United States v. Arthur L. Ballard , 46 F. App'x 389 ( 2002 )


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  •                       United States Court of Appeals
    FOR THE EIGHTH CIRCUIT
    ___________
    No. 02-1464
    ___________
    United States of America,               *
    *
    Appellee,          * Appeal from the United States
    * District Court for the Western
    v.                                * District of Missouri.
    *
    Arthur L. Ballard,                      *      [UNPUBLISHED]
    *
    Appellant.         *
    ___________
    Submitted: September 10, 2002
    Filed: September 19, 2002
    ___________
    Before MORRIS SHEPPARD ARNOLD, FAGG, and MELLOY, Circuit Judges.
    ___________
    PER CURIAM.
    Arthur L. Ballard appeals his 24-month sentence for conviction of conspiracy
    to commit bank fraud in violation of 18 U.S.C. §§ 371, 1344 (2000). Ballard
    contends the district court* should not have held him liable for the entire amount of
    the loss caused by the conspiracy ($64,591.55), but only for the $7,800 loss he
    directly caused. We disagree. The total loss of $64,591.55 resulted from “reasonably
    foreseeable acts . . . of others in furtherance of the jointly undertaken criminal
    *
    The Honorable Ortrie D. Smith, United States District Judge for the Western
    District of Missouri.
    activity.” U.S. Sentencing Guidelines Manual § 1B1.3(a)(1)(B) (2001). Ballard
    “‘benefitted from his co-conspirator’s activities,’” he “‘demonstrated a substantial
    level of commitment to the conspiracy,’” and he knew the “acts of fraud committed
    by [one other co-conspirator] were remarkably similar” to his own. United States v.
    Bad Wound, 
    203 F.3d 1072
    , 1076-77 (8th Cir. 2000) (quoting United States v. Brown,
    
    148 F.3d 1003
    , 1008 (8th Cir. 1998)). Thus, the district court did not commit error
    when it held Ballard responsible for the entire loss caused by the conspiracy and
    sentenced him accordingly.
    Ballard raises two additional arguments. First, he argues the district court
    should have sentenced him as a minor participant. Having reviewed the district
    court’s factual findings about Ballard’s role in the conspiracy, we conclude the
    findings are free from clear error. See United States v. Fellers, 
    285 F.3d 721
    , 726 (8th
    Cir. 2002) (standard of review). Second, Ballard contends the district court
    committed error by ordering his sentence to run consecutively to–rather than
    concurrently with–a Missouri sentence for second-degree burglary. United States v.
    Plumley, 
    207 F.3d 1086
    , 1093 (8th Cir. 2000) (standard of review). When Ballard
    participated in the bank fraud conspiracy, he was on conditional release from serving
    his sentence for burglary; the conspiracy conviction caused the conditional release to
    be revoked. In this situation, the district court acted properly when it determined the
    two sentences should run consecutively. U.S.S.G. § 5G1.3, cmt. n.6 (2001).
    For the reasons stated above, we affirm Ballard’s sentence.
    A true copy.
    Attest:
    CLERK, U.S. COURT OF APPEALS, EIGHTH CIRCUIT.
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