Apr 24 2026
5th Cir. 25-50136 Per Curiam

United States v. Vaughn

The Fifth Circuit affirmed Vickiel Vincent Vaughn's conviction and sentence for conspiracy to transport illegal aliens, ruling that text messages used as evidence were non-testimonial under the Confrontation Clause. The court further held that the district court did not commit plain error by failing to make individualized sentencing findings for a within-Guidelines sentence.

Apr 23 2026
8th Cir. 25-1339 Panel Decision

United States of America v. Matthew David Keirans

The Eighth Circuit affirmed Matthew Keirans's 144-month prison sentence, rejecting his claim that the district court abused its discretion by weighing the unique harm of his identity theft. The court held that the lower court properly imposed special conditions of supervised release based on Keirans's decades-long pattern of deception and history of mental health and substance abuse issues.

Apr 22 2026
4th Cir. 24-4530 Per Curiam

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA v. GREGORY LARGENT

The Fourth Circuit affirmed the revocation of Gregory Largent's supervised release and his 18-month prison sentence, rejecting his claim that the district court erred by modifying a contact condition without a separate hearing. The court held that Largent failed to demonstrate plain error, as he had counsel and an opportunity to present evidence during the proceeding.