Topic
Every decision we've filed under Criminal.
The Eleventh Circuit affirmed a 108-month sentence for a defendant convicted of conspiring to distribute cocaine on a vessel. The court held that the district court did not clearly err in denying a minor-role reduction because the defendant's knowing participation as a crewmember constituted serious involvement in the criminal scheme.
The Eleventh Circuit affirmed Anthony Mackey's conviction for felon-in-possession, rejecting his claims that prosecutorial misconduct occurred and that the federal statute is unconstitutional. The court held that the government's closing arguments were reasonable inferences from the evidence and that binding precedent continues to uphold the constitutionality of 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(1).
The Eleventh Circuit affirmed the district court's findings regarding most supervised release violations but vacated the sentence due to procedural errors in admitting hearsay evidence. The court remanded the case for a new revocation hearing that strictly adheres to the *Frazier* balancing test for confrontation rights.
The Tenth Circuit affirmed Lee Holt's conviction for drug and firearm offenses, ruling that officers reasonably relied on a tribal search warrant despite a prior state court denial of a similar application. The court further held that probable cause supported the warrant and that the district court correctly refused to compel the disclosure of a confidential informant's identity.
The Ninth Circuit affirmed Dustin Jones's convictions for drug trafficking and felon-in-possession, ruling that his anchored boat qualified as a vehicle under the Fourth Amendment. The court further held that officers had reasonable belief the suspect was inside to justify the arrest warrant execution and that the felon-in-possession statute remains constitutional as applied to non-violent felons.
The Tenth Circuit affirmed the dismissal of a § 1983 false arrest and malicious prosecution claim against Denver police officers, ruling that the officers were protected by qualified immunity. The court held that an ambiguous surveillance video did not clearly establish that the officers lacked arguable probable cause to arrest the plaintiffs.
The Eighth Circuit affirmed Oscar Hudspeth's conviction for sex abuse in Indian country, ruling that excluding polygraph evidence did not violate his constitutional right to present a complete defense. The court held that while the defendant sought to explain his incriminating statements as reactions to a failed polygraph, the exclusion of the test results was proper and did not prevent him from presenting his overall defense strategy.
The Fifth Circuit dismissed Marcus Guice's appeal after enforcing his plea agreement's appeal waiver. The court found the waiver was knowing, voluntary, and applicable to his challenge regarding a sentencing enhancement.
The Seventh Circuit affirmed a 75-month federal sentence for a bank fraud scheme, rejecting the defendant's challenges to two sentencing enhancements. The court found sufficient evidence that the defendant knowingly used sophisticated means and supervised other participants in the fraud.
The Fifth Circuit dismissed Marcus Guice's appeal after enforcing his plea agreement's waiver of appeal rights. The court held that the waiver was knowing and voluntary and its plain language barred Guice's challenge to a specific sentencing enhancement.