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Tuesday, April 27, 2021

District Court procedurally erred in rejecting leadership and obstruction enhancements and neither error was harmless. Yet, each enhancement required further factfinding so that the Third Circuit would not order these enhancements be applied on remand either.

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  In United States v. Francis Raia , 2021 WL 1257790, Appeal No. 20-1033 (3d Cir. Apr. 6, 2021), https://www2.ca3.uscourts.gov/opinarch/2010...

Insufficient evidence for criminal contempt, underlying District Court order invalid because it compelled testimony in violation of Fifth Amendment

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  In United States v. Nilda Morton , 2021 WL 1287562, Appeal No. 18-3270 (3d Cir. Apr. 7, 2021),  https://www2.ca3.uscourts.gov/opinarch/183...
Friday, March 19, 2021

Amendment 801 to § 2G2.2(b)(3)(F) is a substantive change to the Guidelines, and does not apply retroactively under § 2255

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United States v. Maximus Prophet , 2021 WL 800384 (Mar. 3, 2021),  https://www2.ca3.uscourts.gov/opinarch/183776p.pdf             Prior to...

ATT HAR / HAR Crimes of Violence under Section 924(c); Good Faith Exception to Warrant Requirement; Confrontation Clause on Work involving Collaboration

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United States v. Walker , 2021 WL 833994 (Mar. 5, 2021) (Jordan, Krause, Roth),  https://www2.ca3.uscourts.gov/opinarch/154062p.pdf         ...
Sunday, February 28, 2021

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    Failure to group certain counts as required by the Sentencing Guidelines is plain error requiring resentencing even if the sentencing co...
Tuesday, February 09, 2021

District court erred by: (1) failing to inquire into reasons for defendant's dissatisfaction with appointed counsel; (2) failing to make independent determination regarding consulation between defendant and appointed counsel about PSR; (3) imposing certain conditions of supervised release; and imposing special assessment under JVTA

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 Defendant Charles Senke was convicted after trial for attempted sex offenses involving a minor. He raised four objections on appeal. The Th...

Despite equitable concerns, property was not subject to criminal forfeiture where third party's interest in forfeited property was superior to defendant's interest

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Defendant Lucas was convicted of wire fraud and related offenses for attempting to take control of Burke Farm. Lucas consented to forfeiture...

Heightened standard of proof for "willfully" element does not apply to every charge brought under the Federal Election Commission Act (FECA)

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 Defendant Smukler was convicted on multiple charges of fraud and false statements under the Federal Election Commission Act (FECA). On appe...
Thursday, January 21, 2021

Convictions vacated against bank executives: government must prove a statement false under each objectively reasonable interpretation of an ambiguous reporting requirement

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United States v. Harra , --- F.3d ---, 2021 WL 97446, Appeal Nos. 19-1105, 19-1136, 19-1190, 19-1237 (Jan. 12, 2021);  https://www2.ca3.usco...

Enticement of a minor and travel case: sufficient evidence, no misstatement of law, no entrapment, no plain error in sentencing enhancement for misrepresenting age and sexual orientation

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United States v. Davis , --- F.3d ----,   2021 WL 97427 , Appeal No.   19-1696 (3d Cir. Jan. 12, 2021);  https://www2.ca3.uscourts.gov/opin...
Friday, June 28, 2019

Court of Appeals joins eight other Circuit Courts in finding legal innocence to be a valid basis for motion to withdraw guilty plea. But in doing so, affirms denial of motion because there was no credible evidence presented of innocence. Assertions alone are insufficient.

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In United States v. James, No. 18-2569 (June 27, 2019), the Court of Appeals, through an opinion by Judge Jordan, affirmed the denial of de...
Wednesday, June 26, 2019

Officer's pre-Miranda comment to defendant that his girlfriend would also be charged criminally was not the functional equivalent of interrogation which would warrant suppression of defendant's inculpatory response.

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In United States v. Tyrone Greene , (No.18-2923)(June 25, 2019) the Court of Appeals through an opinion by Judge Hardiman affirmed the denia...
Tuesday, June 25, 2019

Mandatory Consecutive Sentence for Aggravated Identity Theft Does Not Foreclose Enhancement of Underlying Sentence for Use of Device-Making Equipment in Stealing IDs

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In United States v. A.M . , No. 18-1120 (June 20, 2019), the Court holds that defendants subject to a mandatory two-year prison sentence f...
Monday, May 20, 2019

Sixth Amendment Speedy Trial Right not Triggered by Inmate’s Placement in Administrative Segregation for Investigation of New Crime

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In United States v. James Bailey-Snyder , No. 18-1601 (3d Cir., May 3, 2019), Defendant, an inmate at FCI Schuylkill, was under investigat...

Hobbs Act Robbery is Crime of Violence under 18 U.S.C. § 924(c), but Not Crime of Violence under the Career-Offender Guideline U.S.S.G. § 4B1.2

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In United States v. Raul Rodriguez , Nos. 18-1606 and 18-1664 (3d Cir., May 1, 2019), Defendant pled guilty one count each of Hobbs Act ...
Tuesday, April 02, 2019

Drug Quantity Proof / Evidence at Sentencing

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In United States v. Rowe , No. 18-1192 (Apr. 2, 2019) , the Third Circuit vacated the defendant's conviction for distribution and posses...
Saturday, March 09, 2019

Jurisdiction of the Virgin Island District Courts / Limitation on cross based on Rule 403

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Ayala was convicted in the District Court of the Virgin Islands of federal Hobbs Act robbery and conspiracy, use of a firearm during the c...

Excludable time for competency determination under STA does not automatically include delay for transportation beyond ten days; delay in transport found unreasonable and therefore not excludable.

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On January 28, 2014, Williams was charged by information with federal and VI firearms offenses.  Prior to arraignment, Williams's counse...
Friday, March 08, 2019

District Court’s sua sponte continuance did not validly exclude time under STA

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Following his conviction for wire fraud and aggravated identity theft, Reese appealed his conviction, in part based on a claim that his tria...
Wednesday, March 06, 2019

Good Faith Exception Applies to pre-Carpenter Seizures of Cell Site Location Information (CSLI) Under the Stored Communications Act (SCA).

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             Appellant Jay Goldstein had moved to suppress cell site location information (CSLI), in the District Court, arguing a viola...