Topic
Every decision we've filed under Sentencing Guidelines.
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.
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.
The Ninth Circuit affirmed a 12-month prison sentence imposed on Christopher Joseph Antoun following the second revocation of his supervised release. The court held that the district court provided sufficient reasons for varying above the Sentencing Guidelines and that the sentence was substantively reasonable under federal law.
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.
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.
The Sixth Circuit reversed the dismissal of ERISA claims alleging that pension plans used outdated mortality data to calculate benefits for married participants.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.
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.
The Sixth Circuit affirmed the revocation of Terrell Williams's supervised release and his 30-month prison sentence after he committed fraud, faked drug tests, and drove with a suspended license. The court held that the district court properly considered Williams's breach of trust and the need for public protection when imposing the enhanced penalty.
The Sixth Circuit affirmed the convictions and sentences of Dayton Peterson and John Lohden for kidnapping, robbery, and impersonating a federal officer. The court rejected challenges regarding the admission of text messages, the scope of the search, and the sufficiency of the evidence supporting the defendants' violent scheme.
The Sixth Circuit affirmed the convictions and sentences of Dayton Peterson and John Lohden, Jr., for kidnapping, robbery, and impersonating an officer. The court rejected the defendants' challenges to the admission of text messages, the sufficiency of evidence, and the propriety of their joint trial.