United States v. Don Eugene Siegelman , 786 F.3d 1322 ( 2015 )


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  •          Case: 12-14373   Date Filed: 05/20/2015   Page: 1 of 26
    [PUBLISH]
    IN THE UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS
    FOR THE ELEVENTH CIRCUIT
    ________________________
    No. 12-14373
    ________________________
    D.C. Docket No. 2:05-cr-00119-MEF-CSC-1
    UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,
    Plaintiff-Appellee,
    versus
    DON EUGENE SIEGELMAN,
    Defendant-Appellant.
    ________________________
    Appeal from the United States District Court
    for the Middle District of Alabama
    ________________________
    (May 20, 2015)
    Case: 12-14373       Date Filed: 05/20/2015       Page: 2 of 26
    Before JILL PRYOR, FAY, and EBEL,∗ Circuit Judges.
    EBEL, Circuit Judge:
    Defendant-Appellant Don Eugene Siegelman appeals from the district
    court’s order denying his motion for a new trial and the court’s amended final
    judgment sentencing him to seventy-eight months in prison. Exercising our
    jurisdiction under 18 U.S.C. § 3742(a) and 28 U.S.C. § 1291, we hold that the
    district court did not abuse its discretion in denying Siegelman’s motion for a new
    trial and did not err in calculating Siegelman’s sentence under the Guidelines.
    Accordingly, we affirm.
    BACKGROUND 1
    From 1995 to 2003, Siegelman served the State of Alabama first as
    Lieutenant Governor and then as Governor. During his time in office, Siegelman
    engaged in a range of conduct that eventually became the focal point of a state-
    federal criminal investigation. See United States v. Siegelman, 
    640 F.3d 1159
    ,
    1164, 1168 (11th Cir. 2011) [hereinafter Siegelman II]. That investigation targeted
    Siegelman and several other individuals, including: Richard Scrushy, the Chief
    Executive Officer of a major hospital corporation with operations throughout
    ∗
    The Honorable David M. Ebel, Senior United States Circuit Judge for the United States Court
    of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit, sitting by designation.
    1
    Because this case has complicated facts and a complex procedural history, we narrowly tailor
    our background section to track the issues presented in this appeal.
    2
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    Alabama; Nicholas Bailey, Siegelman’s close associate and former confidential
    assistant; and Lanny Young, Siegelman’s long-time business associate. See 
    id. at 1164,
    1166, 1168.
    As a result of the investigation, Plaintiff-Appellee United States (the
    “Government”) charged Siegelman and Scrushy with multiple counts of federal
    funds bribery and honest services mail fraud, and one count of conspiracy to
    commit honest services mail fraud. These charges were based on an arrangement
    (the “Siegelman-Scrushy Exchange”) wherein Siegelman appointed Scrushy to the
    Certificate of Need (“CON”) Board, a state board that determined the number of
    healthcare facilities in Alabama, in exchange for Scrushy’s $500,000 donation to
    the Alabama Education Lottery Foundation (the “Foundation”), a foundation
    Siegelman established to raise money for a ballot initiative that would help fund
    universal education in Alabama through the creation of a state lottery. 
    Id. at 1164–
    67. Although Siegelman eventually reported Scrushy’s donation, Bailey helped
    Siegelman conceal the donation for approximately two years. 
    Id. at 1167–68.
    The Government also charged Siegelman, but not Scrushy, with, inter alia,
    honest services wire fraud, additional counts of honest services mail fraud, and
    obstruction of justice. The obstruction of justice charges were based on a series of
    sham transactions (the “Siegelman-Young-Bailey Sham Transactions”) carried out
    after the investigation into Siegelman had commenced, wherein Siegelman,
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    Young, and Bailey attempted to conceal a $9200 payment that Young had made to
    Siegelman. 
    Id. at 1164,
    1168, 1177. The honest services wire fraud charges, as
    well as the additional counts of honest services mail fraud, were based on conduct
    arising from a general “pay-for-play” agreement (the “Siegelman-Young
    Agreement”) wherein Young gave Siegelman money and other things of value in
    return for official action that benefited Young’s business interests. 2
    In 2006, a jury found Siegelman and Scrushy—who were tried together3—
    each guilty of one count of federal funds bribery, four counts of honest services
    mail fraud, and one count of conspiracy to commit honest services mail fraud, all
    pertaining to the Siegelman-Scrushy Exchange. 
    Id. at 1164,
    1169, 1172. The jury
    also found Siegelman guilty of one count of obstruction of justice related to the
    Siegelman-Young-Bailey Sham Transactions. Because the jury acquitted
    Siegelman of all other charges, he was not convicted of any counts that were based
    on the Siegelman-Young Agreement. 
    Id. at 1169.
    The district court thereafter
    sentenced Siegelman to eighty-eight-months’ imprisonment and Scrushy to eighty-
    two-months’ imprisonment.
    2
    Based on all of the conduct that is relevant on appeal (i.e., the Siegelman-Scrushy Exchange,
    the Siegelman-Young-Bailey Sham Transactions, and the Siegelman-Young Agreement), as well
    as some conduct not relevant on appeal, the Government also charged Siegelman with
    racketeering conspiracy and racketeering.
    3
    Siegelman and Scrushy were also tried with Paul Michael Hamrick and Gary Mack Roberts.
    Hamrick and Roberts were found not guilty.
    4
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    On appeal, we reversed two of Siegelman’s fraud convictions related to the
    Siegelman-Scrushy Exchange, but affirmed all of Scrushy’s convictions. See
    United States v. Siegelman, 
    561 F.3d 1215
    , 1232, 1245 (11th Cir. 2009). The
    Supreme Court granted certiorari, vacated the judgment, and remanded the case
    back to this Court for further consideration in light of Skilling v. United States, 
    561 U.S. 358
    , 
    130 S. Ct. 2896
    (2010). See Siegelman v. United States, 
    561 F.3d 1215
    (11th Cir. 2009), 
    130 S. Ct. 3542
    (2010); Scrushy v. United States, 
    561 U.S. 1040
    ,
    
    130 S. Ct. 3541
    (2010). On remand from the Supreme Court, we reversed two of
    Siegelman’s fraud convictions (again), as well as two of Scrushy’s fraud
    convictions that were related to the Siegelman-Scrushy Exchange, and remanded
    the case so both defendants could be resentenced. See Siegelman 
    II, 640 F.3d at 1174
    –77, 1190.
    Importantly, during the pendency of their joint appeal, Siegelman and
    Scrushy each filed a motion for a new trial under Fed. R. Crim. P. 33(b)(1) and a
    related motion for additional discovery. These separate—but nearly identical—
    motions were based, in relevant part, on allegations that U.S. Attorney Leura
    Canary continued to participate in the defendants’ prosecution after voluntarily
    disqualifying herself because of a possible conflict of interest. According to
    Siegelman and Scrushy, they were each entitled to a new trial under Rule 33(b)(1)
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    because evidence of Canary’s purported failure fully to honor her disqualification
    surfaced after they were originally sentenced.
    On remand for resentencing, Scrushy’s motions were considered first. After
    a magistrate judge denied Scrushy’s motion for additional discovery, the district
    court denied his motion for a new trial and ultimately issued an amended final
    judgment resentencing Scrushy to seventy-months’ imprisonment. Scrushy
    appealed the district court’s order denying his motion for a new trial. This Court
    affirmed, concluding, in relevant part, that “Canary’s limited involvement in [the]
    case did not deprive Scrushy of a disinterested prosecutor.” United States v.
    Scrushy, 
    721 F.3d 1288
    , 1303, 1307–08 (11th Cir. 2013).
    While Scrushy’s appeal was pending in our court, the same magistrate judge
    denied Siegelman’s motion for additional discovery and the same district court
    denied Siegelman’s motion for a new trial, which was based on, inter alia, the
    same allegations that Canary had failed to honor her voluntary disqualification.
    Noting that Siegelman’s motion “by and large copie[d] the one filed by Scrushy,”
    the district court rejected Siegelman’s argument that Canary’s alleged failure to
    honor her disqualification deprived him of his right to a disinterested prosecutor.
    Order Den. Siegelman New Trial Mot. at 2, 15–17. The district court thereafter
    issued an amended final judgment sentencing Siegelman to seventy-eight-months’
    imprisonment. Siegelman now appeals, arguing that he is entitled to appellate
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    relief because the district court (1) abused its discretion in denying his motion for a
    new trial, and (2) erred in calculating his sentence under the Guidelines.
    DISCUSSION
    We begin our analysis by considering whether the district court erred in
    denying Siegelman’s motion for a new trial based upon U.S. Attorney Leura
    Canary’s alleged failure to honor her disqualification. As to that, we affirm the
    district court’s order denying Siegelman’s motion for a new trial. Next, we
    consider whether the district court improperly calculated Siegelman’s sentence on
    remand. Finding no reversible error in the district court’s sentencing calculation,
    we also affirm the district court’s amended final judgment sentencing Siegelman to
    seventy-eight-months’ imprisonment.
    I. New Trial Motion
    Although the district court denied Siegelman’s motion for a new trial on
    several grounds, the only ground at issue on appeal relates to U.S. Attorney
    Canary’s alleged failure to honor her disqualification. Canary voluntarily
    disqualified herself in May 2002, before Siegelman and Scrushy were indicted.
    
    Scrushy, 721 F.3d at 1298
    n.23. Siegelman’s lawyer had requested Canary’s
    disqualification based on an alleged conflict of interest flowing from Canary’s
    husband, who had worked as a paid consultant for Siegelman’s political opponents.
    
    Id. Although the
    Department of Justice had advised Canary “that no actual
    7
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    conflicts of interest exist,” she nonetheless removed herself from the defendants’
    prosecution out of “an abundance of caution.” Press Release, U.S. Attorney Leura
    Canary (May 16, 2002), Scrushy’s New Trial Mot., Exhibit III-B. Eventually,
    Acting U.S. Attorney Louis Franklin was appointed to oversee the case. 
    Scrushy, 721 F.3d at 1298
    n.23.
    On appeal, Siegelman argues that the district court should have granted his
    motion for a new trial because he presented sufficient evidence to show that
    Canary violated his right to a disinterested prosecutor under Young v. United
    States ex rel. Vuitton et Fils S.A., 
    481 U.S. 787
    , 814 (1987) (plurality) (holding
    that appointment of an interested prosecutor is a structural defect), by continuing
    “to communicate with and influence the prosecution team long after” her voluntary
    disqualification. Appellant’s Br. at 26. The Government argues, in contrast, that
    our decision in Scrushy—which addressed the exact same evidence Siegelman
    relies on here—dictates that Siegelman’s disinterested-prosecutor claim be rejected
    under the law-of-the-case doctrine. We agree with the Government.
    As most commonly defined, the law-of-the-case doctrine “posits that when a
    court decides upon a rule of law, that decision should continue to govern the same
    issues in subsequent stages in the same case.” Pepper v. United States, 
    131 S. Ct. 1229
    , 1250 (2011) (emphasis added) (internal quotation marks omitted).
    Importantly, we also have held that the doctrine applies to those issues decided on
    8
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    a co-defendant’s earlier but closely related appeal. See United States v. Bushert,
    
    997 F.2d 1343
    , 1356 (11th Cir. 1993) (holding that the co-defendants’ prior appeal
    mooted any subsequent appeal by the defendant under the law-of-the-case doctrine
    because the defendant’s appeal would have challenged the same joint motion that
    his co-defendants’ appeal had unsuccessfully challenged).
    Applying these principles, Scrushy binds our decision here. 4 In Scrushy, we
    considered whether the district court abused its discretion in denying Scrushy’s
    motion for a new trial. See 
    Scrushy, 721 F.3d at 1304
    –08. In Scrushy’s motion,
    he argued, inter alia, that Canary violated his right to a disinterested prosecutor
    under Young by failing to honor her voluntary disqualification. To support his
    claim, “Scrushy offered emails and statements provided by a whistleblower in the
    U.S. Attorney’s office, Tamarah Grimes, indicating that Canary had kept up with
    the case and contributed to litigation strategy” following her disqualification. 
    Id. at 1307.
    Specifically, three main emails and an unsworn statement by the
    whistleblower were offered as evidence. In one email that Canary sent to the
    prosecution team, she suggested that the team seek a gag order against Siegelman.
    4
    There are some narrow exceptions to the law-of-the-case doctrine. See United States v.
    Tamayo, 
    80 F.3d 1514
    , 1520 (11th Cir. 1996) (“We have recognized narrow exceptions to the
    law of the case doctrine, where there is new evidence, an intervening change in controlling law
    dictating a different result, or the appellate decision, if implemented, would cause manifest
    injustice because it is clearly erroneous.”). We conclude that none of these exceptions apply
    here, and Siegelman does not argue to the contrary.
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    Id. In a
    second email, Canary merely forwarded a letter to the editor criticizing the
    grand jury investigation.5 
    Id. The third
    email was sent by an Assistant U.S.
    Attorney, who indicated that Canary had approved of a staffing decision related to
    the Siegelman-Scrushy case. 
    Id. The whistleblower’s
    unsworn and conclusory
    statements suggested that Canary “maintained direct communication with the
    prosecution team, directed some action in the case, and monitored the case through
    members of the prosecution team.” 
    Id. After considering
    this evidence, we concluded in Scrushy that Canary’s
    “limited involvement in [the] case did not deprive Scrushy of a disinterested
    prosecutor.” 
    Id. at 1307–08.
    In reaching this conclusion, we distinguished the
    Supreme Court’s decision in Young, wherein the Court held that a defendant’s
    right to a disinterested prosecutor was violated, thereby requiring reversal, when
    private counsel for a party that was the beneficiary of an earlier civil court order
    was later appointed to prosecute criminally an alleged violation of that order.
    
    Young, 481 U.S. at 807
    –09, 814. Unlike the conflict of interest at issue in Young,
    we explained that the allegations pertaining to Canary were different, concluding
    that
    [s]uch a clear conflict of interest does not exist in this
    case. . . . Scrushy makes no allegation that [Acting U.S.
    5
    Acting U.S. Attorney Franklin indicated that “the prosecution team took no action in response
    to [these] emails.” Decl. of Louis Franklin, Ex. 4, Government Resp. to Defs.’ New Trial Mots.
    and Mots. for Disc.
    10
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    Attorney] Franklin had any conflict of interest.
    Moreover, there is no evidence that Canary’s emails
    influenced any decisions made by the U.S. Attorney’s
    office in prosecuting Scrushy.
    
    Scrushy, 721 F.3d at 1307
    .
    By focusing on the absence of evidence suggesting that Canary’s conduct
    actually influenced prosecutorial decision-making, we necessarily concluded that
    Scrushy had not shown that Canary possessed sufficient control over the
    prosecution to implicate the right to a disinterested prosecutor under Young. As
    the Supreme Court explained in Young, the danger presented by a disinterested
    prosecutor flows from the broad power a prosecutor wields over a defendant:
    A prosecutor exercises considerable discretion in matters
    such as the determination of which persons should be
    targets of investigation, what methods of investigation
    should be used, what information will be sought as
    evidence, which persons should be charged with what
    offenses, which persons should be utilized as witnesses,
    whether to enter into plea bargains and the terms on
    which they will be established, and whether any
    individuals should be granted 
    immunity. 481 U.S. at 807
    .
    Because prosecutors are charged with making such critical decisions, there is a
    “potential for private interest to influence the discharge of public duty” whenever a
    prosecutor has a personal stake in the outcome of a case. 
    Id. at 805.
    But, where, as
    here, the allegedly interested person does not possess control over prosecutorial
    decision-making, there is no comparable risk that private interests will infect a
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    defendant’s prosecution. Cf. 
    id. at 806
    n.17 (explaining that although counsel for
    the beneficiary of the court order could not “be in control” of a later contempt-
    action prosecution, such counsel may nonetheless “be put to use in assisting a
    disinterested prosecutor” (emphasis added)); Person v. Miller, 
    854 F.2d 656
    , 663–
    64 (4th Cir. 1988) (explaining that there is no error under Young where
    "disinterested government counsel" has "control over the critical prosecutorial
    decisions" even where an interested private party assists in the prosecution).
    Thus, although Young categorically forbids an interested person from
    controlling the defendant’s prosecution, it does not categorically forbid an
    interested person from having any involvement in the prosecution.
    In his motion for a new trial, Siegelman relied on the same disinterested-
    prosecutor argument and the exact same evidence as Scrushy did. Accordingly,
    our determination in Scrushy that Canary did not exercise sufficient control to
    trigger Young—which hinged on the absence of evidence that Canary actually
    influenced the prosecution—necessarily resolves Siegelman’s current
    disinterested-prosecutor claim. And, because the absence of prosecutorial control
    by Canary is dispositive here, this conclusion holds true even if we accept
    Siegelman’s argument, raised for the first time on appeal, that Canary had a
    12
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    stronger conflict of interest with respect to him. 6 Cf. Erikson v. Pawnee Cnty. Bd.
    of Cnty. Comm’rs, 
    263 F.3d 1151
    , 1154 (10th Cir. 2001) (rejecting the plaintiff’s
    argument that his constitutional rights were violated when a privately-retained
    attorney participated in his state criminal prosecution because the plaintiff did not
    allege that the private attorney “effectively controlled critical prosecutorial
    decisions”).
    Thus, regardless of whether Canary possessed a stronger conflict of interest
    with respect to Siegelman, our determination in Scrushy that there was no evidence
    that Canary influenced the prosecution team—meaning there was no evidence that
    she possessed sufficient prosecutorial control to implicate Young—binds
    Siegelman on this appeal. Following the law of the case as established in Scrushy,
    we therefore affirm the district court’s order denying Siegelman’s motion for a
    new trial. 7
    6
    Specifically, Siegelman argues for the first time on appeal that Canary had a more direct and
    personal financial conflict of interest with respect to him because Canary’s husband was a
    political consultant for several of Siegelman’s opponents, including one who was running against
    Siegelman for Governor around the time that the criminal investigation began. Although we
    assume without deciding that Canary possessed a stronger conflict of interest with respect to
    Siegelman, we note that the individual who was running against Siegelman for Governor in
    2002, and who was being supported by Canary’s husband, did not win the Republican
    nomination and therefore did not directly oppose Siegelman. And, in any event, our decision to
    affirm the district court is predicated on Canary’s lack of control over the prosecution, not on the
    extent of her alleged conflict of interest. It is worth noting again, however, that the Department
    of Justice looked into this and concluded “that no actual conflicts of interest exist.” Press
    Release, U.S. Attorney Leura Canary (May 16, 2002), Scrushy’s New Trial Mot., Exhibit III-B.
    7
    We also affirm the magistrate judge’s denial of Siegelman’s related motion for
    additional discovery on this issue. See 
    Scrushy, 721 F.3d at 1303
    n.27.
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    II. Sentencing
    We now turn to Siegelman’s sentencing arguments. 8 According to
    Siegelman, this Court should reverse the district court’s sentencing determination
    on two different grounds. First, Siegelman argues that reversal is warranted
    because the district court failed to explain why Siegelman’s conduct with respect
    to the Siegelman-Young-Bailey Sham Transactions and the Siegelman-Young
    Agreement qualified as “relevant conduct” under U.S.S.G. § 1B1.3. Second,
    Siegelman argues that the district court miscalculated his sentence because the
    court’s interpretation of relevant conduct was impermissibly broad. We address
    each asserted ground for reversal in turn.
    A. Failure to Make Explicit Relevant-Conduct Findings
    On remand for resentencing, the district court used Siegelman’s bribery
    conviction—which was based on the Siegelman-Scrushy Exchange—as the
    offense of conviction under the Guidelines. However, in calculating Siegelman’s
    sentence for the bribery conviction, the district court considered conduct beyond
    just the Siegelman-Scrushy Exchange. Specifically, the district court also
    considered conduct flowing from the Siegelman-Young-Bailey Sham
    8
    In evaluating the propriety of Siegelman’s sentence, we rely on the 2002 version of the
    Guidelines. Although the district court resentenced Siegelman in 2007, the court applied the
    2002 version of the Guidelines and neither party contests this on appeal. See generally U.S.S.G.
    § 1B1.11 (explaining that a sentencing court should use the Guidelines in effect on the date that
    the defendant is sentenced unless such application would violate the ex post facto clause).
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    Transactions 9 and the Siegelman-Young Agreement. 10 In so doing, however, the
    district court did not explicitly explain why the Siegelman-Young-Bailey Sham
    Transactions and the Siegelman-Young Agreement qualified as “relevant conduct”
    under § 1B1.3 with respect to Siegelman’s bribery conviction. Siegelman argues
    that the district court’s failure to provide such an explanation requires reversal.
    1. Standard of Review
    Because Siegelman did not object to the district court’s failure to explain
    why the Siegelman-Young-Bailey Sham Transactions and the Siegelman-Young
    Agreement qualified as relevant conduct, our review is only for plain error. United
    States v. Vandergrift, 
    754 F.3d 1303
    , 1307, 1309 (11th Cir. 2014). “We have
    discretion to correct an error under the plain error standard where (1) an error
    occurred, (2) the error was plain, (3) the error affected substantial rights, and
    (4) the error seriously affects the fairness, integrity or public reputation of judicial
    proceedings.” United States v. Duncan, 
    400 F.3d 1297
    , 1301 (11th Cir. 2005).
    9
    Siegelman was convicted of one count of obstruction of justice for this conduct. See supra p. 4.
    10
    Siegelman was acquitted of all charges related to this conduct. See supra p. 4.
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    2. No Error Occurred
    Under § 1B1.3, a sentencing court must consider “relevant conduct” when
    calculating the Guidelines range for the offense of conviction. Because § 1B1.3
    calls for a factual finding that certain conduct is “relevant” to the offense of
    conviction, see United States v. Valarezo-Orobio, 
    635 F.3d 1261
    , 1264 (11th Cir.
    2011) (explaining that whether an act “qualifies as relevant conduct is a question of
    fact”), a sentencing court should make explicit relevant-conduct findings in order
    to facilitate appellate review, see United States v. Bradley, 
    644 F.3d 1213
    , 1293
    (11th Cir. 2011) (explaining that “a district court should make explicit [those]
    factual findings that underpin its sentencing decision”).
    Importantly, however, a district court’s failure to make such explicit findings
    does not preclude appellate review—and therefore does not warrant reversal—
    “where the court’s decisions are based on clearly identifiable evidence.” 
    Id. For example,
    in Bradley, we found “no error, much less plain error, in the district
    court’s failure to make specific factual findings because it [was] clear from the
    record what evidence the court credited in making its loss determination.” 
    Id. In so
    finding, we explained that the sentencing court reviewed the defendants’
    amount-of-loss arguments, but chose “instead to adopt the probation officer’s
    [presentence report] and Addendum in their entirety.” 
    Id. Because it
    was clear
    16
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    that the court was resolving all questions of fact in favor of the Government, we
    could “easily determine on which evidence the court relied.” 
    Id. Here, it
    is undisputed that the district court failed explicitly to explain why
    Siegelman’s conduct with respect to the Siegelman-Young-Bailey Sham
    Transactions and the Siegelman-Young Agreement was “relevant conduct” under
    § 1B1.3. However, in rejecting Siegelman’s objection to the value-of-the-bribe
    calculation contained in the amended presentence report, the district court
    expressly listed both the amount and the source of the money it was using to
    calculate the value of the bribe. See Siegelman Resentencing Hr’g Tr. at 35–36.
    This list accounted for the $9200 payment that Young made to Siegelman and that
    Siegelman tried to conceal through the Siegelman-Young-Bailey Sham
    Transactions. See supra p. 3. The list also accounted for over three million dollars
    that arose out of the Siegelman-Young Agreement. See supra p. 3–4. By
    including this money in the value-of-the-bribe calculation, it is clear that the
    district court treated the Siegelman-Young-Bailey Sham Transactions and the
    Siegelman-Young Agreement as relevant conduct to the bribery offense of
    conviction even though the court failed to make an explicit finding to this effect.
    Because it is clear to us what evidence the district court relied upon in
    calculating its sentence, the district court did not err by failing to provide an
    17
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    explicit relevant-conduct explanation. See 
    Bradley, 644 F.3d at 1293
    .
    Accordingly, reversal is not warranted on this basis.
    B. Guidelines Calculation
    Siegelman next argues that reversal is warranted because the district court
    miscalculated his 151–188 month sentencing range under the Guidelines. This
    sentencing range was based on an offense level of thirty-four and a category I
    criminal history. The district court ultimately varied downward significantly,
    sentencing Siegelman to seventy-eight-months’ imprisonment.11
    On appeal, we focus on the propriety of the district court’s initial calculation
    of the sentencing range under the Guidelines without respect to its ultimate
    downward variance. According to Siegelman, the district court’s calculation is
    flawed because it reflected an impermissibly broad interpretation of relevant
    conduct under § 1B1.3. And as a result of this flaw, Siegelman argues that the
    district court necessarily erred in calculating the value of the bribe and in granting
    both an obstruction-of-justice adjustment and an upward departure for systemic
    and pervasive government corruption.
    11
    This sentence is eight months longer than Scrushy’s sentence on remand. In sentencing
    Siegelman more harshly than Scrushy, the district court considered Siegelman’s obstruction-of-
    justice conviction, as well as his role in soliciting the bribe from Scrushy. See Siegelman
    Resentencing Hr’g Tr. at 127–128, 131 (“I cannot justify having the person who paid the bribe
    and benefited, himself, serve more time than the person who solicited it.”).
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    1. Standard of Review
    Although the Guidelines are not mandatory, district courts are required to
    begin the sentencing process by correctly calculating the sentencing range
    prescribed by the Guidelines. United States v. Hamaker, 
    455 F.3d 1316
    , 1336
    (11th Cir. 2006). This Court reviews a district court’s sentencing-range calculation
    under an abuse-of-discretion standard. United States v. Register, 
    678 F.3d 1262
    ,
    1266 (11th Cir. 2012). “A district court abuses its discretion if it applies an
    incorrect legal standard, follows improper procedures in making the determination,
    or makes findings of fact that are clearly erroneous.” 
    Id. (internal quotation
    marks
    omitted).
    Because conduct that is relevant to the offense of conviction is often
    included in the sentencing calculation pursuant to § 1B1.3, a district court’s
    sentencing range is not accurate unless its relevant-conduct findings are also
    accurate. Thus, we first consider whether the district court clearly erred by treating
    conduct related to the Siegelman-Young-Bailey Sham Transactions and the
    Siegelman-Young Agreement as relevant conduct under § 1B1.3. See Valarezo-
    
    Orobio, 635 F.3d at 1264
    (explaining that whether an act “qualifies as relevant
    conduct is a question of fact reviewed for clear error”); United States v. Valladares,
    
    544 F.3d 1257
    , 1267 (11th Cir. 2008) (explaining that we review “the application
    of the relevant conduct guideline in § 1B1.3 to the facts of the case” for clear
    19
    Case: 12-14373       Date Filed: 05/20/2015       Page: 20 of 26
    error). Next, we consider whether the district court properly applied the
    Guidelines in light of the court’s relevant-conduct determination.
    2. Relevant Conduct
    When calculating a defendant’s sentencing range under the Guidelines, the
    sentencing court must consider all “relevant conduct” as defined in § 1B1.3. See
    United States v. Blanc, 
    146 F.3d 847
    , 851–52 (11th Cir. 1998). Because “the
    limits of sentencing accountability are not coextensive with the scope of criminal
    liability,” 
    Hamaker, 455 F.3d at 1336
    , 1338 (internal quotation marks and
    alternations omitted), relevant conduct is broadly defined to include both
    uncharged and acquitted conduct that is proven at sentencing by a preponderance
    of the evidence.12 
    Id. Under section
    1B1.3, relevant conduct includes “all acts and
    12
    Siegelman does not dispute that our precedent “uniformly states[] [that] relevant conduct of
    which a defendant was acquitted nonetheless may be taken into account in sentencing for the
    offense of conviction, as long as the government proves the acquitted conduct relied upon by a
    preponderance of the evidence.” United States v. Duncan, 
    400 F.3d 1297
    , 1304 (11th Cir. 2005)
    (internal alterations and quotation marks omitted); see also United States v. Culver, 
    598 F.3d 740
    , 752–53 (11th Cir. 2010), cert. denied, 
    562 U.S. 896
    (2010); United States v. Smith, 
    741 F.3d 1211
    , 1226–27 (11th Cir. 2013) cert. denied, 
    135 S. Ct. 704
    (2014). Despite our clear
    precedent, Siegelman nonetheless urges us to require the Government to prove his acquitted
    conduct (i.e., his conduct with respect to the Siegelman-Young Agreement) by clear and
    convincing evidence. According to Siegelman, a heightened evidentiary standard is warranted
    here because the district court’s reliance on the acquitted conduct tripled his sentencing range.
    20
    Case: 12-14373        Date Filed: 05/20/2015       Page: 21 of 26
    omissions committed, aided, abetted, counseled, commanded, induced, procured,
    or willfully caused by the defendant”—as well as “all reasonably foreseeable acts
    and omissions of others in furtherance of” jointly undertaken criminal activity—
    “that were part of the same course of conduct or common scheme or plan as the
    offense of conviction.” U.S.S.G. § 1B1.3(a)(1), (2) (emphasis added) 13; see also
    U.S.S.G. § 1B1.3, cmt. n.3. “For two or more offenses to constitute part of a
    common scheme or plan, they must be substantially connected to each other by at
    least one common factor, such as common victims, common accomplices, common
    purpose, or similar modus operandi.” U.S.S.G. § 1B1.3, cmt. n. 9(A).
    “Accordingly, we consider whether there are distinctive similarities between the
    offense of conviction and the remote conduct that signal that they are part of a
    single course of conduct rather than isolated, unrelated events that happen only to
    Although the Supreme Court has acknowledged that some circuits have determined that
    “relevant conduct that would dramatically increase the sentence must be based on clear and
    convincing evidence,” United States v. Watts, 
    117 S. Ct. 633
    , 637 (1997), we have not adopted
    such a rule. We decline to consider whether to adopt such a rule here. Cf. United States v.
    Villareal-Amarillas, 
    562 F.3d 892
    , 895–98 (8th Cir. 2009) (overruling circuit precedent
    recognizing the possibility that facts relied upon by the district court at sentencing may need to
    be proved by clear and convincing evidence in the “exceptional case” and explaining that
    “concerns about the tail wagging the dog were put to rest when Booker rendered the Guidelines
    advisory” (internal quotation marks omitted)); United States v. Fisher, 
    502 F.3d 293
    , 305 (3d
    Cir. 2007) (same).
    13
    Section 1B1.3(a)(2) applies “solely with respect to offenses of a character for which
    § 3D1.2(d) would require grouping of multiple counts.” We are satisfied that the offenses
    associated with the Siegelman-Scrushy Exchange, the Siegelman-Young-Bailey Sham
    Transactions, and the Siegelman-Young Agreement are of a character that would require
    grouping under § 3D1.2(d), and Siegelman does not expressly argue to the contrary.
    21
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    be similar in kind.” 
    Valladares, 544 F.3d at 1268
    (internal quotation marks
    omitted).
    Here, the district court treated Siegelman’s bribery conviction—which was
    based on the Siegelman-Scrushy Exchange—as the offense of conviction when
    calculating the sentencing range. And, although the Siegelman-Scrushy Exchange
    was the only conduct underpinning the bribery conviction, the district court treated
    conduct from the Siegelman-Young-Bailey Sham Transactions and the Siegelman-
    Young Agreement as relevant conduct at various points in its sentencing
    calculation. See, e.g., Siegelman Resentencing Hr’g Tr. at 12–17, 35–36.
    Contrary to Siegelman’s arguments on appeal, we conclude that the district court
    did not clearly err in treating this conduct as relevant conduct because it “is
    plausible in light of the record viewed in its entirety” that both the Siegelman-
    Young-Bailey Sham Transactions and the Siegelman-Young Agreement were part
    of the same common scheme or plan as the Siegelman-Scrushy Exchange giving
    rise to the bribery conviction. Anderson v. City of Bessemer City, 
    470 U.S. 564
    ,
    574 (1985)
    Specifically, the Siegelman-Young-Bailey Sham Transactions are
    substantially connected to the Siegelman-Scrushy Exchange by a common
    accomplice, Nick Bailey, Siegelman’s close associate and former confidential
    assistant. Bailey facilitated the sham transactions by executing checks to both
    22
    Case: 12-14373       Date Filed: 05/20/2015       Page: 23 of 26
    Siegelman and Young to make it appear as though he, Bailey, had accepted the
    $9200 payment Young made to Siegelman. Similarly, Bailey helped Siegelman
    acquire and conceal the $500,000 donation from Scrushy in exchange for the seat
    on the CON Board. 14
    The Siegelman-Young Agreement is also substantially connected to the
    Siegelman-Scrushy Exchange by a common victim, common purpose, and similar
    modus operandi. Both offenses deprived the citizens of Alabama of the honest
    services of their Governor and therefore harmed a common victim. Moreover,
    both offenses were committed for the common purpose of obtaining power and
    money for Siegelman and his associates. The Siegelman-Young Agreement
    enriched both Siegelman’s interests by facilitating a $50,000 donation from one of
    Young’s clients to the Foundation and Young’s interests by helping him obtain
    lucrative state- and local- government action. Similarly, the Siegelman-Scrushy
    Exchange enriched both Siegelman’s interests by facilitating a $500,000 donation
    to the Foundation and Scrushy’s interests by giving him a position on the CON
    14
    Relying on a single sentence in our Siegelman II opinion, Siegelman argues that we have
    already tacitly concluded that the Siegelman-Young-Bailey Sham Transactions, which led to the
    obstruction-of-justice conviction, are not sufficiently related to the Siegelman-Scrushy Exchange
    for purposes of § 1B1.3. Specifically, in describing the basis for Siegelman’s various charges,
    we stated that “[t]he obstruction of justice allegations involved conduct unrelated to the
    Siegelman-Scrushy bribery, mail fraud and conspiracy charges.” Siegelman 
    II, 640 F.3d at 1164
    n.1 (emphasis added). When read in context, however, this statement merely clarified that the
    facts supporting the obstruction-of-justice charges differed from the facts supporting the other
    listed charges. Because our statement was not addressing relevant conduct under § 1B1.3, it
    does not bind us here.
    23
    Case: 12-14373       Date Filed: 05/20/2015      Page: 24 of 26
    Board. Finally, these offenses also shared the same modus operandi because
    Siegelman used his political power and influence to effectuate both the Siegelman-
    Young Agreement and the Siegelman-Scrushy Exchange. 15
    Because the Siegelman-Young-Bailey Sham Transactions and the
    Siegelman-Young Agreement are substantially connected to the Siegelman-
    Scrushy Exchange by at least one of the four factors, the district court did not
    clearly err by treating the Siegelman-Young-Bailey Sham Transactions and the
    Siegelman-Young Agreement as relevant conduct when calculating the sentencing
    range for the bribery offense of conviction. See United States v. White, 
    335 F.3d 1314
    , 1319 (11th Cir. 2003) (explaining that we will not find clear error unless,
    upon reviewing the record, we are left with the definite and firm conviction that a
    mistake has been committed).
    15
    Siegelman argues that he should not be accountable for the conduct of others that rippled out
    from the Siegelman-Young Agreement because such conduct was “unknown and unforeseeable”
    to him. We disagree. Section 1B1.3 defines relevant conduct to include all conduct of others
    that is “both in furtherance of, and reasonably foreseeable in connection with” the offense of
    conviction. U.S.S.G. § 1B1.3, cmt. n.2. A defendant’s accountability for the conduct of others
    is determined by “the scope of the specific conduct and objectives” that the defendant agreed to
    undertake. 
    Id. Siegelman and
    Young had an ongoing agreement wherein Siegelman would
    facilitate governmental action at Young’s request and Young would provide money and other
    things of value at Siegelman’s request. This ongoing agreement was, by its nature, open-ended,
    encompassing a broad range of possible conduct to be carried out by many possible actors as a
    means of enhancing both Siegelman’s and Young’s financial interests. The conduct that
    Siegelman challenges was therefore reasonably foreseeable in connection with the broad scope
    of his pay-for-play agreement with Young.
    24
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    3. Resulting Guidelines Calculation
    Having determined that the district court did not clearly err by treating the
    Siegelman-Young-Bailey Sham Transactions and the Siegelman-Young
    Agreement as relevant conduct, we turn to Siegelman’s remaining arguments,
    namely that the district court erred in calculating the value of the bribe and in
    granting both an obstruction-of-justice adjustment and an upward departure for
    systemic and pervasive government corruption. Because these arguments are
    premised on Siegelman’s faulty assumption that the Siegelman-Young-Bailey
    Sham Transactions and the Siegelman-Young Agreement do not qualify as
    relevant conduct, we conclude that the district court did not err by: (1) accounting
    for the Siegelman-Young-Bailey Sham Transactions and the Siegelman-Young
    Agreement in calculating the value of the bribe; 16 (2) granting an obstruction-of-
    justice adjustment based on the Siegelman-Young-Bailey Sham Transactions; 17 or
    (3) granting the systemic and pervasive corruption upward departure based on the
    16
    We note that the court failed to include the $500,000 connected to the Siegelman-Scrushy
    Exchange in calculating the value of the bribe. However, because taking this additional money
    into account does not affect the offense level, the district court’s oversight does not undermine
    our conclusion.
    17
    Because the Siegelman-Young-Bailey Sham Transactions satisfy § 3C1.1, we need not
    consider whether the additional conduct that the district court relied upon would also qualify as
    obstructive conduct under § 3C1.1. See Siegelman Resentencing Hr’g Tr. at 12–14.
    25
    Case: 12-14373        Date Filed: 05/20/2015       Page: 26 of 26
    loss of public confidence in the government of the State of Alabama. 18 We
    therefore affirm Siegelman’s seventy-eight-month sentence.
    CONCLUSION
    The district court’s order denying Siegelman’s motion for a new trial and the
    district court’s amended final judgment are AFFIRMED.
    18
    This is the second time that we have affirmed the district court’s upward departure for
    systemic and pervasive corruption. See Siegelman 
    II, 640 F.3d at 1190
    (noting that Siegelman
    conceded at his initial sentencing that “certainly the argument could be made, in all candor, that
    there could be some question as to public confidence in this case”).
    26