Document ID: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-ca7-14-02011/USCOURTS-ca7-14-02011-0/pdf.json

Parties Involved:
Enrique Flanagan
Appellant
United States of America
Appellee

Document Text:

United States Court of Appeals 

For the Seventh Circuit 

Chicago, Illinois 60604 

Submitted May 26, 2015*

Decided May 26, 2015 

Before 

RICHARD A. POSNER, Circuit Judge 

ILANA DIAMOND ROVNER, Circuit Judge 

DAVID F. HAMILTON, Circuit Judge

No. 14-2011 

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, 

Plaintiff-Appellee, 

v. 

ENRIQUE FLANAGAN, 

 Defendant-Appellant. 

 Appeal from the United States District 

Court for the Northern District of Illinois, 

Eastern Division. 

No. 11 CR 803-2 

Joan Humphrey Lefkow, 

Judge. 

ORDER 

Enrique Flanagan was arrested in Maywood, Illinois, after he and his partner 

exchanged cocaine for firearms during a sting operation. In a post-arrest interview, he 

admitted that he sold cocaine, that he was a member of the Familia Stones gang, and that 

he and his partner planned to sell the acquired firearms to gang members. Flanagan was 

 

*

 After examining the briefs and the record, we have concluded that oral 

argument is unnecessary. Thus the appeal is submitted on the briefs and the record.

See FED. R. APP. P. 34(a)(2)(C). 

NONPRECEDENTIAL DISPOSITION

To be cited only in accordance with Fed. R. App. P. 32.1 

Case: 14-2011 Document: 42 Filed: 05/26/2015 Pages: 2
No. 14-2011 Page 2 

charged with one count of conspiring to possess and distribute cocaine, 21 U.S.C. §§ 846, 

841(a)(1), three counts of distributing cocaine, id. § 841(a)(1), two counts of possessing 

with intent to distribute cocaine, see id., one count of possessing a firearm as a felon, 

18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(1), and one count of possessing a firearm in furtherance of a 

drug-trafficking offense, id. § 924(c)(1). 

Flanagan opted to represent himself at his jury trial. He did not present a 

colorable defense and instead incessantly maintained that the district court lacked 

personal and subject-matter jurisdiction. The district judge rejected these arguments, 

and the jury found Flanagan guilty on all counts. The judge sentenced him to a total of 

111 months’ imprisonment and imposed a 5-year term of supervised release. 

Flanagan’s appeal consists of nothing more than repetition of his challenges to the 

district court’s jurisdiction. The district judge patiently explained to Flanagan that 

district courts have subject-matter jurisdiction over “all offenses against the laws of the 

United States,” 18 U.S.C. § 3231; see United States v. Burke, 425 F.3d 400, 408 (7th Cir. 

2005); United States v. Turcotte, 405 F.3d 515, 521 (7th Cir. 2005), along with personal 

jurisdiction over defendants charged with violating federal law and brought before the 

court, see United States v. Marks, 530 F.3d 799, 810 (9th Cir. 2008); United States v. Rendon,

354 F.3d 1320, 1326 (11th Cir. 2003). We have repeatedly rejected as frivolous arguments 

to the contrary. See United States v. Benabe, 654 F.3d 753, 767 (7th Cir. 2011) (collecting 

cases). 

AFFIRMED. 

Case: 14-2011 Document: 42 Filed: 05/26/2015 Pages: 2