relevant-conduct

48 cases — ← All topics

Case Title Lower Court Docketed Status Flags Tags Question Presented
24-6753 John Martin v. United States Second Circuit 2025-03-12 Denied Response WaivedIFP criminal-activity joint-enterprise reasonably-foreseeable relevant-conduct second-circuit sentencing-guidelines Whether the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit incorrectly interpreted the Sentencing Guidelines' relevant conduct provisions for j…
24-5882 Tyrone Greenfield v. United States Fourth Circuit 2024-10-31 Denied Response WaivedIFP criminal-history judicial-discretion miscalculation procedural-error relevant-conduct sentencing Whether a sentence may be sustained if it relies upon an obvious and gross miscalculation pertaining to alleged wrongdoing that results in incorrect r…
24-5071 Dennis German v. United States Seventh Circuit 2024-07-12 Denied Response WaivedIFP 4th-amendment 5th-amendment 8th-amendment criminal-procedure due-process effective-assistance eighth-amendment fifth-amendment relevant-conduct sentencing sentencing-guidelines (1). Weather the Government violated the Petitioner's 8th Amendment. Constitutional Rights (To be free from infliction of Cruel and Unusual Punishm…
23-1188 Jonathon Owen Shroyer v. United States District of Columbia 2024-05-03 Denied Response Waived appeal-waiver first-amendment free-speech protected-speech relevant-conduct relevant-offense-conduct sentencing substantive-reasonableness 1. Whether a prison sentence imposed as a result of the consideration of protected speech as "relevant offense conduct" violates the First Amendment a…
23-7304 Michael Anthony Granado v. United States Sixth Circuit 2024-04-25 Denied Response WaivedIFP criminal-law due-process firearms firearms-possession music-videos relevant-conduct sentencing-guidelines sixth-circuit uncharged-offenses The United States Sentencing Guidelines directs courts to use uncharged offenses in its calculation of a defendant's guideline range if the uncharged…
23-7097 Travis C. Crosby v. United States Eleventh Circuit 2024-03-28 Denied Response WaivedIFP conspiracy criminal-evidence criminal-procedure due-process eleventh-circuit evidence fraud fraud-charges ppp-loans relevant-conduct rule-404b sentencing (1) Whether the Eleventh Circuit erred in finding that the district court did not abuse its discretion by admitting Rule 404 (b) evidence of fraudulen…
23-5605 Alfred John McDonald v. United States Fifth Circuit 2023-09-18 Denied Response WaivedIFP criminal-history drug-quantity due-process evidence-standard hemp marijuana procedural-fairness relevant-conduct 1. Whether McDonald's right to due process was violated when the drug quantity attributed to McDonald was based in part on vague ledgers, unrebutted e…
23-5583 Fernando Lopez v. United States Fifth Circuit 2023-09-14 Denied Response WaivedIFP crime-of-violence double-counting felon-in-possession fifth-amendment preponderance-of-the-evidence preponderance-standard relevant-conduct sentencing sixth-amendment L. Whether alleged possession of a different gun 17 months after Mr. Lopez's charged felon-in-possession offense constituted relevant conduct? I. Whe…
22-7814 Joshua E. Preece v. United States Sixth Circuit 2023-06-20 Denied Response WaivedIFP chapter-four criminal-history criminal-law due-process federal-sentencing-guidelines recidivism recidivist-enhancement relevant-conduct sentencing sentencing-guidelines statutory-interpretation united-states-sentencing-commission Do the relevant conduct principles of USSG § 1B1.3 govern application of Chapter Four recidivist enhancements?
22-7498 Joel Armando Rodriguez v. United States Fourth Circuit 2023-05-09 Denied Response WaivedIFP cooperating-defendants cooperating-witnesses criminal-procedure drug-weight fourth-circuit methamphetamine offense-level plea-bargaining relevant-conduct sentencing-guidelines WHETHER THE DISTRICT COURT IMPROPERLY EXPANDED GUIDELINE § 1B1.3 BY INCLUDING AS RELEVANT DRUG WEIGHT UNCORROBORATED STATEMENTS OF TWO COOPERATING DEF…
22-6264 Randall Eddie Mellon v. United States Eleventh Circuit 2022-12-09 Denied IFP administrative-law agency-deference auer-deference circuit-split judicial-review relevant-conduct seminole-rock-deference sentencing-guidelines statutory-interpretation In Stinson v. United States, 508 U.S. 36 (1998), this Court held that Seminole Rock deference, now Auer deference, applies to interpretive or explanat…
22-6255 Deonte Courtez Gates v. United States Sixth Circuit 2022-12-08 Denied Response WaivedIFP blakely-v-washington circuit-court-conflict constitutional-interpretation eighth-amendment federal-law juvenile-defendant relevant-conduct sentencing-guidelines L. Whether the relevant conduct sentencing guideline is unconstitutional under the Eighth Amendment as applied to conduct committed by a juvenile defe…
22-5730 Quincy Campbell v. United States Seventh Circuit 2022-10-03 Denied Response WaivedIFP appellate-review burden-of-proof coconspirator-testimony criminal-procedure due-process judicial-error relevant-conduct sentencing sentencing-guidelines I. Whether the district court erred by sentencing the Defendant to one twenty (120) months in light of the circumstances of the case ? II. Whether th…
22-5421 Henry Wilke Eilders v. United States Eighth Circuit 2022-08-22 Denied Response WaivedIFP conspiracy criminal-history drug-conspiracy drug-offenses federal-sentencing-guidelines methamphetamine methamphetamine-distribution relevant-conduct sentencing sentencing-enhancement sentencing-guidelines 1. Whether Petitioner's prior methamphetamine related convictions occurring within two years of the conspiracy for distributing methamphetamine should…
22-5338 Chikosi Legins v. United States Fourth Circuit 2022-08-11 Denied Response WaivedIFP 18-usc-1001 apprendi apprendi-rule criminal-law criminal-procedure evidence false-statement relevant-conduct sentencing sentencing-enhancement statutory-maximum sufficiency I. Whether the evidence was sufficient to support the conviction under 18 U.S.C. 1001. II. Whether the defendant was improperly subjected to an enhan…
21-7769 Lonnell Tucker v. United States District of Columbia 2022-05-04 Denied Amici (1)Response WaivedIFP appellate-review base-offense-level circuit-split drug-quantity narcotics-prosecution relevant-conduct sentencing-guidelines standard-of-review Whether the Court should resolve the circuit conflict by requiring de novo review for contested methodologies used to determine Base Offense Levels in…
21-1418 Medardo Queg Santos v. United States Eleventh Circuit 2022-05-04 GVR Response RequestedRelisted (2) controlled-substances expert-testimony good-faith good-faith-defense medical-practice medical-purpose relevant-conduct sentencing sentencing-guidelines 1. If a physician's good faith is a complete defense to a prosecution for prescribing controlled substances without a legitimate medical purpose or ou…
21-6888 Ryan Kenneth Richmond, aka Rich v. United States Fourth Circuit 2022-01-18 Denied Response WaivedIFP appeal-waiver appellate-review attempted-murder criminal-defendant criminal-procedure plea-agreement relevant-conduct sentencing-guidelines I. DOES A CRIMINAL DEFENDANT'S WAIVER OF HIS RIGHT TO APPEAL A WITHIN GUIDELINE'S SENTENCE BAR APPELLATE REVIEW WHERE THE DISTRICT COURT USED A CROSS …
21-6182 Erick Argueta Larios v. United States First Circuit 2021-11-04 Denied Response WaivedIFP clear-and-convincing-evidence criminal-procedure due-process federal-district-court relevant-conduct sentencing sentencing-enhancement Whether a federal district court may use relevant conduct not proven by clear and convincing evidence to disproportionately raise a defendant's senten…
21-6148 Lonnie Earl Parlor v. United States Ninth Circuit 2021-11-02 Denied Response WaivedIFP criminal-sentencing drug-trafficking enhancement-factors firearm-possession firearms relevant-conduct sentencing-guidelines specific-offense-characteristics statutory-maximum uncharged-conduct This case presents unsettled and important questions related to the scope and application of "relevant conduct" to prove specific offense characterist…
21-633 Gustavo Placancia-Rosendo v. United States Fifth Circuit 2021-10-29 Denied Response Waived acceptance-of-responsibility burden-of-proof criminal-procedure due-process plea-agreement relevant-conduct sentencing standard-of-proof A defendant who pleads guilty will face a presentence investigation report, the results of which will guide the District Court in affixing sentence. A…
21-5985 DeCarlos Titington v. United States Sixth Circuit 2021-10-15 Denied Response WaivedIFP concurrent-sentences constitutional-rights criminal-sentencing discharged-sentences due-process equal-protection relevant-conduct sentencing-guidelines undischarged-sentences The federal Sentencing Guidelines treat discharged and undischarged sentences based on conduct relevant to a case before the court for sentencing diff…
21-5518 John Perez v. United States Fifth Circuit 2021-08-30 Denied Response WaivedIFP atascosa-county base-offense-level criminal-procedure drug-distribution drug-quantity mass-marketing relevant-conduct sentencing-enhancement sentencing-guidelines traffic-stop I. Was it improper for the Court to find the base offense level was 34 because Mr. Perez should only have been held accountable for the 15 pounds of "…
20-8400 Daryl Wendell Barley v. United States Fourth Circuit 2021-06-24 Denied Response WaivedIFP clear-and-convincing-evidence criminal-procedure effective-assistance-of-counsel evidence-standard first-step-act preponderance-of-evidence relevant-conduct sec-404 sentencing-reduction sixth-amendment 1. Whether the "clear and convincing evidence standard" should be used instead of the "preponderance of evidence standard" when determining the releva…
20-8002 Jason Andrew Cavazos v. United States Fifth Circuit 2021-05-12 Denied Response WaivedIFP appellate-review criminal-sentencing plain-error relevant-conduct sex-offense u.s.s.g.-§2g1.3(b)(4) Whether the court of appeals failed to properly apply the plain error analysis to the question of whether the sentencing court erred by including a tw…
20-1565 Michael Ryan Mitchan v. United States Fifth Circuit 2021-05-11 Denied Response Waived confrontation-clause criminal-procedure due-process hearsay hearsay-evidence relevant-conduct sentencing-guidelines 1. Should defendants in criminal cases be permitted to confront witnesses against them at sentencing when their uncorroborated hearsay statements are …
20-7475 Corry Jessie v. United States Fifth Circuit 2021-03-17 Denied Response WaivedIFP conviction enhancement extraneous-offense felony relevant-conduct sentencing-guidelines I. Did the district court err when it applied a 4- level enhancement for "in connection with another felony offense" based on a finding that a prior, …
20-7177 Sandra Doyle v. United States Fifth Circuit 2021-02-19 Denied Response WaivedIFP acceptance-of-responsibility criminal-procedure due-process post-arrest-interview prosecutorial-discretion relevant-conduct safety-valve sentencing witness-testimony 1. Is it a denial of due process to sentence petitioner to additional imprisonment based on a finding that she lied or minimized in her safety-valve i…
20-6655 Alonso Sanchez Ochoa v. United States Fifth Circuit 2020-12-21 Denied Response WaivedIFP consecutive-sentence criminal-sentencing defense-counsel district-court pre-sentence-report probation-officer relevant-conduct sentencing 1. Is it reasonable for a District court to order a consecutive sentence despite an agreement among Probation Officer, Pre-Sentence Report Addendum, a…
20-5910 Robert Coleman v. United States Fifth Circuit 2020-10-05 Denied Response WaivedIFP civil-rights constitutional-law constitutional-rights criminal-procedure due-process fifth-amendment relevant-conduct sentencing sentencing-enhancement statutory-interpretation 1. What Conateude celevank Conduck 2° Ad. \Nhen does teledant Conduck become Celevant Conduct do dhe inslant S¥Sense oF conuicheon Yo be used to enha…
20-5894 Jorge Eduardo Nava v. United States Fifth Circuit 2020-10-02 Denied Response WaivedIFP criminal-liability criminal-sentencing due-process fifth-amendment preponderance-of-evidence relevant-conduct sentencing-guidelines standard-of-proof unrelated-offense Nava's federal Guideline sentencing range for his cocaine convictions was increased by 11 to 16 years' imprisonment based on the judge's finding by on…
20-5890 Willie R. Benton, Jr. v. United States Sixth Circuit 2020-10-02 Denied Response WaivedIFP criminal-procedure drug-conspiracy due-process mistake-of-fact relevant-conduct sentencing sixth-circuit Is a criminal defendant denied Due Process of Law when the sentencing Court in a drug conspiracy case determines that a quantity of a substance should…
20-5759 Charles C. Williamson v. United States Fourth Circuit 2020-09-18 Denied Response WaivedIFP accomplice-liability criminal-procedure drug-quantity drug-weight judicial-interpretation relevant-conduct sentencing-guidelines standard-of-review statutory-interpretation WHETHER THE DISTRICT COURT AND CIRCUIT COURT MISINTERPRETED AND MISAPPLIED THE "RELEVANT CONDUCT" PROVISIONS OF UNITED STATES SENTENCING COMMISSION, G…
20-5540 Ugunda Giovanni Sanders v. United States Sixth Circuit 2020-08-31 Denied Response WaivedIFP conspiracy-charge constructive-amendment double-jeopardy due-process fifth-amendment grand-jury plea-agreement plea-bargaining prosecutorial-discretion relevant-conduct The Government charged Sanders with a conspiracy taking place on June 28, 2017. When Sanders pled guilty the Government reserved the right to charge h…
20-133 Joseph Michael Diaz v. United States Eleventh Circuit 2020-08-07 Denied Response Waived child-pornography criminal-appeal eleventh-circuit evidentiary-hearing ineffective-assistance ineffective-assistance-of-counsel notice-of-appeal relevant-conduct sentencing-guidelines sexual-contact Whether the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals erred in holding that counsel was not ineffective assistance for failing to object to the application of…
19-1407 Mercy O. Ainabe v. United States Fifth Circuit 2020-06-24 Denied Response Waived corporate-entities health-care-claims health-care-fraud loss-calculation medicare medicare-fraud relevant-conduct sentencing-guidelines victim-definition (1) Whether the Medicare beneficiaries whose health care treatments form the basis of fraudulent Medicare claims fit the definition of "victims" for p…
19-7557 Lance Yarbough v. United States Third Circuit 2020-02-05 Denied Response WaivedIFP criminal-activity double-jeopardy drug-conspiracy jointly-undertaken-criminal-activity relevant-conduct sentencing statutory-minimum substantive-offenses successive-prosecution 1. Where a prosecution for drug conspiracy under 21 U.S.C. §846 is successive to separate sentences for substantive offenses that are included in the …
19-7430 Richard L. Bryant v. United States Fourth Circuit 2020-01-27 Denied Response WaivedIFP alleyne apprendi apprendi-alleyne apprendi-alleyne-rule drug-distribution-conspiracy fair-sentencing-act fair-sentencing-act-2010 first-step-act first-step-act-2018 relevant-conduct retroactive-sentencing sentencing-reduction statutory-ranges 1. Whether a Defendant convicted by a jury of a drug distribution conspiracy involving multiple controlled substances, whose sentence has never been r…
19-6619 Genesis Lee Whitted v. United States Fourth Circuit 2019-11-13 Denied Response WaivedIFP base-offense-level criminal-procedure drug-quantity drug-weight fourth-circuit indictment relevant-conduct sentencing-guidelines sentencing-guidelines-1b1.3 time-interval WHETHER THE DISTRICT COURT IMPROPERLY EXPANDED GUIDELINE § 1B1.3 BY INCLUDING DRUG AMOUNTS ASSOCIATED WITH CONDUCT OCCURRING SIGNIFICANTLY OUTSIDE THE…
18-8079 Christopher Loran Bentley v. United States Eleventh Circuit 2019-02-22 Denied Response WaivedIFP abuse-of-discretion acceptance-of-responsibility criminal-sentencing judicial-discretion notice-requirement relevant-conduct sentencing-guidelines sentencing-reasonableness statutory-maximum substantive-reasonableness upward-departure 1. WHETHER THE DISTRICT COURT ERRED IN SENTENCING MR. BENTLEY TO A STATUTORY MAXIMUM OF 120 MONTHS IN THAT SUCH SENTENCE WAS GREATER THAN NECESSARY TO…
18-7978 Raymond Amerson v. United States Eighth Circuit 2019-02-14 Denied Response WaivedIFP all-writs-act audita-querela clarification criminal-procedure jurisdictional-review relevant-conduct sentencing-guidelines united-states-v-morgan Whether an ALL WRITS ACT Petition pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1651 (Audita Querela) fills the GAP where a Defendant [does not] have no other appropriate v…
18-7084 Anthony Steven Young v. United States Sixth Circuit 2018-12-18 Denied Response WaivedIFP abuse-of-discretion child-pornography close-scrutiny criminal-sentencing district-court-discretion internet-access relevant-conduct sentencing sentencing-guidelines standard-of-review ussg-2g2.2 1. What standard of review applies to the district court's decision to use the guideline for receiving or distributing child pornography to sentence …
18-6900 Jacob Scott Watters v. United States Eighth Circuit 2018-12-07 Denied Response WaivedIFP child-pornography commerce-clause constitutional-limits criminal-law predicate-offense relevant-conduct sentencing-guidelines statutory-interpretation unconstitutional-law visual-depictions As written, and by the actual language used in the Statute, is 18 U.S.C. §2251(a) in excess of Congress' Powers under the Commerce Clause to. regulate…
18-6518 Gregory Crum v. United States Fourth Circuit 2018-10-31 Denied Response WaivedIFP abuse-of-discretion criminal-procedure district-court-discretion drug-crimes drug-offense drug-offenses foreign-origin leadership-enhancement methamphetamine relevant-conduct sentencing sentencing-guidelines standard-of-review I. Whether the district court abused its discretion in determining relevant conduct. 2; Whether Greg Crum should receive a leadership enhancement. 3…
18-6389 Anthony Lomax v. United States Seventh Circuit 2018-10-19 Denied Response WaivedIFP attempted-murder buyer-seller career-offender conspiracy crime-of-violence criminal-history drug-quantity heroin-attribution relevant-conduct sentencing sentencing-guidelines I. Despite the dismissal of Anthony Lomax's conspiracy charge, during sentencing the district court assigned 16.8 kilograms of heroin to him. While a …
18-5917 John Doe v. United States Third Circuit 2018-09-07 Denied Response WaivedIFP appellate-review connected-conduct criminal-procedure federal-offense nexus obstruction obstructive-act reckless-endangerment relevant-conduct sentencing-guidelines Whether the Court of Appeals erred by affirming the judgment of the District Court, which incorrectly applied the Sentencing Guidelines when it impose…
18-5388 Albert William Roberts, III v. United States Eighth Circuit 2018-07-30 Denied Response WaivedRelisted (2)IFP acquittal acquitted-conduct criminal-procedure double-jeopardy-clause due-process relevant-conduct sentencing sixth-amendment united-states-v-watts watts-precedent Question Number One: We hold that an acquitted count that incorporates all of the succeeding counts of an indictment retains its acquitted status whe…
18-5121 Leslie Dominic Musgrove v. United States Fourth Circuit 2018-07-05 Denied Response RequestedResponse WaivedRelisted (2)IFP acquitted-conduct drug-quantity due-process jury-verdict nelson-v-colorado preponderance-of-evidence preponderance-of-the-evidence relevant-conduct sentencing sixth-amendment Question # 1 Whether it is a Sixth Amendment and Due Process violation for a judge at sentencing to attribute acquitted and relevant conduct by a pr…