June 02nd, 2020

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US Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit Opinions
United States v. Maes

Docket: 18-60881
Opinion Date: June 1, 2020
Judge: Carl E. Stewart
Areas of Law: Criminal Law

The Fifth Circuit affirmed defendant's conviction and sentence stemming from a methamphetamine distribution and money laundering conspiracy. The court held that the district court plainly erred in limiting an inmate's testimony; the district court did not abuse its discretion by allowing the prosecutor to ask a few pointed questions about defendant's arrest for possessing marijuana in California when he had essentially testified that he believed his dealings in California were entirely legal; any error in allowing the testimony did not affect his substantial rights and was harmless; the district court did not plainly err by failing to immediately issue a limiting instruction about defendant's arrest during his cross-examination; the district court did not abuse its discretion by ordering a defendant to remain shackled during trial where nothing suggested the shackles were visible to the jury and particularized needs justified the shackling; defendant failed to show that the district court plainly erred in calculating his Guidelines range; and defendant's sentence was not substantively unreasonable.

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