Justia Criminal Law Opinion Summaries

The case involves Joseph Betro, Mohammed Zahoor, Tariq Omar, and Spilios Pappas, who conspired to defraud Medicare by administering medically unnecessary back injections and bribing patients with opioid prescriptions. They fraudulently billed these injections as “facet injections” to receive higher reimbursements. Additionally, they ordered unnecessary urine drug tests and referred patients to ancillary services in exchange for kickbacks. Despite patient complaints about the ineffectiveness and pain of the injections, the defendants continued their fraudulent practices.A jury in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan convicted the defendants of conspiracy to commit healthcare fraud and wire fraud under 18 U.S.C. § 1349 and healthcare fraud under 18 U.S.C. § 1347. The defendants filed motions for a new trial, which the district court denied. They then appealed their convictions and sentences, raising various challenges related to the prosecution, evidence admission, jury instructions, and sentencing calculations.The United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit reviewed the case and affirmed the district court’s judgments. The court found sufficient evidence to support the jury’s findings that the defendants knowingly participated in the fraudulent scheme. The court also held that the district court did not abuse its discretion in denying the motions for a new trial, admitting evidence, or instructing the jury. The sentences imposed were deemed procedurally and substantively reasonable, with the court noting that the district court had appropriately calculated the loss amounts and applied relevant sentencing enhancements. View "United States v. Betro" on Justia Law

In 2022, Condarius Tripplet pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute controlled substances. The district court sentenced him to 188 months in prison, applying a drug-premises enhancement. This enhancement adds two levels to the base offense level when a defendant maintains a premises for drug manufacturing or distribution. Tripplet acknowledged maintaining an apartment but disputed that its primary use was for drug distribution, noting he lived there with his girlfriend and her two children.The United States District Court for the Western District of Michigan found that Tripplet had significant quantities of illegal drugs, cash, a firearm, and drug manufacturing tools in the apartment. The court also noted that he regularly distributed drugs from this residence. Based on these findings, the court applied the drug-premises enhancement, resulting in a higher offense level and a longer sentence. Tripplet appealed the application of this enhancement.The United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit reviewed the case. The court held that the drug-premises enhancement was correctly applied. The court noted that the enhancement does not require drug operations to be the sole purpose of the premises, only that it be one of the primary uses. Given the substantial quantities of drugs, cash, and drug-related tools found in the apartment, along with evidence of regular drug transactions, the court affirmed the district court's decision to apply the enhancement. The court concluded that the totality of the evidence supported the inference that Tripplet maintained the apartment for drug trafficking purposes, justifying the enhancement and the resulting sentence. View "United States v. Tripplet" on Justia Law

Gregory D. Ralston was found guilty by a jury of distributing and possessing with intent to distribute a fentanyl-containing substance. He was acquitted of causing serious bodily injury by distributing the fentanyl. Ralston challenged the district court’s denial of his motion to suppress evidence without an evidentiary hearing, the limitation of his cross-examination of two government witnesses, and the reasonableness of his 180-month sentence.The United States District Court for the Northern District of Ohio initially scheduled an evidentiary hearing on Ralston’s motion to suppress but later denied the motion without holding the hearing. Ralston proceeded to trial, where the court limited his cross-examination of witnesses regarding potential bias and prior convictions. The jury convicted Ralston on the drug charges but acquitted him of the enhancement for causing serious bodily injury. The district court then imposed a 180-month sentence, significantly above the Guidelines range of 27 to 33 months, citing Ralston’s prior conviction and the seriousness of the current offense.The United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit reviewed the case. The court found no abuse of discretion in the district court’s decision to deny the motion to suppress without an evidentiary hearing, as the issues raised were legal rather than factual. The appellate court also upheld the limitation on cross-examination, noting that Ralston had the opportunity to question the witnesses directly about potential bias. The court found the sentence procedurally reasonable, as the district court adequately explained the upward variance and considered the § 3553(a) factors. The court also found the sentence substantively reasonable, given the district court’s rationale and the evidence supporting the findings.The Sixth Circuit affirmed the district court’s judgment but remanded the case for consideration of a potential sentence reduction under 18 U.S.C. § 3582(c) due to an intervening amendment in the Sentencing Guidelines. View "United States v. Ralston" on Justia Law

Yanjun Xu, a Chinese citizen and member of China’s Ministry of State Security, was convicted of conspiracy to commit economic espionage and conspiracy to steal trade secrets from multiple aviation companies over a five-year period. Xu was also convicted of attempted economic espionage by theft or fraud and attempted theft of composite fan-blade technology from GE Aviation. He was sentenced to a combined 240 months’ imprisonment. Xu appealed, seeking to vacate the judgment and remand for a new trial, arguing that the district court erred in failing to dismiss Counts 1 and 2 as duplicitous and abused its discretion in admitting expert testimony in violation of Federal Rule of Evidence 704(b). Alternatively, Xu sought to have his sentence vacated, arguing it was both procedurally and substantively unreasonable.The United States District Court for the Southern District of Ohio denied Xu’s motion to dismiss the indictment, finding that the conspiracy counts were not duplicitous as they alleged a single overarching conspiracy. The court also admitted expert testimony from James Olson, a retired CIA officer, who testified about espionage techniques and tradecraft, which Xu argued violated Rule 704(b). The court overruled Xu’s objections, finding that Olson’s testimony did not directly opine on Xu’s intent but rather described common practices in espionage.The United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit affirmed the district court’s judgment. The appellate court held that the indictment was not duplicitous as it charged a single conspiracy with multiple overt acts. The court also found that Olson’s testimony did not violate Rule 704(b) and that any potential error was cured by the district court’s limiting instructions to the jury. Additionally, the appellate court found Xu’s sentence to be procedurally and substantively reasonable, noting that the district court properly calculated the intended loss and considered the § 3553(a) factors. The court concluded that Xu’s sentence was within the Guidelines range and not disparate compared to similarly situated defendants. View "United States v. Yanjun Xu" on Justia Law

Leon Hensley, a high school nurse, was found to have surreptitiously recorded minors using the bathroom. An investigation revealed that he had hidden a camera in the nurse’s office bathroom stall, capturing videos of 57 students. Additionally, officers found multiple "upskirt" recordings and photos from inside a tanning bed. Hensley was indicted on 25 counts of production and attempted production of child pornography and pleaded guilty to all counts.The United States District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee sentenced Hensley to 293 months of confinement. During sentencing, the probation office recommended a five-level adjustment to Hensley’s offense level under U.S.S.G. § 3D1.4 for multiple counts of similar severity and another five points under § 4B1.5(b)(1) for engaging in a pattern of prohibited sexual conduct. Hensley objected, arguing that this constituted impermissible double counting. The district court disagreed and sentenced him within the adjusted range, acknowledging its discretion but choosing to consider the higher guideline recommendation to avoid unwarranted sentencing disparities.The United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit reviewed the case. The court held that the district court did not err in its application of the sentencing guidelines. It found that the text of § 4B1.5(b)(1) explicitly allows for its application in addition to other provisions, thus permitting what Hensley termed "double counting." The appellate court also determined that the district court understood its discretion to deviate from the guidelines, as evidenced by its detailed explanation and decision to use a hypothetical lower range while still considering the higher guideline recommendation. Consequently, the Sixth Circuit affirmed the district court’s judgment. View "U.S. v. Hensley" on Justia Law

Nathaniel Jackson was convicted of a capital offense and sentenced to death. His sentencing was marred by judicial bias and misconduct, including ex parte communications between the judge and prosecutor and the prosecutor ghostwriting the judge’s sentencing opinion. When this misconduct was revealed, the Ohio appellate courts ordered new sentencing proceedings. However, the trial judge denied Jackson’s motion to present additional mitigating evidence and resentenced him based on the old record, issuing a nearly identical opinion to the original one.The Ohio appellate courts affirmed Jackson’s sentence despite the trial judge’s misconduct. Jackson then filed a habeas corpus petition in federal district court. The district court granted the petition on the grounds that Jackson was unconstitutionally denied the opportunity to present mitigating evidence but denied his other claims, including judicial bias.The United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit reviewed the case. The court held that Ohio’s standard for assessing judicial bias was contrary to clearly established federal law. On de novo review, the court found that the trial judge was unconstitutionally biased. The court also held that the exclusion of mitigating evidence at Jackson’s resentencing violated the Eighth Amendment, as capital defendants have the right to present all relevant mitigating evidence. Consequently, the court affirmed the district court’s issuance of a writ of habeas corpus on the mitigating-evidence claim, reversed the denial on the judicial-bias claim, and remanded for further proceedings. View "Jackson v. Cool" on Justia Law

O’Bryan Mitchell was involved in an incident where he fled from police while holding a firearm. The police were responding to a report of a man discharging a firearm near Franklin Park in Massillon, Ohio. Mitchell, who matched the suspect's description, fled on foot when ordered to stop. During the chase, he discarded the firearm, which was later recovered and found to be loaded with his DNA on it. Mitchell was also found in possession of methamphetamine and a digital scale. He was indicted on one count of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and pleaded guilty.The United States District Court for the Northern District of Ohio sentenced Mitchell to 78 months of imprisonment, an upward variance from the Sentencing Guidelines range of 51 to 63 months. The court justified the variance based on Mitchell’s criminal history, his possession of narcotics, his poor institutional adjustment, and his repeated violations of supervised release. The court also ordered that Mitchell’s federal sentence run consecutively to any term of imprisonment arising from any pending state-court conviction or parole violation.Mitchell appealed to the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, arguing that his sentence was both procedurally and substantively unreasonable. He contended that the district court was predisposed to impose a higher sentence, failed to adequately explain the upward variance, and did not properly consider mitigating factors. He also argued that the court erred by ordering his federal sentence to run consecutively to any state sentence.The Sixth Circuit affirmed the district court’s judgment. It found that the district court adequately explained its rationale for the upward variance and considered the relevant 18 U.S.C. § 3553(a) factors. The appellate court also held that the district court did not plainly err in ordering the federal sentence to run consecutively to any state sentence, as it had sufficiently considered the relevant factors and the presentence report. View "United States v. Mitchell" on Justia Law

The case revolves around Corey Neal, who was charged with federal gun possession after Shelby County officers, armed with a warrant, discovered three firearms at his residence. Neal challenged the validity of the search under the Fourth Amendment, but his plea was rejected, leading him to plead guilty to the charges. The case was then brought to appeal, where Neal reiterated his Fourth Amendment claim.The District Court for the Western District of Tennessee had previously denied Neal's motion to suppress the evidence found at his residence. The court agreed that the warrant lacked probable cause but invoked the good faith exception to the exclusionary rule from United States v. Leon, which allows evidence obtained in good faith reliance on a search warrant later found to be deficient. Neal pleaded guilty to the second count in the indictment, reserving his right to appeal the ruling, and was sentenced to 92 months' imprisonment.The United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit affirmed the district court's decision. The court found that the affidavit supporting the search warrant established a "minimally sufficient nexus" between the items sought and the place to be searched. The court reasoned that the affidavit provided more than a naked guess that contraband might be found at Neal's residence. It established recent drug trafficking by Neal and evidence of Neal's residency. The court concluded that the affidavit was not so bare bones as to necessitate the application of the exclusionary rule, thereby upholding the lower court's application of the good faith exception to the exclusionary rule. View "United States v. Neal" on Justia Law

The case involves Dr. Peter Bolos, who was convicted of mail fraud, conspiracy to commit healthcare fraud, and felony misbranding as part of a complex scheme. Bolos purchased an interest in Florida-based pharmacy Synergy Pharmacy Services in 2013 and became the managing partner. Synergy signed an agreement with HealthRight, a telemarketing firm, to generate business. HealthRight used social media advertisements and large phone banks to generate potential clients for Synergy. The information collected from potential clients was forwarded to a licensed doctor in the patient’s home state for review. Most of these decisions were made without the doctor ever seeing or speaking to the patient. The doctors then sent the prescriptions to Synergy for filling.The District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee convicted Bolos on all counts after a four-week trial. Bolos appealed, arguing that his actions were not unlawful and that he was being unfairly held criminally culpable for contractual violations and others’ misconduct.The United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit disagreed with Bolos and affirmed the lower court's decision. The court found that Bolos and Synergy leadership knew of the deficiencies in their business practices and either actively facilitated and furthered them or turned a blind eye, all in an effort to induce Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBMs) to pay Synergy. The court also held that the federal healthcare-fraud statute requires the government to prove that Bolos knowingly devised a scheme or artifice to defraud a health care benefit program in connection with the delivery of or payment for health care benefits, items, or services. The court found ample evidence in the record to support the jury’s finding that Bolos conspired to create a scheme with the intent to defraud the PBMs of their money. View "United States v. Bolos" on Justia Law

Richard Whitman was convicted of murder and unlawful possession of a firearm in an Ohio state court. The case revolved around whether Whitman acted in self-defense when he shot and killed David Eadie during a physical altercation at his sister's home. Whitman requested a jury instruction on the "castle doctrine," which would have informed the jury that a person lawfully in their residence has no duty to retreat before using force in self-defense. The trial court denied this request, and Whitman was subsequently convicted and sentenced to 21 years to life in prison.Whitman appealed his conviction to the Ohio Court of Appeals, arguing that the trial court erred by failing to instruct the jury on the castle doctrine. The appeals court upheld his conviction, ruling that any error did not affect Whitman's substantial rights. Whitman then sought to appeal to the Ohio Supreme Court, arguing for the first time that the trial court's error violated his federal due process right to a complete defense. The Ohio Supreme Court denied discretionary review.Whitman then turned to federal court, petitioning for a writ of habeas corpus. He claimed that the state court's denial of the castle doctrine instruction violated his federal due process rights. The district court denied Whitman's petition, deeming the castle doctrine issue a state law question and not a due process violation. Whitman appealed this decision.The United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit affirmed the district court's judgment. The court found that Whitman had procedurally defaulted his claim because he did not properly argue the merits of his due process claim in state court and is now barred from further review there. The court also noted that Whitman did not argue that he could satisfy the cause and prejudice standard which might otherwise overcome the default. The court concluded that enforcing Whitman's procedural default was justified by the interests of preservation, judicial economy, and comity. View "Whitman v. Gray" on Justia Law