United States v. Kristopher Adam Gates (05-1818) and Bradley William Conley (05-2006)

OPINION

McKEAGUE, Circuit Judge.

Defendants Gates and Conley appeal their sentences following the entry of guilty pleas to charges arising from their involvement in a counterfeit check cashing scheme. For the reasons that follow, we affirm both sentences.

I. BACKGROUND

Gates and Conley participated in an elaborate counterfeit- check cashing scheme involving as many as seven individuals. The scheme involved stealing outgoing mail containing checks, creating counterfeit - checks using the information procured from the stolen cheeks, stealing identifications, and then cashing the counterfeit checks…