime" (citing United States v.
Carrington, 96 F.3d 1, 9 (1st Cir. 1996))); United States v. Zanni,
No. 95-1126, 1995 WL 492971, at *2 (1st Cir. 1995) (holding that "a
defendant's . . . conduct, following the offense of conviction but
before a guilty plea, 'certainly could shed light on the sincerity
of a defendant's claims of remorse' and may be considered" (quoting
United States v. O'Neil, 936 F.2d 599, 600 (1st Cir. 1991))).
Thus, the district court properly considered D'Angelo's conduct
while incarcerated at the CCJ, all of which he admitted, and which
provided yet another reason for denying him acceptance-of-
responsibility credit. See U.S.S.G. § 3E1.1 cmt. n.1(B) (providing
that "voluntary termination or withdrawal from criminal conduct or
associations" may be considered in determining whether a defendant
qualifies for credit under § 3E1.1); see also Jordan, 549 F.3d at
60.
III. Conclusion
For the reasons elucidated above, we conclude that the
district court did not commit any error, much less clear error, in
denying D'Angelo a reduction for acceptance of responsibility.
Thus, his sentence is affirmed.
AFFIRMED.
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