Tag: federal appeal

A main misconception is that a federal criminal appeal is an opportunity to re-address or re-open the facts that were presented at trial.

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.

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 […]

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 […]

In United States v. Bell, 2018 WL 1432956, the Third Circuit vacated an improperly assigned sentence. Bell pled guilty to the offense of felon in possession of a firearm. He was enhanced at sentencing due to the ACCA and his priors. Bell’s first ground for appeal, that his priors did not meet the standard for the […]