Topic

Sentencing Guidelines

Every decision we've filed under Sentencing Guidelines.

United States of America Plaintiff— v. Nautica Blu Hamilton Defendant—

The Fifth Circuit affirmed a 360-month sentence for child pornography production, ruling that the defendant failed to prove the government's gender-based comments at sentencing constituted plain or structural error. The court held that the district court's reliance on the nature of the crime and abuse of trust, rather than the defendant's sex, meant the defendant's substantial rights were not affected.

Child Sexual Abuse Material Criminal Fourteenth Amendment - Equal Protection Plain Error Review

Read summary →

Mar 17 2026

11th Cir. 1:23-cr-20350-JEM-1 Per Curiam

United States v. Johanna Michely Garcia

The Eleventh Circuit affirmed a 240-month sentence for a defendant who orchestrated a $200 million Ponzi scheme, rejecting claims of sentencing guideline miscalculation and substantive unreasonableness. The court held that any potential error in applying victim enhancements was harmless because the statutory maximum sentence remained the same regardless.

Criminal Fraud Sentencing Guidelines

Read summary →

Mar 16 2026

9th Cir. 3:22-cr-02548- Published

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA v. CRUZ TORRES-GONZALEZ

The Ninth Circuit affirmed a sentence for illegal reentry, rejecting the argument that concurrent sentencing for a prior false-statement conviction precludes applying an eight-level sentencing enhancement. The panel held that the text of the Sentencing Guidelines requires using the actual sentence length imposed for the prior non-reentry offense, regardless of how grouping rules affected the original sentence.

Criminal Immigration (Criminal) Sentencing Guidelines

Read summary →

Mar 16 2026

3rd Cir. 1:21-cr-00026-002 Panel Decision

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA v. ROHAN LYTTLE

The Third Circuit affirmed Rohan Lyttle's criminal conviction for operating an advance-fee lottery scam targeting elderly victims through wire and mail fraud. The court rejected Lyttle's challenges regarding the sufficiency of evidence, a managerial sentencing enhancement, and the admission of YouTube videos as proof of knowledge.

Criminal Fraud Money Laundering Sentencing Guidelines

Read summary →

Mar 16 2026

6th Cir. 24-1442 Published

Reichert v. Kellogg Co.

The Sixth Circuit reversed the dismissal of ERISA claims alleging that pension plans used outdated mortality data to calculate benefits for married participants. The court held that the statutory requirement for actuarial equivalence prohibits the use of unreasonable, inapplicable actuarial assumptions that fail to reflect modern life expectancies.

Criminal ERISA / Employee Benefits Sentencing Guidelines

Read summary →

Mar 16 2026

4th Cir. 24-4627 Per Curiam

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA v. TOMONTA SIMMONS

The Fourth Circuit affirmed Tomonta Simmons's conviction for unlawful firearm possession by a felon, rejecting his Second Amendment challenge to his guilty plea. The court also upheld his sentence, finding no procedural or substantive error in the district court's application of sentencing guidelines.

Criminal Firearms Plain Error Review Sentencing Guidelines

Read summary →

Mar 16 2026

4th Cir. 25-4342 Per Curiam

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA v. DONNELL DEANGELO ADKINS

The Fourth Circuit affirmed a 105-month prison sentence for a felon in possession of a firearm, rejecting claims that the sentence was procedurally or substantively unreasonable. The court held that the district court properly considered the defendant's arguments and adequately justified an upward variance from the Sentencing Guidelines.

Criminal Firearms Sentencing Guidelines

Read summary →

Mar 16 2026

10th Cir. 1:24-CR-00020-CNS-1) Panel Decision

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA v. KENNETH TILLMAN

The Tenth Circuit enforced an appeal waiver in Kenneth Tillman's plea agreement, dismissing his challenge to a sentence below the advisory guidelines. The court also granted his counsel's motion to withdraw under the standards established in Anders v. California.

Criminal Sentencing Guidelines

Read summary →

Mar 16 2026

5th Cir. 25-50264 Per Curiam

United States v. Flanagan

The Fifth Circuit affirmed William Flanagan's 235-month sentence for methamphetamine trafficking, finding no clear error in the district court's criminal history score calculation. The court held that Flanagan failed to demonstrate that any miscalculation regarding prior convictions affected the outcome of his sentencing.

Criminal Drug Trafficking Plain Error Review Sentencing Guidelines

Read summary →

Mar 16 2026

5th Cir. 25-10766 Per Curiam

United States v. Jimenez

The Fifth Circuit affirmed the district court's judgment while declining to review a defendant's claim of ineffective assistance of counsel regarding a safety valve reduction. The court held that while the claim was not barred by issue preclusion, it could not be adjudicated on direct appeal due to insufficient record detail.

Constitutional Habeas Corpus - Federal Prisoner (28 USC 2255) Sentencing Guidelines Sixth Amendment - Ineffective Assistance of Counsel

Read summary →