Topic
Every decision we've filed under Drug Trafficking.
The Seventh Circuit affirmed the denial of Monisha Rhodes's motion for compassionate release, ruling that statutory sentencing factors weighed against relief despite her caregiving circumstances. The court held that the district court properly considered her extensive criminal history and the need to protect the public from further crimes.
The Seventh Circuit affirmed the revocation of Erik Harbin's supervised release and his 15-month prison sentence, rejecting his claim that the district court improperly relied on his original offense's seriousness. The court held that the district judge's references to the original crime were permissible context for a breach-of-trust rationale rather than prohibited retribution.
The Eleventh Circuit affirmed Tomario Hicks's 180-month sentence for being a felon in possession of a firearm, ruling that his prior marijuana convictions qualified as predicate offenses under the Armed Career Criminal Act. The court also rejected Hicks's Second Amendment challenge, holding that binding precedent prohibits felons from possessing firearms regardless of recent Supreme Court rulings.
The Ninth Circuit affirmed a defendant's sentence for drug trafficking where the district court applied a sentencing enhancement for maintaining a premises for distribution. The court held that drug trafficking can constitute a primary use of a residence even when the property also serves as the defendant's home.
The Seventh Circuit affirmed a drug trafficking conviction, ruling that the government acted in good faith when using a cell-site simulator warrant authorized under the Pen Register Act. The court also held that specific drug quantities are sentencing factors rather than elements of the crime, so juries need not find them to convict.
The Fourth Circuit affirmed a 480-month sentence for drug distribution offenses, ruling that any error in classifying protonitazene as fentanyl under the Sentencing Guidelines was harmless. The court held that the district court explicitly stated it would have imposed the same sentence regardless of the drug classification and that the sentence remained substantively reasonable.
The Eleventh Circuit affirmed Charlie Holley's convictions for assaulting a federal employee and firearm offenses, rejecting challenges to the admission of body-worn camera footage and a 911 call. The court also upheld the 192-month sentence, finding the district court properly considered Holley's mental health history under the sentencing guidelines.
The Eleventh Circuit affirmed a defendant's sentence, ruling that an attempt to commit New York second-degree robbery qualifies as a crime of violence under the Sentencing Guidelines. This decision relies on a 2023 amendment that explicitly includes inchoate offenses within the definition of a crime of violence.
The First Circuit affirmed the revocation of Antonio Camillo's supervised release following a state vandalism conviction. The court held that the district court properly relied on corroborated hearsay and found sufficient evidence of malice and property damage.
The First Circuit affirmed a sixty-month prison sentence for a felon in possession of a firearm and escape from a re-entry program. The court held that the district judge provided sufficient justification for a nineteen-month upward variance based on the defendant's possession of a modified machine gun, high-capacity magazines, and a large quantity of ammunition.