United States v. Maxwell, No. 22-2655 (8th Cir. 2023)
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In the case before the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit, defendants Antione Deandre Maxwell and Chavee E’Laun Harden were convicted of conspiracy to interfere with commerce by robbery. Maxwell was additionally convicted of being a felon in possession of a firearm. The defendants challenged the sufficiency of the evidence supporting their convictions, and Harden additionally argued that the district court erred in denying his motion to suppress evidence, in denying his request for an implicit bias instruction, and in calculating his sentencing range under the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines.
The court affirmed the convictions due to overwhelming evidence of the defendants' involvement in the robbery, including their presence at the scene of the crime, their possession of stolen goods and firearms, and their actions before and after the robbery. The court also held that the district court correctly denied Harden's motion to suppress evidence, finding that the officers' entry into his home without a warrant was justified due to the exigent circumstances surrounding the presence of unattended children and the likely presence of an armed robbery suspect. The court also rejected Harden's request for an implicit bias instruction, stating that it was within the district court's discretion to decide how best to address the risk of racial bias. Finally, the court found no error in the district court’s calculation of Harden’s sentencing range, considering his role in the robbery, his perjury during trial, and his attempts to influence a witness to lie for him.
Court Description: [Wollman, Author, with Loken and Benton, Circuit Judges] Criminal case - Criminal law and sentencing. The district court did not err in denying defendant Harden's motion to suppress evidence seen during the warrantless entry to his residence as the circumstances were sufficiently exigent to enter the home as there were very young children in the home who were either unattended or with an armed robbery suspect; as a result, the warrantless entry was reasonable and constitutional under the exigent circumstances doctrine; the evidence was sufficient to support defendants' convictions for conspiracy to interfere with commerce by robbery and defendant Maxwell's conviction for being a felon in possession of a firearm; the district court did not abuse its discretion in refusing to give defendant Harden's instruction on implicit bias; the district court did not err at sentencing in determining defendant Harden's relevant conduct included the use of a firearm and bodily injury - see Guidelines Sec. 1B1.3; nor did the district court clearly err in concluding Harden obstructed justice under Guidelines Sec. 3C1.1 by committing perjury in his trial testimony.
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