United States v. Kevin Hill, No. 10-3421 (8th Cir. 2011)
Annotate this CaseAppellant appealed his conviction of three counts of distribution of cocaine base where the indictment alleged that he distributed a total of 7.8 grams of crack cocaine to a confidential informant on three separate occasions and later confessed to distributing an additional 198 ounces of cocaine. At issue was whether the district court abused its discretion by admitting evidence of prior bad acts, by finding that appellant was responsible for the 198 ounces of cocaine, and by sentencing appellant to 188 months imprisonment. The court held that the district court did not abuse its discretion by admitting evidence of prior bad acts of distribution of cocaine where appellant's knowledge of or intent to distribute drugs were material issues; in finding that appellant was responsible for the 198 ounces of cocaine in addition to the charged offense conduct of 7.8 grams of crack cocaine; and in considering all the arguments, including the crack to powder cocaine ratio argument, and the 18 U.S.C. 3553(a) factors and sentenced the appellant to 188 months in prison.
Court Description: Criminal case - Criminal law and sentencing. Evidence of prior drug dealing was properly admitted as it went to defendant's knowledge of or intent to distribute drugs; district court did not err in including the other drug amounts when it calculated defendant's offense level; district court did not abuse its discretion by refusing to grant a downward variance from the guidelines range based on a claim that the crack to powder cocaine ratio creates unwarranted sentencing disparities.
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.