A Florida man was convicted by a jury of trafficking a 14-year-old girl out of a motel room over a two-month period. Sex offenders receive the highest average sentences at the federal level except for murder. They now constitute the third-largest group of offenders housed by the federal Bureau of Prisons at over 15,000 inmates,
A group of Chinese nationals has pleaded guilty to conspiring with U.S. citizens to enter into sham marriages with foreign nationals for purposes of evading immigration laws. Citizens were each paid $25,000 for their marriage to the foreign nationals. Conspiracy carries a five-year statutory maximum penalty. https://www.justice.gov/usao-nm/pr/naturalized-us-citizen-residing-albuquerque-pleads-guilty-federal-marriage-fraud-charge
On October 20, 2017, in a published opinion, the U.S. Court of Appeals affirmed a 51-month sentence for a defendant who was convicted by a jury of using a scheme involving the purchase of hundreds of money orders to evade taxes on income from her business. From 2006-2016, there were 4,983 individuals sentenced under the tax
Prisoners Face Uncertainty As Number Of Halfway Houses Are Cut by Carrie Johnson NPR – October 20, 2017 [Copyright 2017 NPR]… http://www.npr.org/2017/10/20/559134568/prisoners-face-uncertainty-as-number-of-halfway-houses-are-cut?sc=17&f=1003&utm_source=iosnewsapp&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=app
The DC Circuit Court of Appeals held last August that FOIA waivers in plea agreements are unenforceable as a matter of public policy. As the Court recognized, sometimes FOIA is the last best option for criminal defendants to obtain proof that their convictions or sentences are unconstitutional due to ineffective assistance of counsel. FOIA provides
An Air Force base employee was sentenced to 10 years’ imprisonment on Monday, Oct. 16, 2017, after pleading guilty to attempted online enticement of a minor. According to U.S. Sentencing Commission data, from 2006-2016 there were 466 individuals sentenced under 2G1.1 in Criminal History Category I who pleaded guilty. The average sentence was 23
A Texas attorney was convicted by a jury of engaging in an international money laundering conspiracy. He was sentenced Monday, October 16, 2017 to 25 years imprisonment. His female business partner was sentenced to a record 40 years. According to U.S. Sentencing Commission data, between 2006 and 2016 there were 3,215 defendants convicted by trial
Section 3553(a)(6) of Title 18 of the U.S. Code provides that judges must consider “the need to avoid unwarranted sentence disparities among defendants with similar records who have been found guilty of similar conduct” when imposing sentence. It is important for counsel to be aware that establishing unwarranted disparity among similarly situated defendants is not