United States v. Stone

The Eighth Circuit affirmed defendant's above-Guidelines sentence of 60 months in prison after he pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm. The court held that the district court did not abuse its discretion by considering improper factors in determining the sentence. Rather, instead of relying on categorical rules in setting the sentencing, the district court made individualized observations about defendant's past conduct and the need for deterrence in light of defendant's history and personal characteristics. Furthermore, the district court specifically addressed and weighed a number of the 18 U.S.C. 3553(a) factors. View "United States v. Stone" on Justia Law