Background
Stephen Griffin, Jr., appealed a sentence imposed by the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri after pleading guilty to drug and firearm charges pursuant to a plea agreement. His counsel moved for leave to withdraw and filed a brief under Anders v. California challenging the substantive reasonableness of the sentence.
The court’s reasoning
The court conducted an independent review of the record under Penson v. Ohio and found no non-frivolous issues for appeal. The court concluded the district court did not abuse its discretion in sentencing Griffin, citing United States v. Feemster for the standard of review.
What it means going forward
The affirmation of the sentence stands, and appointed counsel is permitted to withdraw from the appeal.
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