Tag: appellate court

Collins vs. Virginia, 584 U. S. ____ (2018), No. 16–1027. The Supreme Court handed down an important search and seizure case in Collins.   Officers from the Albemarle County Police Department observed the same motorcycle driver commit a traffic infraction in two separate incidents.  In both situations, the cyclist got away from the officers. In both […]

The petitioners in Koons v. United States had committed crimes that invoked the use of the mandatory minimums. through the guideline ranges.

6th Circuit finds plain error in case of Fleming and use of inaccurate news article. Case was vacated and remanded for resentencing.

In US vs. Ballard, the Second Circuit vacated and remanded a case for a new trial after prosecutor used improper argument in summation.

In United States vs. Aminov. No. 17-1703, the Third Circuit reversed a sentence based on plain error. Aminov was sentenced in 2011 for aiding and abetting in the production of a document without lawful authority. The PSI recommended a Sentencing Guidelines range of 0-6 months instead of the government’s suggested range of 12-16 months. Aminov was […]

United States v. Bethea, Seventh Circuit, No. 17-3468, 2018 WL 1959638 Bethea was charged with using fraudulently obtained credit cards to purchase merchandise at retailers. He had a combined guilty plea and sentencing hearing. The judge was in his courtroom in Madison, WI. Bethea was in Milwaukee because of his health issues and limited mobility. The […]

McCalla pled guilty to conspiracy to possess at least five kilograms of cocaine with intent to distribute. The Mandatory minimum, in that case, was ten years. His range of punishment was 136 to 168 months. He was sentenced to 126 moths and the court found that a sentence below the advisory guideline range would be sufficient […]

The Tenth Circuit recently reversed in United States v. Dahda. Dahda was convicted on a drug conspiracy for over 1,000 kilograms or more of marijuana. On appeal, Dahda alleged seven grounds for relief, including that the district court erred in applying Dahda’s base offense level by miscalculating the amount of marijuana attributed to Dahda. While […]

United States v. Wheeler, __F.3d__, 2018 WL 1514418 (4th Cir. 2018) The Fourth Circuit recently handed down a very important and precedential decision on the applicability of the savings clause to the legality of a petitioner’s sentence. Appellant Gerald Wheeler was charged in the United States District Court for the Western District of North Carolina […]

In United States v. Jacinto-Gonzalez, 2018 WL 1378021, the Eleventh Circuit vacated a sentence in order for an inmate to be credited with the time that he spent in a federal facility. Jacinto- Gonzalez was arrested and charged with being in the United States after being previously deported. He pled guilty on June 23 and […]