United States v. Jeffrey John Hussinger

U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit
United States v. Jeffrey John Hussinger, 606 F. App'x 311 (7th Cir. 2015)
PerCuriam

United States v. Jeffrey John Hussinger

Opinion

Order

Jeffrey Hussinger pleaded guilty to conspiring to distribute methamphetamine, 21 U.S.C. §§ 841, 846, and to possessing child pornography, 18 U.S.C. § 2252A. The district court sentenced him to concurrent terms of 60 months’ imprisonment, which the judge repeatedly described as the minimum allowed by law for the drug conviction. But that belief may have been incorrect. The presen-tence report had concluded that Hussinger is eligible for a “safety valve” reduction under 18 U.S.C. § 3553(f). See also U.S.S.G. § 5C1.2. The district court never considered that possibility. Hussinger contends that it is a legal mistake to impose a sentence influenced by a (potentially) incorrect belief that the law does not allow any shorter term; the United States concurs and confesses error. We agree with the litigants and remand for further consideration.

The district court’s first order of business on remand will be determining wheth *312 er Hussinger satisfies the criteria of § 3553(f). The district court also must take account of our recent decisions that affect both the procedure and substance of conditions of supervised release. See, e.g., United States v. Kappes, 782 F.3d 828 (7th Cir. 2015).

The judgment is vacated, and the case is remanded for resentencing,

Reference

Full Case Name
UNITED STATES of America, Plaintiff-Appellee v. Jeffrey J. HUSSINGER, Defendant-Appellant
Status
Unpublished