FEDERAL PUBLIC DEFENDER POSITION ANNOUNCEMENT ASSISTANT FEDERAL PUBLIC DEFENDER MIAMI OFFICE The Federal Public Defender for the Southern District of Florida is accepting applications for the positions of Assistant Federal Public Defender in our Miami office. The Federal Public Defender, a branch of the United States Courts, an Equal Opportunity Employer, operates under [...]
In United States v. Kent, No. 22-13068 (Feb. 26, 2024) (Wilson, Jill Pryor, Brasher), the Court affirmed Mr. Kent's conviction. Mr. Kent was charged with RICO conspiracy and five substantive crimes, including an attempted murder. The government alleged that the gang Mr. Kent was allegedly a member of murdered a former gang member--Rhodes--for cooperating with the [...]
In Rudolph v. United States, No. 21-12828 (Feb. 12, 2024) (Wilson, Grant, Brasher), the Court found Mr. Rudolph's attempts to collaterally attack his sentences barred by his plea agreement. In order to avoid the death penalty for setting off a series of bombs (some during the Olympics in Atlanta), Mr. Rudolph pleaded guilty to six federal arson [...]
In United States v. Sanfilippo, No. 22-11175 (Feb. 8, 2024) (Jordan, Lagoa, Marcus), the Court dismissed Mr. Sanfilippo's appeal. Mr. Sanfilippo appealed his conviction for wire fraud pursuant to a guilty plea. He argued that the district court erred in denying his motion to dismiss the indictment against him because it was issued after the expiration of the [...]
In United States v. Daniels, No. 22-10408 (Jan. 24, 2024) (Jordan, Lagoa, Marcus), the Court affirmed Mr. Daniels's convictions and sentence. Mr. Daniels was convicted of ten counts of Hobbs Act robbery and sentenced to 180 months' imprisonment. On appeal, he first argued that the district court erred by rejecting his proposed jury instruction on eyewitness identifications, [...]
FEDERAL PUBLIC DEFENDER POSITION ANNOUNCEMENT ASSISTANT FEDERAL PUBLIC DEFENDER FORT PIERCE OFFICE The Federal Public Defender for the Southern District of Florida is accepting applications for the positions of Assistant Federal Public Defender in our Fort Pierce office. The Federal Public Defender, a branch of the United States Courts, an Equal Opportunity Employer, [...]
In United States v. Pugh, No. 21-13136 (Jan. 18, 2024) (Lagoa, Brasher, Boulee (N.D. Ga.)), the Court affirmed Ms. Pugh's conviction. The Court addressed an issue of first impression regarding the constitutionality of 18 U.S.C. § 231(a)(3), which prohibits impeding law enforcement officers during a civil disorder affecting interstate commerce. It was alleged that during a protest in [...]
In United States v. Gatlin, No. 20-14149 (Jan. 5, 2024) (Jordan, Luck, Lagoa), the Court reversed Mr. Gatlin's conviction and sentence as to witness tampering, but affirmed his sex trafficking of a minor and production of child pornography convictions and sentences, as well as the restitution order. Mr. Gatlin appealed his convictions and sentences for sex trafficking [...]
In United States v. Fey, No. 22-11373 (Dec. 28, 2023) (William Pryor, Rosenbaum, Abudu), the Court affirmed the defendants’ convictions for distributing meth and for conspiring to and actually killing a cooperating witness by administering a lethal amount of meth and fentanyl. First, the Court found no reversible Rule 404(b) error. At trial, the government [...]
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 [...]