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MELENDEZ Luis Govt Sentencing Memo
MELENDEZ Luis Govt Sentencing Memo
DISTRICT OF CONNECTICUT
The United States respectfully submits this Sentencing Memorandum with regard to the
defendant Luis Melendez, also known as “Ramon Morales Cruz” ( the “defendant”), who is
On July 9, 2009, the defendant was arrested by officers of the Freehold Township (New
Jersey) Police Department for fraudulent use of a credit card and related charges, and was placed into
pretrial detention. On July 16, 2009, United States Magistrate Judge Thomas P. Smith in the District
of Connecticut issued an arrest warrant and criminal complaint, charging the defendant with
violations of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1029 (Access Device Fraud) and Title 18, United
States Code, Section 1028A (Aggravated Identity Theft), based in part on the same or similar
conduct as underlies the New Jersey case. The defendant was subsequently removed to the District
of Connecticut, where he was arraigned on November 17, 2009 before United States Magistrate
Judge Donna F. Martinez, who ordered him detained pending grand jury action or a preliminary
hearing. Assistant Federal Public Defender Gary D. Weinberger was initially appointed to represent
the defendant, although he was replaced by Attorney Elliott R. Warren on December 9, 2009.
On January 12, 2010, a grand jury sitting in New Haven, Connecticut returned a six count
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indictment charging the defendant with three counts of Access Device Fraud and three counts of
Aggravated Identity Theft. The defendant was arraigned on the indictment on January 20, 2010
before Magistrate Judge Smith. On June 2, 2010, before Senior United States District Judge Alfred
V. Covello in Hartford, Connecticut, the defendant pleaded guilty to Counts One (Access Device
Fraud) and Two (Aggravated Identity Theft). As part of the plea agreement, the defendant and
Government have stipulated that the defendant’s Sentencing Guidelines range is 87 to 102 months’
imprisonment and a fine of $6,000 to $60,000. The Probation Office agrees with this calculation.1
The defendant has agreed to waive an appeal if his sentence does not exceed 87 months’
imprisonment and a 3 year term of supervised release. The defendant also agreed to make restitution
of $781,571.80 to Sam’s Club, Walmart, and GE Money Bank. Sentencing is scheduled for
December 14, 2010. By this sentencing memorandum, the Government respectfully submits that the
defendant’s Sentencing Guidelines range was correctly calculated by the parties and the Probation
Office at 87to 102 months’ imprisonment, and a sentence within that range is fair, just and
reasonable.
Between approximately April 2008 and July 2009, defendant executed a scheme to defraud
Sam’s Club and Walmart by taking over the credit accounts of its customers and then using that
credit to purchase goods. The scheme worked as follows: on each of several occasions, defendant
entered a different Sam’s Club location and presented a falsified identification document that
contained a picture of the defendant and the name and personal information of an actual Sam’s Club
1
The initial Presentence Report (PSR) indicates that the defendant is in Criminal History Category V. The
Probation Office has acknowledged that this is incorrect and has filed an addendum stating that the defendant is in
Criminal History Category VI, and that the correct Guidelines range is 87 to 102 months’ imprisonment.
2
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credit card holder. Sam’s Club credit cards are managed by GE Money Bank, a financial services
company. In some cases, the defendant also provided the account number of that credit card holder,
and requested a replacement credit card. In other cases, he simply provided the false identification
and asked for a replacement credit card. A Sam’s Club employee then issued a new card to the
defendant, and took a photo of the defendant that was then placed on the back of the newly issued
card. The defendant then used the new fraudulently procured card to purchase items including gift
cards, electronics, and gasoline, until the account reached its credit limit. All account holders that
have been contacted have stated that they were unaware of the fraud.
The counts of the defendant’s conviction involve the Sam’s Club account of Gustavo Irizarry.
On June 22, 2007, Gustavo Irizarry opened a membership and credit account with Sam’s Club
located in Bayamon, Puerto Rico. Irizarry gave a Puerto Rico address and produced a Puerto Rico
Driver's License. On May 7, 2009, the defendant entered the Sam’s Club located at 69 Pavilions
Drive in Manchester, Connecticut. The defendant represented himself as Gustavo Irizarry and
requested a new Sam’s Club membership card. The defendant provided a new address of 49
Roosevelt Street, New Bedford, Massachusetts. A photograph of the defendant was taken by Sam’s
Club and printed on the new membership card in the name of Gustavo Irizarry. The defendant then
used the Sam’s Club account of Gustavo Irizarry on May 7, 2009 and May 8, 2009 in numerous
transactions and caused a loss to GE Money Bank of $9,771.60. These transactions occurred at the
Sam’s Club in Newington, Connecticut and the Walmart stores in Newington, Manchester, Groton,
In all, the defendant took over 117 accounts of Sam’s Club and Walmart customers, and
caused a loss to Walmart, Sam’s Club, and GE Money Bank in the amount of $781,571.80. The
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defendant victimized Sam’s Clubs and Walmart stores in Connecticut, New Jersey, Massachusetts,
Rhode Island, New Hampshire, New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, and the
Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. Following are a summary of the accounts the defendant took over
in Connecticut:
Although these were the cases in which the defendant fraudulently obtained credit in
Connecticut, there were several others in which he obtained credit out of state and used it in
Connecticut.
The defendant was arrested on July 9, 2009, in Freehold Township, New Jersey, following
his fraudulent takeover of the Sam’s Club account of Luis Matos Sanchez. Earlier that day, the
defendant entered the Sam’s Club located at 290 Highway 18, East Brunswick, New Jersey. The
defendant produced a “Massachusetts Identification Card” in the name of Luis Matos Sanchez and
requested a new Sam’s Club membership card. The defendant provided a new address of 49
Roosevelt Street, New Bedford, Massachusetts. A photograph of the defendant was taken by Sam’s
Club and printed on the new membership card in the name of Luis Matos Sanchez.
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Later, the defendant entered the Sam’s Club located at 320 West Main Street in Freehold
Township. The defendant attempted to purchase a Garmin GPS device with the Sam’s Club account
of Luis Matos Sanchez. Sam’s Club loss prevention notified the Freehold Township Police
Department (FTPD) and the defendant was then arrested. The defendant initially identified himself
to the FTPD officers as Luis Matos. However, the defendant also had in his possession identification
documents of Ramiro Morales Cruz. The defendant was later identified as Luis Melendez after a
fingerprint check.
At his arrest on July 9, 2009, the defendant had in his possession several items, including a
Sam’s Club credit card in the name of Luis Matos Sanchez with the defendant’s photo on the back,
a Massachusetts non-governmental identification card in the name of Luis Matos, and a Florida
identification card in the name of Ramiro Morales-Cruz. He also had a Puerto Rican phone book
page with names circled and other notations. New Jersey authorities initially charged the defendant
Following his arrest on July 9, 2009, the defendant waived his Miranda rights and agreed to
be interviewed by agents of the United States Secret Service and Detectives of the FTPD. During
the interview, the defendant admitted his scheme to take over Sam’s Club accounts and use the
accounts to make purchases. The defendant stated that he identifies Sam’s Club accounts by placing
telephone calls to individuals in Puerto Rico and asking for their Sam’s Club account number and
personal information. The defendant stated that he then creates an identification document with the
account holder’s identifying information and enters Sam’s Club locations to obtain a new card on
their account. However, in this interview, the defendant significantly under-represented the amount
of loss he caused.
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The defendant’s Guidelines range was stipulated to by the parties in the plea agreement. As
to Count One, the defendant’s applicable base offense level under U.S.S.G. § 2B1.1 is six (6). That
level is increased by fourteen (14) levels because the defendant caused loss to his victims in excess
of $400,000. U.S.S.G § 2B1.1(b)(1)(H). The level is further increased by 2 because the offense
involved 10 or more victims. U.S.S.G. § 2B1.1(b)(2)(A)(I). The defendant’s adjusted offense level
with a three-level reduction for acceptance of responsibility pursuant to U.S.S.G. § 3E1.1 is 19.
In the plea agreement, the parties stipulated that the defendant falls within Criminal History
Category VI. As noted in the second addendum to the PSR, the initial PSR incorrectly reported that
the defendant is in Category V, in that it omitted the defendant’s Rhode Island conviction for
fraudulently obtaining credit cards, entered on October, 28, 2002. The second addendum has
rectified this omission, and correctly calculates that the defendant is in Category VI.2
A total offense level 19, assuming a Criminal History Category VI, would result in a range
The defendant is also subject to a supervised release term of 2 years to 3 years. U.S.S.G. § 5D1.2.
Under U.S.S.G. § 2B1.6, the defendant is further subject to a mandatory two-year consecutive
sentence, as required by Title 18, United State Code, Section 1028A, upon his conviction for Count
Two. Thus the aggregate sentencing range under the Guidelines would be 87 to 102 months of
imprisonment.
2
The Government has also requested records from Puerto Rico regarding the defendant’s 2004 case in
Arecibo. Should records be received before sentencing, the Government will notify the Court and the defendant.
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In United States v. Booker, 543 U.S. 220 (2005), the Supreme Court held that the United
States Sentencing Guidelines, as written, violate the Sixth Amendment principles articulated in
Blakely v. Washington, 542 U.S. 296 (2004). As a remedy, the Court severed and excised the
statutory provision making the Guidelines mandatory, 18 U.S.C. §3553(b)(1), thus declaring the
Guidelines “effectively advisory.” Booker, 542 U.S. at 245. Booker modified the existing
sentencing scheme into a system in which the sentencing court, while required to consider the
Guidelines, may impose a sentence within the statutory maximum penalty for the offense of
conviction. Any sentence imposed by the district court is subject to appellate review for
In United States v. Rattoballi, 452 F.3d 127 (2d Cir. 2006), the Second Circuit further defined
the role of the United States Sentencing Guidelines in the imposition of a reasonable sentence under
18 U.S.C. § 3553(a), and the extent of the district court’s discretion in imposing a non-Guidelines
sentence. While the Sentencing Guidelines are no longer mandatory, the district courts have a duty
to consider them along with the other factors set forth in 18 U.S.C. § 3553(a). Id. at 132. The
Rattoballi court emphasized, however, that “Booker did not signal a return to wholly discretionary
sentencing.” Id. (citing U.S. v. Crosby, 397 F.3d 103, 113 (2d Cir. 2005)). “While district courts
enjoy discretion following Booker, that discretion must be informed by the § 3553(a) factors; a
district court cannot import its own philosophy of sentencing if it is inconsistent with the § 3553(a)
factors.” Id. (internal quotations omitted). More succinctly, Rattoballi impressed that the circuit
court’s “review for reasonableness, though deferential, will not equate to a ‘rubber stamp.’” Id.
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The Second Circuit has made it clear that the Sentencing Guidelines continue to play an
integral role in the district court’s calculation of a reasonable sentence. In fact, Rattoballi suggests
that the Sentencing Guidelines should weigh more heavily than other statutory factors in calculating
an appropriate sentence. “In calibrating our review for reasonableness, we will continue to seek
guidance from the considered judgment of the Sentencing Commission as expressed in the
Sentencing Guidelines and authorized by Congress.” Id. at 133. “The guidelines cannot be called
just ‘another factor’ in the statutory list because they are the only integration of the multiple factors
and, with important exceptions, their calculations were based upon the actual sentences of many
judges.” Id. (quoting United States v. Jiménez-Beltre, 440 F.3d 514, 518 (1st Cir. 2006)). “It bears
noting that the Sentencing Commission is an expert agency whose statutory charge mirrors the §
3553(a) factors that the district courts are required to consider.” Rattoballi, 452 F. 3d at 133. Thus,
the range recommended by the Guidelines should be given significant deference by the sentencing
court as the Guidelines have already contemplated many of the statutory factors in § 3553(a). See
United States v. Capanelli, 479 F.3d 163, 165 (2d Cir. 2007) (“[T]he recommended guideline range
A district court in determining a reasonable sentence must also consider the policy statements
that a district court imposes in reliance on factors incompatible with the Commission’s policy
[A] district judge must give serious consideration to the extent of any departure
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from the Guidelines and must explain his conclusion that an unusually lenient or
an unusually harsh sentence is appropriate in a particular case with sufficient
justifications. For even though the Guidelines are advisory rather than mandatory,
they are, as we pointed out in Rita [v. United States,127 S.Ct. 2456 (2007)], the
product of careful study based on extensive empirical evidence derived from the
review of thousands of individual sentencing decisions.
Gall v. United States, 128 S.Ct. 586, 594 (2007). The Rita Court noted that the Sentencing
Commission has attempted to “embody in the Guidelines the factors and considerations set forth in
§ 3553(a)” both “in principle and practice.” 127 S.Ct. at 2463. Notwithstanding the integral role of
circumstances,” nor “rigid mathematical formula” are required to depart from the recommended
Guidelines range. Gall, 128 S. Ct. at 595. Calculating the applicable Guidelines range is the
“starting point and the initial benchmark,” but the district court must then consider all the sentencing
factors in Section 3553(a) and make an “individualized assessment based on the facts presented.”
Id. at 596-97. If the district court imposes an outside the Guidelines range sentence, “it must
consider the extent of the deviation and ensure that justification is sufficiently compelling to support
the degree of the variance.” Id. at 597. The district court must then “adequately explain the chosen
sentence to allow for meaningful appellate review and to promote the perception of fair sentencing.”
Id. The sentence imposed, whether a Guidelines or non-Guidelines sentence, is reviewed under an
Here, consideration of the Guidelines and the statutory factors demonstrate that a Guidelines
sentence is warranted.
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1. Seriousness of the Offense, Respect for the Law, and Just Punishment
The defendant is a career con man who executed a fifteen month multi-state fraud scheme
in which he stole over $750,000 and in the process coopted the identities of over a hundred
unsuspecting Puerto Ricans. The scope of the defendant’s conduct is startling. For each of the 117
accounts he took over, he not only fraudulently obtained a replacement credit card, but he also then
used the stolen credit numerous times, each at different locations up and down the east coast and
Puerto Rico. For example, in the count to which the defendant pleaded guilty, the defendant entered
Walmart stores and Sam’s Clubs eight times - once to fraudulently take over the account, and seven
times to use the stolen credit. In all, the defendant physically entered stores with intent to defraud
Walmart and Sam’s Club well over five hundred times, which means that the defendant was, on
average, defrauding these companies at least once a day for over a year.
The defendant’s criminal conduct did not stop at the walls of Sam’s Clubs and Walmart
Stores. The defendant used the phone to con others out of their account numbers and other personal
identifying information. The defendant took their information and had fake identifications made
with his own picture. In sum, the defendant’s criminal conduct was not a series of individual crimes,
Nor is the defendant’s crime victimless. Thankfully, Walmart, Sam’s Club, or GE Money
Bank have made whole the individuals whose credit accounts were taken over. However, the Court
ought to take note of the fact that, because of the defendant, on 117 occasions somebody in Puerto
Rico tried to use their Sam’s Club account and found out that they owed thousands of dollars for
charges they didn’t make. The Court should also consider that companies must pass on the cost of
fraud such as the defendant’s to consumers. Thus we all must literally pay the price because the
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defendant has decided to place his interests above those of society and his fellow citizens.
2. Adequate Deterrence
A Guidelines range sentence will also provide adequate deterrence to future criminal conduct
of the defendant and others. Retail theft has become far too ubiquitous in our society, and courts
seem quick to assign a low priority to a scourge that costs companies billions of dollars every year.
While companies have continuously increased their defense against shoplifters, criminals such as
the defendant have found new ways to circumvent security and continue to victimize the retail
marketplace. Short or probationary sentences like those typically meted out by state courts are
insufficient to send a message of deterrence to those considering such criminal conduct. A Guideline
sentence here will help to send a message that theft in any form will not be tolerated.
The defendant is a perfect example of someone who has led a life of crime and who has
viewed frequent insignificant jail or probationary sentences as nothing more than speed bumps.
Although his criminal history begins in 1997, it appears that the defendants career as a con man and
thief began sometime prior to 2002, at the age of 25, when he was arrested for Third Degree Larceny
for cheating an Off Track Betting outlet in West Haven, Connecticut. Thereafter, the defendant was
• Stealing a purse from a sleeping train passenger and trying to use the stolen ATM card; and
• Conning a job seeker into handing over money and valuable personal property while falsely
These convictions are in addition to other larceny related convictions and convictions for
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failure to appear in court during the pendency of some of the larceny cases. Over and over again,
the defendant was given sentences of a year or less, often to run concurrent with one another. None
of these sentences reflected either the seriousness of the respective crimes or the defendant’s overall
criminal history. A Guideline sentence here will properly place the defendant’s most recent conduct
as part of an overall pattern of criminal behavior that has not been deterred by frequent short jail
terms.
Protection of the public from further crimes of the defendant is also a factor that warrants a
lengthy jail term. As discussed above, the defendant has a significant criminal history, including
numerous convictions for larceny. Moreover, the defendant has demonstrated repeatedly that he has
no regard for the property of others. He has been left, by woefully inadequate prior sentences, to run
amok in our communities, causing harm to businesses and, by extension, consumers and employees.
The defendant has shown over and over that he is incapable of reform. Simply put, law abiding
There is little question that the defendant would benefit from psychiatric care and treatment
while incarcerated, in addition to educational and vocational training. The psychiatric examination
of the defendant in anticipation of sentencing confirms that the defendant suffers from major
depressive disorder and borderline personality disorder. PSR ¶ 56. Hospital records have confirmed
a prior suicide attempt. PSR ¶ 53. The defendant self reports a gambling problem, and the
Government has found records indicating that the defendant spent over $100,000 on gambling at
Foxwoods Casino between April 2009 and the his arrest. The psychiatrist’s report further indicates
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that the defendant’s “pathologic gambling led to many negative legal consequences.” Id.
In fact, the Government submits that these “negative legal consequences,” i.e., that the
defendant cons and cheats his way to his gambling money, are the precise reason that the
psychiatrist’s report augurs for a significant jail sentence. According to the psychiatrist’s report, the
defendant has a history of seeking psychiatric treatment but not following through. ¶ 56. While we
would no doubt like to believe the defendant’s new commitment to seek mental health treatment to
control his criminal tendencies, such promises are merely aspirational for a career con man like the
defendant. In the mean time, society ought not to bear the risk of relapse while the defendant
On December 3, 2010, the defendant filed a sentencing memorandum which urges the Court
to impose a non-guidelines sentence on the basis that (1) the 24 month consecutive sentence
mandated by the defendant’s conviction under 18 U.S.C. § 1028A somehow double counts
enhancements already applied under his conviction for Access Device Fraud; (2) the Court should
consider that the defendant has not previously received meaningful help following his myriad of state
convictions; and (3) that the defendant’s criminal history category is inflated because of so-called
“petty” offenses. Notwithstanding these arguments, the Court should impose a Guidelines sentence
in this case.
First, the defendant does not elaborate on what aspect of 18 U.S.C. § 1028A double counts
any enhancement applied to his Access Device Fraud conviction in this case. In fact, there are only
two enhancements applied to the base offense level here – 14 levels because the defendant caused
loss to his victims in excess of $400,000, U.S.S.G § 2B1.1(b)(1)(H), and 2 levels because the offense
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involved 10 or more victims. U.S.S.G. § 2B1.1(b)(2)(A)(I). Neither of those enhancements are even
related to Aggravated Identity Theft. The Government notes that there is one enhancement, in §
2B1.1(b)(10), which regards the use of fraudulently made identifications and which might otherwise
apply here. However, the Government acknowledges that this enhancement does not apply here
because of the defendant’s conviction for Aggravated Identity Theft. U.S.S.G. § 2B1.6, application
note 2. Indeed, the enhancement was neither part of the PSR nor the plea agreement, and was
under 18 U.S.C. § 1028A would violate Congress’s intent to provide additional punishment when
defendants commit crimes using others’ identities. Congress specifically included Access Device
Next, the Government agrees with the defendant that the criminal justice system has been
heretofore woefully inadequate in its response to the defendant’s criminal activity. However, the
defendant also appears to take absolutely no responsibility for his own role in this downward spiral.
The psychiatrist’s report indicates that the defendant has consistently failed to follow through in
seeking psychiatric help. PSR ¶ 56. While the Government has supreme confidence in the good
intentions of the Probation Office, there seems to be no reason to believe that the defendant will
comply with mandates to seek help. Meanwhile, while the defendant is on release he will put all
citizens at risk. Rather, treatment options should be explored through the defendant’s incarceration
Finally, the Government takes issue with the defendant’s characterization of his prior
criminal history as a collection of “petty” crimes. Each of these crimes that the defendant committed
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had victims, who likely would not view the defendant’s conduct as “petty.” Some involved criminal
schemes in which the defendant took in his victim through false representations. Moreover, the
defendant committed each crime on the heels of another. If anything, the defendant’s criminal
history is undercounted because on several occasions he was arrested for multiple different crimes
at once. Had the arresting police departments opted to arrest the defendant separately for each
V. CONCLUSION
Based on the foregoing, the Government respectfully requests that the defendant be sentenced
within the range dictated by the Guidelines, and ordered to pay restitution in the amount of
$781,571.80 to Walmart, Sam’s Club, and GE Money Bank, in accordance with the Plea Agreement.
Respectfully submitted,
DAVID B. FEIN
UNITED STATES ATTORNEY
/s/
DAVID E. NOVICK
ASSISTANT UNITED STATES ATTORNEY
450 Main Street, Room 328
Hartford, CT 06510
Federal Bar No. phv02874
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CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE
This is to certify that on December 8, 2010, a copy of the foregoing Memorandum was
filed electronically and served by mail on anyone unable to accept electronic filing. Notice of
this filing will be sent by email to all parties by operation of the Court’s electronic filing system
or by mail on anyone unable to accept electronic filing as indicated on the Notice of Electronic
Filing. Parties may access this filing through the Court’s CM/ECF System.
Sandra L. Hunt
United States Probation Officer
157 Church Street
New Haven, CT 06510
/s/
DAVID E. NOVICK
ASSISTANT UNITED STATES ATTORNEY
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