United States v. Hardy, No. 08-5991 (6th Cir. 2011)
Annotate this CaseThe government introduced evidence of defendant's prior sale of cocaine during his trial on charges of being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition, (18 U.S.C. 922(g)), possession with the intent to distribute 50 grams or more of cocaine base, (21 U.S.C. 841(a)(1) and 841(b)(1)), and possession of firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, (18 U.S.C. § 924(c)(1)). The Sixth Circuit affirmed. The district court acted within its discretion in holding that the prior acts evidence was admitted for the proper purpose of establishing specific intent; determined that its probative value was not outweighed by its prejudicial effect, based on the evidence and the defense; and gave two strong cautionary instructions to the jury. Any error would be harmless in light of the "wealth" of alternative evidence, including defendant's own statements. The sentence of 420 months was appropriate, in light of the defendant's history.
Some case metadata and case summaries were written with the help of AI, which can produce inaccuracies. You should read the full case before relying on it for legal research purposes.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.