US v. Jones: In 2020 police in North Carolina were investigating Jones and his relationship to a particular drug stash house which he visited frequently. Evidence showed that he worked with others to bring marijuana from California to North Carolina for resale, along with other drugs. After a traffic stop of one of his associates, Jones was arrested at the stash house along with drugs, paraphernalia, and two guns. He was convicted at trial of various drug and firearms offenses and sentenced to 480 months in prison.
On appeal, the Fourth Circuit affirmed Jones’ convictions and sentence. His primary argument as to his convictions was that he should have been allowed to cross-examine his associate about his prior drug convictions from the 1990s. Jones argued that they were relevant because the associate was the only cooperator testifying and had “previous experience with federal sentencing” that “motivated him to do so.” The court disagreed, noting that the jury had already heard the witness was “testifying pursuant to a plea agreement in order to get a reduced sentence” and had testified to selling drugs before meeting Jones. The court also rejected Ritter’s argument that the evidence was insufficient to connect him to the firearms at issue. As to sentencing, the court found no clear error in the imposition of enhancements for obstruction (based on jail calls directing people what to do with large sums of cash) and his leadership role.
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