Author: Darren Kramer

SentencingStats.com Joins NVIDIA Inception Program to Enhance Machine Learning-Based Sentencing Analytics

By Darren Kramer

SentencingStats.com, a leader in federal sentencing and prison analytics, today announced its acceptance into NVIDIA Inception, an exclusive accelerator supporting startups at the forefront of artificial intelligence, data science, and high-performance computing. This partnership underscores SentencingStats’ commitment to transforming federal sentencing into a more equitable and transparent process through advanced machine learning capabilities.

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Biden’s Final Days: Examining the Pardon Power

By Darren Kramer

Biden’s Final Days: Examining the Pardon Power

As President Biden’s term wraps up in January 2025, his active use of executive pardons and commutations has drawn significant attention. In just the last month, Biden has issued numerous pardons, highlighting both the potential and the flaws of the U.S. pardon system. While some applaud his efforts to address injustices, critics point out that the system remains broken, leaving many deserving inmates without relief.

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2024 U.S. Sentencing Guideline Amendments: A Front Row Seat to the Kabuki Theatre

By Darren Kramer

On November 1, 2024, several amendments to the United States Sentencing Guidelines took effect. Some of these changes are significant, offering advantages to the defense, while others are less beneficial.

However, ultimately, this process amounts to nothing more than “Kabuki Theatre,” meaning the tortured guideline applications become merely performative, because 18 U.S.C. § 3553, enables discerning judges to overlook the sentencing recommendations provided by the guidelines.

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Bloomberg News Quotes Mark Allenbaugh Regarding Sentencing Commission Policy Test in the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals

By Darren Kramer

Bloomberg Law asked our President and Chief Research Officer, Mark Allenbaugh, to weigh in on a significant legal challenge to the U.S. Sentencing Commission’s policy on compassionate release. This policy allows courts to consider nonretroactive changes in law when evaluating requests for sentence reductions, a critical tool for addressing outdated sentences. However, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) argues that this policy exceeds the Commission’s statutory authority, claiming it effectively makes nonretroactive laws retroactive.

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Law360: Ex-Chicago Politician’s Case May Further Curb Fraud Theories

By Darren Kramer
future of federal fraud

Will Thompson v. United States Redefine Fraud Laws?

The Supreme Court’s Thompson v. United States could redefine federal fraud law, specifically limiting charges to explicit falsehoods. Currently, misleading statements—even half-truths—are often treated as fraud, but Thompson challenges this interpretation, highlighting a split between circuits. If the Court narrows the definition, fraud prosecutions may only target direct lies, impacting both charges and plea deals.

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Post-Chevron: The End of Sentencing Guidelines: A New Era for Justice

By Darren Kramer

In their thought-provoking guest article in Law 360, “Post-Chevron, Good Riddance to the Sentencing Guidelines,” co-authors Mark Allenbaugh, Doug Passon, and Alan Ellis dive deep into the implications of the Supreme Court’s recent decision in Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo. This landmark case has effectively dismantled the long-standing Chevron doctrine, which traditionally granted deference to agency interpretations of ambiguous statutes.

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