In United States v. Hakim, No. 19-11970 (Apr. 14, 2022) (William Pryor, Grant, Anderson), the Court vacated Mr. Hakim's conviction and remanded for further proceedings. The Court addressed whether a defendant's waiver of his right to counsel is knowing when a court gives materially incorrect or misleading information to the defendant about his potential maximum sentence. [...]
In United States v. Woodson, No. 20-10443 (Apr. 13, 2022) (Branch, Grant, Brasher), the Court affirmed Mr. Woodson's convictions and sentence. Mr. Woodson was charged with offenses relating to child pornography and extortionate interstate communications. A jury found him guilty on all counts, and he was sentenced to 50 years' imprisonment followed by a life term of [...]
In United States v. Moss, No. 19-14548 (Apr. 12, 2022) (William Pryor, Luck, Ed Carnes), the Court affirmed Mr. Moss's convictions, sentence, and restitution amount. Mr. Moss was charged with one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1349, and six counts of health care fraud, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § [...]
FEDERAL PUBLIC DEFENDER POSITION ANNOUNCEMENT ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT - INTERN The Federal Public Defender for the Southern District of Florida is accepting applications for the full-time position of Administrative Assistant Intern in the Miami Office. The Federal Public Defender, a branch of the United States Courts, is an Equal Opportunity Employer and operates under [...]
In United States v. Sanchez, No. 19-14002 (Apr. 5, 2022) (Branch, Grant, Ed Carnes), the Court affirmed Mr. Sanchez's convictions and sentence. Mr. Sanchez was charged with two counts of enticing a minor to engage in sexual activity, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 2422(b); two counts of enticing a minor to engage in sexually explicit conduct in [...]
In United States v. Williams, Case No. 18-13890 (Mar. 30, 2022) (Jordan, Jill Pryor, Tjoflat), the Court affirmed the district court because it found that Mr. Williams had forfeited any arguments under which the Court could grant relief on appeal. Mr. Williams, a sovereign citizen, wanted to represent himself before the district court. The district court held [...]
In Said v. U.S. Att'y Gen., 21-12917 (Mar. 24, 2022) (Jordan, Newsom, Tjoflat), the Court held that a violation of Fla. Stat. § 893.13(6)(a)--the Florida marijuana possession statute--did not relate to a controlled substance, as defined in 21 U.S.C. § 802, and thus did not prevent Mr. Said from accruing the necessary seven-year period of continuous residence for his [...]
In United States v. Lee, 20-13505 (Mar. 21, 2022) (Lagoa, Brasher, Tjoflat), the Court affirmed the defendant’s conviction under 18 U.S.C. 2251(a) over a double jeopardy challenge. The defendant sent text messages to a minor requesting sexually explicit images. The defendant was originally charged with violating 2251(d), and a jury convicted him. Shortly thereafter, however, [...]
In United States v. Howard, Case No. 18-11602 (Mar. 7, 2022) (Branch, Luck, Ed Carnes), the Court affirmed in part, and vacated and remanded in part, a case involving Tricare, a government program that provides health care insurance benefits for active and retired members of the military and their families. This case involved the actions of Nicole [...]
FEDERAL PUBLIC DEFENDER’S OFFICE - Southern District of Florida LAW STUDENT INTERNSHIP OPPORTUNITY The Federal Public Defender's Office for the Southern District of Florida represents indigent defendants in federal criminal cases and is managed by the Federal Public Defender, who is appointed by the Eleventh Circuit. The office is staffed by Assistant Federal Public Defenders [...]