United States of America v. Renato P. Mariani

NOT PRECEDENTIAL
UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS
FOR THE THIRD CIRCUIT
No. 02-2700
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
v.
RENATO P. MARIANI,
Appellant
APPEAL FROM THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
FOR THE MIDDLE DISTRICT OF PENNSYLVANIA
D.C. Crim. Nos. 97-cr-00225-1 & 98-cr-00307-1
District Judge: The Honorable Thomas I. Vanaskie, Chief Judge
No. 02-2704
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
v.
LEO R. DEL SERRA,
Appellant
APPEAL FROM THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
FOR THE MIDDLE DISTRICT OF PENNSYLVANIA
D.C. Crim. Nos. 97-cr-00225-3 & 98-cr-00307-3
District Judge: The Honorable Thomas I. Vanaskie, Chief Judge
No. 02-2705

-- 1 of 4 --

2
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
v.
MICHAEL L. SERAFINI,
Appellant
APPEAL FROM THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
FOR THE MIDDLE DISTRICT OF PENNSYLVANIA
D.C. Crim. Nos. 97-cr-00225-2 & 98-cr-00307-2
District Judge: The Honorable Thomas I. Vanaskie, Chief Judge
Argued: July 18, 2003
Before: McKEE, BARRY, and W EIS, Circuit Judges
(Opinion Filed: August 6, 2003)
Mark E. Cedrone, Esq. (Argued)
Cedrone & Janove
6th & Chestnut Streets
Public Ledger Building, Suite 940
Philadelphia, PA 19106
Attorney for Appellant Renato P. Mariani
Robert E. Welsh, Jr., Esq. (Argued)
Welsh & Recker
2000 Market Street
Suite 2903
Philadelphia, PA 19103

-- 2 of 4 --

3
Attorney for Appellant Leo R. Del Serra
Gregory T. Magarity, Esq. (Argued)
Suite 200
Pier 5 at Penn's Landing
Philadelphia, PA 19106
-AND-
Peter Goldberger, Esq. (Argued)
Law Offices of Peter Goldberger
50 Rittenhouse Place
Ardmore, PA 19003-2276
Attorneys for Appellant Michael L. Serafini
Bruce Brandler, Esq. (Argued)
Assistant U.S. Attorney
Office of the United States Attorney
Federal Building 228 Walnut Street
P.O. Box 11754
Harrisburg, PA 17108
Attorney for Appellee
OPINION OF THE COURT
PER CURIAM.
Appellants Renato P. Mariani, Michael L. Serafini, and Leo R. Del Serra were
convicted on their pleas of guilty to Count One of two separate indictments, the first
involving the illegal corporate reimbursement of campaign contributions, and the second

-- 3 of 4 --

involving the disposal of solid waste in a landfill in excess of the maximum permitted by
state law. Following the pleas, there ensued extensive litigation over the various
permutations which guideline sentencing so often involves, and surely involved in this
somewhat complicated case. The District Court gave serious and extraordinarily careful
consideration to every issue that was raised. On June 7, 2002, sentences of 22 months, 27
months, and 18 months, were imposed on Mariani, Serafini, and Del Serra, respectively,
to be served concurrently.
On appeal, appellants have raised some new issues and some old ones in support
of their bottom-line argument that the sentences should be lower than they are. After
having carefully reviewed the sentences imposed and after having had the benefit of
excellent oral argument from able counsel, we conclude that any error, if error there be,
did not prejudice appellants. The judgments of sentence will, accordingly, be affirmed.

-- 4 of 4 --