United States v. Re, Randall ( 2005 )


Menu:
  •                              In the
    United States Court of Appeals
    For the Seventh Circuit
    ____________
    Nos. 03-2089 & 03-2129
    UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,
    Plaintiff-Appellee,
    v.
    RANDALL RE and ANTHONY CALABRESE,
    Defendants-Appellants.
    ____________
    Appeals from the United States District Court for
    the Northern District of Illinois, Eastern Division.
    No. 02 CR 448—Charles P. Kocoras, Chief Judge.
    ____________
    ARGUED APRIL 8, 2004—DECIDED MARCH 22, 2005
    ____________
    Before KANNE, EVANS, and WILLIAMS, Circuit Judges.
    KANNE, Circuit Judge. A jury found both Randall Re and
    Anthony Calabrese guilty of conspiring to commit extortion
    and conspiring to travel to commit extortion. In this con-
    solidated appeal, the defendants challenge their convictions
    and their sentences. We affirm their convictions, but pur-
    suant to United States v. Booker, 
    125 S. Ct. 738
     (2005) and
    United States v. Paladino, No. 03-2296, 
    2005 WL 435430
    , at
    *7 (7th Cir. Feb. 25, 2005), we order a limited remand
    regarding their sentences.
    2                                   Nos. 03-2089 & 03-2129
    I. History
    Re and his wife, who lived near Chicago, Illinois, jointly
    owned a warehouse in Englewood, Florida. The tenancy of
    the warehouse was sporadic. In fact, the warehouse was
    vacant more than it was occupied. Next to the Re property
    was a warehouse owned by Gregory Leach. Because of their
    neighboring properties, Leach and Re have known each
    other since the early 1990s. However, various disputes over
    the years, including one that escalated to the point of a law-
    suit, strained their relationship.
    In the spring of 1997, Re listed his warehouse for sale at
    $279,000. After the list price was reduced to $259,000, a po-
    tential buyer, Jimmy Daughtry, surfaced. Daughtry offered
    Re $200,000, which Re rejected, countering with a $240,000
    offer.
    Daughtry ultimately decided to lease warehouse space
    from Leach. Daughtry’s decision to lease from Leach, in-
    stead of buying from Re, hinged upon representations Leach
    made to Daughtry. According to Daughtry’s real estate agent,
    Leach told Daughtry that a sewer line connecting Re’s prop-
    erty with a local service station had been installed across
    Leach’s property without Leach’s permission, without ap-
    propriate permits, and without any inspections. On the same
    day the lease agreement was signed, April 17, 1997,
    Daughtry’s real estate agent informed Re via facsimile that
    Leach’s statements to Daughtry about the sewer line killed
    the sale. The agent even went so far as to advise Re to sue
    Leach if what Leach had said was untrue.
    A. The Assault
    On May 3, 1997, Leach was contacted by another “po-
    tential lessee,” a person who identified himself as Sammy
    Bender. Leach agreed to meet “Bender” at the warehouse so
    that Bender could inspect the warehouse space. When
    Nos. 03-2089 & 03-2129                                    3
    Leach arrived at the warehouse, he noticed two men in a
    dark car parked adjacent to the warehouse. As he ap-
    proached the warehouse, one of the men stepped out and
    introduced himself as Bender. The other man stayed in the
    vehicle, slouched down, and appeared to be sleeping. Leach
    escorted Bender into the warehouse. Prompted by questions
    from Bender, Leach confirmed that he owned the warehouse
    and knew Daughtry. At that point, an unidentified person
    struck Leach from behind with a baseball bat. Bender
    punched Leach in his face and throat.
    As Leach was falling to the floor, he reached for a small
    gun he had brought with him, which he was licensed to
    carry. The man with the bat warned Leach that he would be
    killed if he was “going for” a gun. One of the men then took
    the gun from Leach’s pocket. The beating continued for a
    minute or so, and Leach was hit in the ribs, arms, legs, and
    feet.
    As he was being beaten, one of his assailants told Leach
    to “tell Jimmy [Daughtry] to move out” and repeatedly asked
    Leach if he was “getting the message.” Leach stated numer-
    ous times that he “got the message.” Eventually, the two men
    fled. Leach then called 911 and his wife, gave a description
    of the two men to the responding police officer, and drove
    himself to the hospital.
    B. Telephone Calls Closing the Matter
    Two days after the attack, Leach called Re in Illinois and
    told Re that he did not want any more problems with their
    warehouse properties. Re agreed. During their conversa-
    tion, Leach also explained that he told Daughtry that he
    would tear up the lease at any time if Daughtry wanted to
    move out, but that Leach had no legal reason to break the
    lease. Re responded that Leach could get Daughtry out if
    Leach wanted to.
    4                                    Nos. 03-2089 & 03-2129
    On May 7, Re called Leach. He told Leach he was thinking
    of suing Daughtry, and Leach repeated that he was willing
    to tear up Daughtry’s lease. Re requested Daughtry’s phone
    number, which Leach provided. With Leach still on the line,
    Re phoned Daughtry, disconnecting Leach as soon as
    Daughtry answered. Leach and Re never spoke again. On
    May 12, “Bender” called Leach and informed him that the
    “matter was closed.”
    C. Evidence Linking Re to Calabrese
    Between April 22 and April 30, 1997, telephone records
    show thirteen communications between Re and Calabrese,
    his co-defendant. No communications occurred between
    May 1 and May 4.
    Re and Calabrese both resided near Chicago, Illinois.
    However, on the day of Leach’s beating, both had traveled
    to Florida. Re had flown to Florida to attend his father-in-
    law’s funeral on the morning of May 3. Calabrese was
    visiting Florida with a friend. He rented a car on May 2
    in an area near Leach’s warehouse. On May 3, Calabrese,
    accompanied by Robert Buckley, visited Dennis Kowalski.
    Approximately one hour after their arrival, Calabrese and
    Buckley exited Kowalski’s home through a door next to
    which Kowalski kept a silver aluminum baseball bat, stat-
    ing that they would return. The two returned one to two
    hours later. The next day, Calabrese gave Kowalski a gun
    and told Kowalski to “keep it or get rid of it.”
    Kowalski kept the gun until September 1999, when he
    gave it to Jeff Cox. Cox stored the gun in his attic. In April
    2000, Cox sold his home to Randy Bergman. Shortly after
    moving in, Bergman discovered the gun in the attic and
    took it to a Florida Sheriff’s office. It was turned over to the
    Federal Bureau of Investigation. A search of the National
    Crime Information Database revealed that the serial num-
    Nos. 03-2089 & 03-2129                                      5
    ber on the gun discovered by Bergman matched the number
    of Leach’s gun, which was taken from him during the May
    3, 1997, attack.
    D. Leach’s Identification of Calabrese
    Immediately following the assault, Leach described Bender
    to a Sarasota, Florida, sheriff’s deputy as a white male,
    5'11" tall, approximately 240 pounds, having dark hair and
    a dark complexion, appearing to be Italian with a square
    jaw, and wearing gold chains.
    Nine months after the incident, Leach described Bender
    to a Naperville, Illinois, police detective as a white male,
    5'10" tall, approximately 35 years of age, 190 pounds, with
    short curly hair and a beard and mustache.
    In the spring of 1998, Leach viewed two photo line-ups.
    From the first line-up, he picked out a man who was later
    identified as Calabrese. At trial, Leach identified Calabrese
    as the man who had assaulted him and who was known to
    him as “Bender.” From the next photo line-up, Leach iden-
    tified a man who he thought was his second attacker. How-
    ever, it was later determined that the individual Leach
    selected from that line-up was not, in fact, present at the
    May 3 assault. As a result, this person was never charged
    with any crime resulting from these events.
    II. Procedural Posture
    On November 1, 2002, the defendants were found guilty
    of conspiring to commit extortion, 
    18 U.S.C. § 1951
     (Count 1),
    and conspiring to travel to commit extortion, 
    18 U.S.C. § 1952
     (Count 2). The defendants jointly moved for a
    judgment of acquittal under Rule 29(c) of the Federal Rules
    of Criminal Procedure. The motion was denied. On Novem-
    ber 22, the district court sentenced each defendant to
    6                                    Nos. 03-2089 & 03-2129
    eighty-seven months imprisonment for Count 1 and sixty
    months imprisonment for Count 2, with the sentences to run
    concurrently. In addition, a three-year term of supervised
    release and a fine of $12,500 were imposed. The defendants
    have appealed their convictions, and their sentences.
    III. Analysis
    A. Convictions
    The defendants mount three challenges to their convic-
    tions. First, they assert that the district court erred when
    it limited defendants’ inquiry into Leach’s misidentification
    of his assailant in the second photo line-up. Second, they
    generally question the sufficiency of the evidence to support
    their convictions. Third, they specifically assert that the
    government’s evidence was insufficient as to the interstate
    commerce element required under § 1951 (“the Hobbs Act”).
    Although the third issue merits a moment’s pause, we
    ultimately conclude that all these arguments must fail.
    1. Misidentification
    The defendants claim that their convictions must be
    reversed because of an incorrect evidentiary ruling by the
    district court. During the cross-examination of Leach,
    defense counsel attempted to discredit Leach’s identification
    of “Bender” by highlighting Leach’s indisputably incorrect
    identification of his second attacker. At one point, counsel
    asked Leach, “You don’t see [the person you identified in
    the second photo line-up] in the courtroom today?” The gov-
    ernment objected, and the district court sustained the objec-
    tion, further instructing the defense to avoid any similar
    questions. In so ruling, the court differentiated between
    Leach’s ability to identify his attackers, a proper subject for
    cross-examination, and the government’s exercise of
    Nos. 03-2089 & 03-2129                                               7
    prosecutorial discretion, an improper subject for cross-ex-
    amination. Defendants now assert that the restrictions
    placed upon Leach’s cross-examination by the district court
    were in error.
    We review the trial court’s limitation of the scope of
    Leach’s cross-examination for abuse of discretion. United
    States v. Lane, 
    323 F.3d 568
    , 579 (7th Cir.), cert. denied, 
    540 U.S. 818
     (2003); United States v. Jackson, 
    51 F.3d 646
    , 652
    (7th Cir. 1995). Under this deferential standard, an abuse
    of discretion occurs only when no reasonable person could
    take the view of the district court. Lane, 
    323 F.3d at 579
    (quotation omitted). And even if the trial court did abuse its
    discretion, we will not reverse a jury verdict if the erroneous
    ruling is harmless. 
    Id.
     (citing Fed. R. Crim. P. 52(a);
    Rehling v. City of Chicago, 
    207 F.3d 1009
    , 1017 (7th Cir.
    2000)).
    With respect to its aforementioned limitation of Leach’s
    cross-examination, the district court reasoned that any in-
    quiry into why the person identified by Leach in the second
    photo array was not prosecuted, assuming the relevance of
    such testimony, could not be permitted under Rule 403 of
    the Federal Rules of Evidence1 because it would be “too
    remote,” or, in other words, misleading and confusing to the
    jury. However, defense counsel was allowed to cross-exam-
    ine Leach extensively about the quality of his descriptions
    and identifications of both “Bender” and the unknown as-
    sailant. Defense counsel did, in fact, highlight numerous
    inconsistencies.
    Later, during the defense’s cross-examination of one of
    the investigating detectives from the Naperville Police
    1
    Rule 403 states: “Although relevant, evidence may be excluded
    if its probative value is substantially outweighed by the danger of
    unfair prejudice, confusion of the issues, or misleading the jury . . .
    .”
    8                                    Nos. 03-2089 & 03-2129
    Department, the problematic aspects of Leach’s description
    of the unknown attacker were again pointed out to the jury,
    while no inquiry into the exercise of prosecutorial discretion
    was attempted. Counsel also sought to admit the second
    photo line-up, which prompted a government objection.
    While the court implicitly reaffirmed that the government’s
    charging decisions are not proper subjects for cross-exam-
    ination and argument, the court clarified that the accuracy
    of Leach’s identification of his unknown attacker is relevant
    to his credibility in that it may demonstrate Leach’s
    inability to identify persons generally, including “Bender.”
    Therefore, the court permitted the line-up to be admitted as
    evidence.
    We fail to see how the district court’s limitation of Leach’s
    cross-examination was in error, particularly given its later
    evidentiary rulings allowing extensive inquiry into the
    quality of Leach’s identifications and the admission of the
    second photo line-up. On appeal, the defendants claim that
    the ruling was in error because the particular question
    counsel attempted to ask Leach during his cross-exami-
    nation was posed only to illustrate Leach’s inability to cor-
    rectly identify his assailant, which was an unquestionably
    relevant topic of inquiry. However, this ignores the specific
    phrasing of the question—“You don’t see [the person you
    identified in the second photo line-up] in the courtroom
    today?”—which indeed implicated (or, at the very least,
    raised the specter of) the government’s exercise of prosecu-
    torial discretion.
    We agree with the district court that the fact of the
    government’s decision not to prosecute the individual Leach
    misidentified as his unknown assailant in the second photo
    line-up was distinct from and irrelevant to Leach’s ability
    to identify his assailants. As the record demonstrates, the
    court in no way prohibited inquiry into the quality of
    Leach’s identifications.
    In fact, the district court allowed the defense to question
    Leach and other witnesses at great length about the ac-
    Nos. 03-2089 & 03-2129                                       9
    curacy, specificity, and consistency of Leach’s descriptions
    of both “Bender” and his other assailant. And, as we noted
    above, the court allowed the second photo line-up to be
    entered into evidence. Hence, the defense was given ample
    opportunity to suggest to the jury that because Leach’s
    identification of his unknown assailant was unreliable (in
    fact, totally incorrect), his identification of “Bender” was
    also suspect. See, e.g., United States v. Corgain, 
    5 F.3d 5
    , 7-
    8 (1st Cir. 1993). In short, we conclude that the district
    court correctly determined that under Rule 403, the ques-
    tion asked by counsel, given its specific phrasing, would
    mislead and confuse the jury. The limitation of Leach’s
    cross-examination was not in error.
    2. Sufficiency of the Evidence
    The defendants also contend that the evidence was insuf-
    ficient to support their convictions as to both counts. View-
    ing all evidence and drawing all reasonable inferences in
    the light most favorable to the government as we must,
    United States v. Hicks, 
    368 F.3d 801
    , 804-05 (7th Cir. 2004),
    their challenge fails. It is impossible for us to say that no
    rational trier of fact could have found the essential elements
    of the crime beyond a reasonable doubt. See 
    id.
    “To sustain a conspiracy conviction, the government must
    prove that ‘two or more persons joined together for the pur-
    pose of committing a criminal act and that the charged
    party knew of and intended to join the agreement.’ ” United
    States v. Macedo, 
    371 F.3d 957
    , 965 (7th Cir. 2004) (quoting
    United States v. Adkins, 
    274 F.3d 444
    , 450 (7th Cir. 2001)).
    But direct evidence of the conspiratorial agreement is not
    necessary. A jury may “find an agreement to conspire based
    upon circumstantial evidence and reasonable inferences
    drawn [from] the relationship of the parties, their overt
    acts, and the totality of their conduct.” 
    Id.
     (quotation
    omitted). Moreover,
    10                                   Nos. 03-2089 & 03-2129
    [d]ue to the covert nature of a conspiracy, direct evi-
    dence is rare and not only is the use of circumstantial
    evidence permissible, but circumstantial evidence may
    be the sole support for a conviction. . . . Circumstantial
    evidence is not less probative than direct evidence and,
    in some cases is even more reliable. . . . The evidence
    need not exclude every reasonable hypothesis of inno-
    cence so long as the total evidence permits a conclusion
    of guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
    United States v. Rodriguez, 
    53 F.3d 1439
    , 1445 (7th Cir.
    1995) (citation omitted).
    We summarize briefly the key evidence the government
    introduced at trial which permitted the jury to infer that Re
    and Calabrese conspired to extort Leach: (1) Re and
    Calabrese knew each other and both lived near Chicago,
    Illinois; (2) Re and Calabrese contacted each other frequently
    in the days leading up to Leach’s attack; (3) both were in
    Florida on the day Leach was attacked; (4) Re had tried
    unsuccessfully to sell his warehouse (which was vacant a
    majority of the time) to Daughtry; (5) Re had a strong fi-
    nancial motive to extort Leach because Leach’s lease of his
    warehouse to Daughtry cost Re his sale; (6) Leach and Re
    had an acrimonious history; (7) Leach’s assailants, after
    confirming that Leach owned the warehouse and knew
    Daughtry, indicated during the attack that their purpose
    was to induce Leach to convince Daughtry to break his lease;
    (8) Re indicated to Leach after the assault that he believed
    Leach could “get Daughtry out” if Leach wanted to do so; (9)
    Leach positively identified Calabrese (also known as
    “Bender”) as one of his attackers; and (10) the gun taken
    from Leach during his attack was linked to Calabrese. This
    circumstantial evidence was sufficient to support the
    defendants’ convictions as to both counts.
    3. Interstate Commerce Element of § 1951
    The defendants also claim that the evidence presented by
    the government did not demonstrate that the alleged
    Nos. 03-2089 & 03-2129                                           11
    conspiracy affected interstate commerce, as required under
    § 1951.2 A de minimis or other slight effect on interstate
    commerce is sufficient to meet this requirement. See, e.g.,
    United States v. Peterson, 
    236 F.3d 848
    , 852 (7th Cir. 2001);
    United States v. Bailey, 
    227 F.3d 792
    , 797 (7th Cir. 2000);
    United States v. Morgano, 
    39 F.3d 1358
    , 1371 (7th Cir. 1994).
    Moreover, the impact on commerce need not be actual;
    given that the Hobbs Act criminalizes attempts as well as
    completed crimes, it is enough that the conduct (here, the
    conspiracy to extort) had the potential to impact commerce.
    Morgano, 
    39 F.3d at 1371
    .
    As with the defendants’ sufficiency challenge discussed
    above, they face an uphill battle here. See United States v.
    Sanchez, 
    251 F.3d 598
    , 601 (7th Cir. 2001). We again view
    all the evidence and draw all reasonable inferences in the
    light most favorable to the prosecution and uphold the
    verdict so long as any rational trier of fact could have found
    the interstate commerce element beyond a reasonable
    doubt. Hicks, 
    368 F.3d at 804-05
    .
    In this case, the government relied upon a “depletion of
    assets theory” to meet the interstate commerce requirement
    of the Hobbs Act. Under this theory, commerce is affected
    when an enterprise which customarily purchases items in
    interstate commerce has its assets depleted through extor-
    tion, which in turn limits the victim-enterprise’s potential
    as a purchaser of goods. See United States v. Elders, 569
    2
    Section 1951 states:
    Whoever in any way or degree obstructs, delays, or affects
    commerce or the movement of any article or commodity in
    commerce, by robbery or extortion or attempts or conspires so
    to do, or commits or threatens physical violence to any person
    or property in furtherance of a plan or purpose to do anything
    in violation of this section shall be fined under this title or
    imprisoned not more than twenty years, or both.
    12                                      Nos. 03-2089 & 03-
    2129 F.2d 1020
    , 1025 (7th Cir. 1978). At trial, the government
    established the following: (1) if Daughtry had not paid Leach
    rent, Leach would have had less money to pay the expenses
    associated with Leach’s warehouse; (2) Leach used out-of-
    state paint, tools, and gasoline (for certain equipment) to
    maintain the warehouse; (3) Leach used an “Echo” brand
    weed-eater to cut the weeds and grass around his building;
    (4) Echo is located in Lake Zurich, Illinois, and London,
    Ontario.
    The evidence relied upon by the government indeed pushed
    the jury’s inferential powers to the outermost limits. As we
    explained above, under the depletion of assets theory, the
    victim-enterprise must customarily purchase goods in in-
    terstate commerce. We find it particularly troubling that
    the government never affirmatively established when and
    with what funds Leach acquired the weed-eater, gas, paint,
    and tools.3 Nor did the government present any direct evi-
    dence to establish that the gas, paint, and tools used by
    Leach to maintain the warehouse had traveled in interstate
    commerce.4 Hence, the jury could have inferred, for exam-
    ple, that Leach purchased only one weed-eater twenty years
    ago. If so, such would not amount to the customary purchase
    of interstate goods, as required. Likewise, if Leach simply
    used gasoline, paint, and tools he had purchased for his
    personal consumption, then no victim-enterprise (i.e.,
    warehouse) funds would have been used to purchase those
    interstate goods, as required. Had the jury inferred that
    3
    Although the defendants correctly point out that Leach never
    expressly testified that he purchased gas, paint, and tools (stating
    only that those items were used to operate the warehouse), we
    find that inference to be eminently reasonable.
    4
    Leach testified that—presumably to the best of his knowledge—
    the gas, paint, and tools he used were from outside the state of
    Florida. Absent any contrary evidence by the defendants, this de
    minimis showing is sufficient to establish the interstate nature of
    these goods.
    Nos. 03-2089 & 03-2129                                        13
    either or both of these scenarios were true, then it would
    have been precluded from finding that the interstate com-
    merce requirement of the Hobbs Act was met.
    However, we conclude that the above evidence, taken as
    a whole and construed in the light most favorable to the
    government, is sufficient to sustain the defendants’ § 1951
    convictions. The jury inferred—as it was entitled to do—
    that the out-of-state weed-eater, gas, paint, and tools were
    purchased on a customary basis by Leach exclusively for
    warehouse-related maintenance. In addition, we note that
    an extortion victim’s customary use of out-of-state gasoline
    might alone meet the interstate commerce requirement,
    although no case has yet so held (and we expressly decline
    to do so here). See Bailey, 
    227 F.3d at 799
     (declining to reach
    the issue).5 Arguably, Calabrese’s interstate travel to per-
    form the assault, combined with Leach’s purchase of out-of-
    state gasoline, tools, paint, and weed-eater, is enough to
    meet the interstate commerce requirement. See United States
    v. Le, 
    256 F.3d 1229
    , 1236-37 (11th Cir. 2001). In short,
    although the government may have been able to produce
    stronger evidence establishing a potential effect on inter-
    state commerce, we cannot say that no rational trier of fact
    could have concluded that this element was met beyond a
    reasonable doubt.
    B. Sentences
    Sentencing in federal courts has been altered in several
    important ways by the Supreme Court’s recent decision in
    5
    See also Morgano, 
    39 F.3d at 1371
     (parties stipulated that the
    natural gas the extortion victim purchased was from out-of-state
    and hence met the interstate commerce requirement); United States
    v. Frasch, 
    818 F.2d 631
    , 634-35 (7th Cir. 1987) (same); United
    States v. Conn, 
    769 F.2d 420
    , 424 (7th Cir. 1985) (purchase of
    gasoline, in addition to office supplies and equipment and rental
    cars, sufficient to meet the interstate commerce requirement).
    14                                   Nos. 03-2089 & 03-2129
    United States v. Booker, 
    125 S. Ct. 738
     (2005). The Court
    reaffirmed Apprendi v. New Jersey, 
    530 U.S. 466
     (2000), and
    extended its holding to the federal Sentencing Guidelines,
    concluding that “[a]ny fact (other than a prior conviction)
    which is necessary to support a sentence exceeding the max-
    imum authorized by the facts established by a plea of guilty
    or a jury verdict must be admitted by the defendant or
    proved to a jury beyond a reasonable doubt.” Booker, 125 S.
    Ct. at 756. In order to remedy this constitutional problem,
    the Court held that the Guidelines are no longer manda-
    tory. See id. at 757. The district court has discretion to
    sentence outside the Guideline range as long as the sentence
    is reasonable. See id. at 765-66.
    Re and Calabrese were convicted of one count of con-
    spiring to commit extortion and one count of conspiring to
    travel to commit extortion. Under the Guidelines, the base
    level for these offenses is 18, which corresponds to a sentence
    of 27-33 months. The sentencing court, however, sentenced
    the defendants to 87 months after making several findings
    under a preponderance of the evidence standard. The court
    enhanced the sentences two levels after finding that the
    offenses involved an express or implied threat of death or
    bodily injury, four levels because a dangerous weapon was
    used, and three levels based on a finding that the victim
    sustained a bodily injury between the defined categories of
    “Bodily Injury” and “Serious Bodily Injury.”
    Re and Calabrese now claim that their sentences were
    imposed in violation of the Sixth Amendment as clarified by
    Booker, and that the sentences should be vacated. The
    defendants did not argue that the Guidelines were unconsti-
    tutional in the district court; therefore, we must now review
    their sentences under the plain error standard. See Booker,
    125 S. Ct. at 769; United States v. Cotton, 
    535 U.S. 625
    (2002). A four-part test was set forth by the Supreme Court
    to determine plain error. Cotton, 
    535 U.S. at 631-32
    ;
    Johnson v. United States, 
    520 U.S. 461
    , 466-67 (1997). “[B]e-
    Nos. 03-2089 & 03-2129                                     15
    fore an appellate court can correct an error not raised at
    trial, there must be (1) error, (2) that is plain, and (3) that
    affect[s] substantial rights.” Johnson, 
    520 U.S. at 466-67
    (internal quotations and citation omitted). Only if these con-
    ditions are met may an appellate court “exercise its dis-
    cretion to notice a forfeited error, but only if (4) the error
    seriously affect[s] the fairness, integrity, or public reputa-
    tion of judicial proceedings.” 
    Id. at 467
     (internal quotations
    and citation omitted).
    So, the first inquiry is whether there was an error that
    was plain. The Supreme Court held that error is plain when
    “the law at the time of trial was settled and clearly contrary
    to the law at the time of appeal. . . .” 
    Id. at 468
    . This
    “criterion is satisfied in cases such as these after Booker.”
    United States v. Paladino, No. 03-2296, 
    2005 WL 435430
    , at
    *7 (7th Cir. Feb. 25, 2005).
    Although the sentences were unconstitutionally imposed,
    we do not know whether the defendants’ rights were sub-
    stantially affected because we do not know if the district
    judge would have imposed the same sentences even with
    the increased discretion permitted by Booker. Therefore, we
    will retain jurisdiction of the appeal and “order a limited
    remand to permit the sentencing judge to determine
    whether he would (if required to resentence) reimpose his
    original sentence.” Id. at *10. If the district court deter-
    mines that it would have imposed the same sentence, there
    is no prejudice and thus no plain error, but the sentence
    will still be reviewed for reasonableness. Id. If the sentenc-
    ing judge determines that he would have imposed different
    sentences under the Booker standard, we will vacate the
    original sentences and remand the cases for resentencing.
    Id.
    IV. Conclusion
    For the foregoing reasons, we AFFIRM the convictions of
    Re and Calabrese. While retaining jurisdiction, we order a
    16                                  Nos. 03-2089 & 03-2129
    limited remand of their sentences in accordance with Booker,
    Paladino, and this opinion. The district court is directed to
    return this case to us when the limited remand has been
    completed.
    A true Copy:
    Teste:
    ________________________________
    Clerk of the United States Court of
    Appeals for the Seventh Circuit
    USCA-02-C-0072—3-22-05