Federal Defenders of New York Second Circuit Blog

Circuit Reverses Alien’s Section 1326(a) Conviction: Defendant Was Not “Found In” the United States

United States v. Vasquez Macias, No. 12-3908-cr (2d Cir. Jan. 14, 2014) (Pooler, Raggi, and Wesley), available here The defendant, a citizen of Honduras, was convicted after a jury trial of being “found in the United States” illegally after he was deported from the United States, in violation of 8 U.S.C.§ 1326(a). The Circuit reversed the … Read more

Pro Se Appeal Fails on All Eight Grounds

United States v. Razzoli, No. 13-126(L) (2d Cir. Dec. 23, 2013) (Raggi, Chin, and Droney) (summary order), available here Convicted of willfully and forcibly interfering with the performance of duties of Deputy United States Marshals, the defendant appealed pro se. The Court rejected all eight of his arguments: First, the district court properly denied the defendant’s … Read more

Circuit Affirms Top-of-the-Range Sentence for Violation of Supervised Release

United States v. Morris, No. 12-4796-cr (2d Cir. Dec. 23, 2013) (Pooler, Parker, and Chin) (summary order), available here The defendant violated supervised release by leaving the judicial district without permission. He was sentenced to 14 months of imprisonment, the top of the advisory range, and a new 22-month term of supervised release. The Circuit held … Read more

District Court Did Not Commit Plain Error By Excluding Evidence of Lenders’ Negligence

United States v. Isola, No. 12-3484-cr (2d Cir. Dec. 23, 2013) (Pooler, Parker, and Chin) (summary order), available here Convicted of wire fraud, the defendant claimed that the district court committed by plain error by not allowing him to present evidence concerning the negligence of the financial institutions he defrauded. He argued that the evidence was … Read more

Evidence of Drug Trafficking in Arizona Was Admissible Against Defendant Charged With Conspiring to Distribute Drugs in Vermont “and Elsewhere.”

United States v. DeLaRosa, No. 12-4188-cr (2d Cir. Dec. 20, 2013) (Cabranes, Wesley, and Livingston) (summary order), available here DeLaRosa was convicted of conspiring with John Brooker and others to distribute drugs in Vermont “and elsewhere” from 2006 to “on or about June 16, 2009.” On appeal, he argued principally that the district court erred by … Read more

Evidence Sufficient To Support Drug Conspiracy Conviction

United States v. Gonzalez, No. 12-5075-cr (2d Cir. Dec. 20, 2013) (Pooler, Parker, and Wesley) (summary order), available here Gonzalez was convicted of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute cocaine base. He argued on appeal that the evidence was insufficient to prove his guilt. But the Circuit affirmed, holding that the testimony of … Read more

Failure to Order Competency Hearing Was Not Abuse of Discretion

United States v. Harry, No. 12-3623-cr (2d Cir. Dec. 19, 2013) (Pooler, Parker, and Wesley) (summary order), available here Convicted of threatening to harm the family of a United States Probation Officer, the defendant was sentenced principally to 46 months of imprisonment. He argued on appeal that the district court should have ordered a competency hearing … Read more

Comparing Defendants with Different Criminal Histories Did Not Give Rise to Procedural Error at Sentencing

UNITED STATES V. JOHNSON, NO. 12-5094-cr (2D CIR. DEC. 16, 2013) (KATZMANN, WINTER, AND CALABRESI) (SUMMARY ORDER), AVAILABLE HERE The defendant in this appeal challenged his sentence as procedurally and substantively unreasonable. He pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of firearms and received 3 years’ prison. At sentencing, the district court compared him … Read more

Internally Inconsistent Testimony by Defendant at Fatico Hearing Supported Adverse Credibility Finding

UNITED STATES V. NUNEZ, ET. AL., NO. 11-5019-cv (2D CIR. DEC. 16, 2013) (LIVINGSTON, LYNCH, AND HOHIER) (SUMMARY ORDER), AVAILABLE HERE The defendant in this appeal challenged his sentence as procedurally unreasonable.  Specifically, he claimed that the district court erroneously denied him safety valve relief, held him responsible for 5 to 15 kilograms of cocaine, … Read more

Good Faith Exception Applied to Warrantless Use of GPS Tracking Device for Six Months in 2009

UNITED STATES V. AGUIAR, ET. AL., NOS. 11-5262-CR (L), 11-5329-CR (CON), 11-5330-cr (CON) (2D CIR. DEC. 13, 2013) (JACOBS, POOLER, AND HALL), AVAILABLE HERE The Court in this published opinion denied defendant’s multiple claims of error by the district court arising out of Rule 12 and post-trial motions. The most predominant issue involved the government’s … Read more