Case Explained: UNITED STATES OF AMERICA v. KEVIN JADIEL FIGUEROA-ROMAN

Court: United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit

Filed: 2026-07-16

The First Circuit vacated the 108-month sentence imposed on Kevin Jadiel Figueroa-Roman and remanded the case to the District Court for clarification regarding the judge’s reliance on “association with convicted felons” during the sentencing colloquy. The court held that the district court’s statement was ambiguous, creating uncertainty as to whether it referred to the codefendants’ status at the time of the offense, their future status, or some other group, and whether this factor constituted a new finding of fact or a reference to existing record evidence. Because this ambiguity prevented the appellate panel from determining the proper standard of review or assessing the extent to which the comment influenced the sentence, the court concluded that meaningful appellate review was frustrated. Consequently, the case is remanded for the district court to clarify its reasoning and, if appropriate, reconsider the basis for the sentence.

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