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Criminal Law

Fourth Circuit Blog

Case summaries and commentary by a federal defender in the 4th Circuit.
By Jonathan Byrne

Post Frequency: 3.6/day

Last Entry: October 14, 2020 at 11:09:00

Warrantless Entry Into Home OK When Searching for Child's Custodian

Posted on November 15, 2010
US v. Taylor: This is an odd Fourth Amendment case. An officer is called to a parking lot in Richmond by a taxi driver who has found a 4-year-old girl wandering the streets alone. The driver pointed out a nearby row house to the officer which the girl had told the driver was her home...

NC Indecent Liberties Conviction Can Trigger ACCA

Posted on September 28, 2010
US v. Vann: Vann pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm. At the time, he had three prior North Carolina convictions for taking indecent liberties with a child. At sentencing, he objected to the use of those convictions as predicates under Armed Career Criminal Act, arguing that in light of Begay and subsequent Fourth Circuit law, they were not "violent felonies" for ACCA purposes...

Divided Court Strikes Down Forced Medication Order

Posted on September 28, 2010
US v. White: White was charged with conspiracy, credit card fraud, and identity theft. She suffers from Delusional Disorder, Grandiose Type. After a motion was filed to determine her competency, it was found (and everyone agreed) that White was not competent to stand trial...

Non-Expert DEA Testimony About Phone Call Meaning Requires Reversal

Posted on August 19, 2010
US v. Johnson: Johnson was charged in a multi-defendant indictment with conspiracy to distribute cocaine. At trial the Government presented non-expert testimony from a DEA agent that included testimony interpreting phrases in phone conversations between Johnson and an informant...

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Lawyer Never Told to Appeal Not Ineffective For Failing to Do So

Posted on August 19, 2010
US v. Cooper: Cooper was charged with two drug counts and carrying a firearm in connection with a drug trafficking crime. Although he initially had an agreement with the Government to plead guilty to one drug count and the 924(c), Cooper eventually entered an Alford plea without an agreement to the charges...

Court Affirms Life and Death Sentences In 3-Defendant Kidnapping/Murder Cases

Posted on August 19, 2010
US v. Wilson & US v. Lighty: These two opinions, released the same day, involve three codefendants - Wilson, Lighty, and Flood - who were involved in a kidnapping that resulted in death. All were charged with kidnapping resulting in death, conspiracy, and three counts of using a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence...

Conflict of Interest Led to Failure to Pursue Departure

Posted on July 13, 2010
US v. Nicholson: Nicholson was arrested in 2001 for being a felon in possession of a firearm. At the time he told police that he got the gun for protection because he feared for his life. That reasoning was never contradicted and even confirmed by the Government during plea and sentencing hearings...

Failure to Request Informant Instruction Ineffective Assistance of Counsel

Posted on July 13, 2010
US v. Luck: Luck was convicted on four counts of drug and firearm violations by a jury. He filed a 2255 challenging his convictions on numerous grounds. After the district court determined that three of the counts were tainted by ineffective assistance of appellate counsel those counts were dismissed by the Government...

Alford Plea Can't Support ACCA Prior

Posted on July 13, 2010
US v. Alston: Alston was convicted of being a felon in possession of a firearm. The PSR suggested that Alston was subject to the 15-year mandatory sentence under the ACCA due to having three prior convictions in Maryland. One of those convictions, for second-degree assault, an offense which may or may not be a "violent felony" under the ACCA, depending on how it is committed...

Courts Affirms Multiple Enhancements for Bringing Gun to Probation Office

Posted on July 13, 2010
US v. Perez: Perez was an illegal alien who was arrested by ICE when he appeared for a meeting with his Maryland state probation officer. A search of his backpack uncovered a loaded handgun and additional ammunition. Perez was charged with and pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm...

Defendant's Appeal Brings Successful Government Cross Appeal

Posted on July 13, 2010
US v. Young: Young was the subject of an investigation that led to the execution of an arrest warrant at his home. Police executed the warrant, arrested Young, and saw some drugs in plain view. They obtained a search warrant and eventually recovered a large amount of cash and cocaine...

Employee Filing False Timesheets With Employer Under NSA Contract Within Scope of 1001

Posted on July 13, 2010
US v. Jackson: Jackson worked for Northrop Grumman, a sub-contractor on a "time-and-materials" contract with the NSA. During his employment, Jackson submitted false timesheets to his employer. He was charged with 20 counts of making false statements under 18 USC 1001...

Single Source of Funds Does Not Preclude Pattern of Illegal Activity

Posted on June 21, 2010
US v. Peterson: Peterson had multiple chiropractic operations in Virginia, the cash proceeds of which she put in a safe deposit box. The amount in the box totaled over $100,000. She also made a series of deposits into her checking account of $9500 or a little less, at the urging of her (now ex) husband to "avoid burdensome paperwork" and arousing the suspicion of law enforcement from large cash deposits made by an Iranian-American...

Routine Military Search of MP3 Player OK Under Fourth Amendment

Posted on June 21, 2010
US v. Rendon: Rendon was in the Army and was transferred from one unit to another at Fort Knox, Kentucky, in order to be processed for a medical discharge. As part of the protocol for coming into a new unit, Rendon's possessions were search, including his MP3 player, which would be "turned on and checked to ensure that the[re] are no graphic materials on them such as pornography...

No Intent to Remain Needed to Establish Venue for Child Support Prosecution

Posted on June 21, 2010
US v. Novak: Novak was the father of two children, one living in California from a previous marriage and one in New York with his (then current) wife. Between 1993 and 2008, he failed to pay more than $120,000 in child support for the California child (plus interest)...

ISP Not Agent of the Government

Posted on June 14, 2010
US v. Richardson: Richardson, a registered sex offender, was discovered to be in possession of child pornography as part of an investigation initiated when his internet service provider, AOL, tipped investigators that particular email accounts (both traced back to Richardson) had transmitted images of child pornography...

False Statement "Material" If It Influences Agency Action

Posted on June 14, 2010
US v. Garcia-Ochoa: Garcia-Ochoa admitted to falsely declaring on I-9 Employment Eligibility Verification Forms that he was either a "citizen or national of the United States" or a "lawful permanent resident" on multiple occasions. For his efforts he was indicted and convicted after a bench trial of making false statements under 18 USC 1001 and 1546(a)...

Court Affirms 60-month Felon In Possession Sentence

Posted on June 07, 2010
US v. Knight: Police came to Knight's North Carolina hotel room and searched it, with her consent. There were three men in the room with her at the time. In the room, police recovered a loaded pistol from under the bed and some marijuana from the toilet...

Vacation of Some ACCA Priors Does Not Guarantee Resentencing

Posted on June 07, 2010
US v. Pettiford: This is an appeal from the district court's granting of Pettiford's 2255 motion, vacating his sentence under the ACCA. At his original sentencing, Pettiford stipulated (as part of the plea agreement) that the ACCA applied to him. A Government notice had identified five prior qualifying convictions...

Evidence Sufficient to Sustain Conspiracy to Kill Informant

Posted on June 07, 2010
US v. Ashley: Ashley shared an attorney with Caruso, who had been arrested and charged with drug offenses. When they were both at their attorney's office, Ashley overheard Caruso complaining about Dixon, who had allegedly been arrested and then provided testimony against Caruso...

Common Law Battery Not Always MCDV

Posted on June 07, 2010
US v. White: White was charged with possessing a firearm after sustaining a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence (MCDV). The underlying offense was a Virginia conviction for domestic battery. In the Commonwealth, "battery" retains its common law definition, and so includes "offensive touching" in addition to an act causing injury...

NASA Security Guard Guilty of Impersonating Federal Officer

Posted on June 07, 2010
US v. Roe: Roe was a privately contracted security guard working at a NASA facility in Maryland. Roe possessed a Maryland handgun permit and state certifications for being a private security guard and private detective. As part of his job, he had the limited authority to arrest and otherwise provide law enforcement services on NASA grounds...

Ex Post Facto Still Applies to Guidelines

Posted on May 27, 2010
US v. Lewis: Lewis was sitting in the driver's seat of a car parked in Richmond when three police officers approached. One of them saw an open beer bottle in the car. When Lewis rolled down the car window, officers smelled marijuana. Lewis was asked to exit the car but refused and had to be "removed ...

2J1.3 Proper Guideline for False Statement In Bankruptcy Petition

Posted on May 17, 2010
US v. Boulware: In 12 years, Boulware filed for bankruptcy 16 times in three separate districts. After the NDGA barred her from filing any additional petitions for five years, Boulware filed for bankruptcy in South Carolina. In her petition, she did not mention any of the petition she had filed in the eight years prior, as required by the petition...

Shepard No Limit When Calculating Guidelines

Posted on May 06, 2010
US v. Dean: Dean pleaded guilty to one count of possession of cocaine with intent to distribute. The probation officer determined that Dean was a career offender based on two prior North Carolina convictions for drug offenses. Dean objected, arguing that the sentences for the two convictions were imposed on the same day and there was no evidence that the offenses were separated by an intervening arrest...

Administrative Subpoena to Yahoo! Poses No Fourth Amendment Problem

Posted on May 06, 2010
US v. Bynum: Federal officers searched Bynum's home (he was living with his parents), pursuant to a warrant, following the investigation of a Yahoo! group to which Bynum had uploaded child pornography. A subsequent search of Bynum's laptop uncovered numerous pieces of child pornography, including those uploaded to the Yahoo! group...

No Plain Error in Application of Sentence Requested by Defendant

Posted on April 28, 2010
US v. Hernandez: Hernandez pleaded guilty to a drug conspiracy and was sentenced to a term of 262 months, at the bottom of the advisory Guidelines. That was the sentence Hernandez argued should be imposed. Nonetheless, he appealed to the Fourth Circuit, arguing that the sentence was procedurally unreasonable because the district court failed to provide a specific rationale for the sentence...

Escape Not Per Se "Violent Felony" Under ACCA

Posted on April 28, 2010
US v. Bethea: Bethea pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm and was sentenced to 180 months in prison under the ACCA. The third qualifying predicate offense was Bethea's prior conviction in South Carolina for escape, which the district court concluded was a "violent felony" under the ACCA...

Guilty Plea Waives Ability to Appeal Forced Medication

Posted on April 28, 2010
US v. Bowles: Bowles was charged with multiple drug and firearm charges. After he requested a psychiatric evaluation, Bowles was diagnosed with multiple mental disorders and determined to be incompetent to stand trial. He was committed for the purpose of restoring his competency...

Rule 41 Does Not Apply to State Officer On State/Federal Task Force

Posted on April 12, 2010
US v. Claridy: Claridy pleaded guilty to drug and gun charges based on evidence seized from his home pursuant to a search warrant. In the district court, he sought to suppress that evidence (and a subsequent statement) because a "federally deputized Baltimore City police officer" who was part of a joint task force obtained the warrant from a state judge without first trying to obtain one from a federal magistrate judge, in violation of Rule 41(b) of the Rules of Criminal Procedure...

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