Topic

Criminal

Every decision we've filed under Criminal.

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Civil 2101 Summary Judgment 471 Sentencing Guidelines 419 Civil Rights - Section 1983 399 Immigration (Civil) 358 Constitutional 353 Supervised Release 289 Drug Trafficking 275 Firearms 215 Civil Rights - Employment 205 Intellectual Property 160 Qualified Immunity 153
Apr 28 2026
11th Cir. 0:22-cr-60078-RAR-6 Per Curiam

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA v. WILBER VIGIL-BENITEZ

The Eleventh Circuit affirmed Wilber Vigil-Benitez's conviction for murder in aid of racketeering, ruling that the district court's jury instructions on motive and participation were legally correct. The court held that the defendant waived his challenge to the motive instruction by expressly accepting it and that the refusal to give a separate "mere presence" instruction was proper because the aiding-and-abetting charge already covered the defense theory.

Criminal Violent Crimes
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Apr 28 2026
4th Cir. 24-4604 Panel Decision

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA v. MILTON CHRISTOPHER ALLEN

The Fourth Circuit reversed a district court's suppression order, ruling that evidence seized from an arrestee's bags would have been inevitably discovered through lawful inventory searches. The court held that established departmental policies mandated searching all personal property of arrestees, rendering the warrantless search incident to arrest unnecessary to justify admission.

Criminal Firearms Fourth Amendment - Search & Seizure
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Apr 28 2026
11th Cir. 8:97-cr-00082-RAL-SPF-1 Per Curiam

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA v. HAROLD THORNTON

The Eleventh Circuit affirmed the denial of Harold Thornton's third motion for compassionate release, ruling that the district court did not abuse its discretion in finding Thornton dangerous to the community. The court held that Thornton's extensive violent history and ongoing threats to prison officials satisfied the statutory requirements to deny sentence reduction.

Compassionate Release Criminal Robbery & Extortion
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Apr 28 2026
9th Cir. 2:21-cv-01681-DLR Unpublished

MARK ENTERPRISES CAR COMPANY, LLC, ET AL. V. ALI, ET AL.

The Ninth Circuit affirmed summary judgment for federal agents, ruling they retained qualified immunity because the warrant was not facially deficient and the agents did not deliberately deceive the magistrate. The court held that the affidavit provided a colorable argument for probable cause despite the Plaintiffs' allegations of overbreadth and misrepresentation.

Civil Rights - Section 1983 Criminal Embezzlement & Forgery Qualified Immunity
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Apr 28 2026
11th Cir. 1:24-cr-00050-SDG-RDC-1 Per Curiam

United States v. Byner

The Eleventh Circuit affirmed Brandon Byner's 540-month sentence for producing and possessing child sexual abuse material, ruling that the district court did not abuse its discretion. The appellate court held that the severity of the crimes and the need to protect vulnerable victims justified the lengthy term despite the defendant's history of abuse.

Child Sexual Abuse Material Criminal
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Apr 28 2026
11th Cir. 3:23-cr-00064-TKW-1 Per Curiam

United States v. Beck

The Eleventh Circuit affirmed the drug conspiracy and possession convictions of Philip Beck, Florence Beck, and Joshua Martinez, rejecting challenges to evidence admission and sentencing. The court held that the defendants' confrontation and evidentiary objections were either unpreserved or lacked merit under controlling precedent.

Criminal Drug Trafficking
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Apr 28 2026
8th Cir. 24-3627 Panel Decision

United States of America v. Corey Deandra Thomas

The Eighth Circuit affirmed Corey Deandra Thomas's substantive sentence, ruling that the district court did not abuse its discretion by imposing an upward variance. The appellate court found the judge properly weighed all statutory sentencing factors through an individualized assessment of the offense and the defendant's history.

Criminal Sentencing Guidelines
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Apr 28 2026
10th Cir. 24-6244 Panel Decision

United States v. Velazquez Hernandez

The Tenth Circuit affirmed a conviction for possessing methamphetamine with intent to distribute, ruling that the defendant forfeited his challenge to the exclusion of video recordings. Because the defendant failed to preserve the evidentiary issue under Federal Rule of Evidence 106, the court applied a plain error standard and found no manifest injustice.

Criminal Fifth Amendment - Self-Incrimination Supervised Release
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Apr 28 2026
3rd Cir. 24-2260 Panel Decision

COREY R. KENDIG v. NICHOLAS STOLAR

The Third Circuit affirmed summary judgment for Trooper Nicholas Stolar, holding that while omitting self-defense evidence from a probable cause affidavit can violate the Fourth Amendment, the right was not clearly established at the time of the arrest. Consequently, Trooper Stolar retains qualified immunity despite the court's new rule requiring officers to disclose known facts that conclusively negate the mental state of a charged crime.

Civil Rights - Section 1983 Criminal Fourth Amendment - Search & Seizure Qualified Immunity
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