Court Opinion

ID: 9412218
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-07-28 21:01:41.553325+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T16:41:37.436128
License: Public Domain

USCA4 Appeal: 22-6921      Doc: 12         Filed: 07/27/2023    Pg: 1 of 2

                                            UNPUBLISHED

                               UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS
                                   FOR THE FOURTH CIRCUIT

                                              No. 22-6921

        UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,

                            Plaintiff - Appellee,

                     v.

        JOHNEY FREEMAN,

                            Defendant - Appellant.

        Appeal from the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, at
        Norfolk. Rebecca Beach Smith, Senior District Judge. (2:88-cr-00076-jcc-2)

        Submitted: July 25, 2023                                          Decided: July 27, 2023

        Before WYNN and HEYTENS, Circuit Judges, and FLOYD, Senior Circuit Judge.

        Affirmed by unpublished per curiam opinion.

        Johney Freeman, Appellant Pro Se.

        Unpublished opinions are not binding precedent in this circuit.
USCA4 Appeal: 22-6921      Doc: 12          Filed: 07/27/2023     Pg: 2 of 2

        PER CURIAM:

               Johney Freeman appeals the district court’s order denying relief on his 18 U.S.C.

        § 3582(c)(1)(A)(i) motion for compassionate release based on the COVID-19 pandemic.

        We review the denial of a motion for compassionate release for abuse of discretion. United

        States v. Kibble, 992 F.3d 326, 329 (4th Cir. 2021).

               Upon review, we discern no abuse of discretion in the district court’s alternate ruling

        that the totality of the circumstances in this case, evaluated in light of the pertinent 18

        U.S.C. § 3553(a) sentencing factors, did not warrant the grant of compassionate release or

        a sentence reduction. United States v. Bethea, 54 F.4th 826, 833 (4th Cir. 2022) (observing

        our authority to “affirm a district court’s compassionate release decision regardless of a

        flaw in the eligibility analysis if its subsequent § 3553(a) assessment was sound”); see

        United States v. High, 997 F.3d 181, 187 (4th Cir. 2021) (discussing “abuse of discretion”

        standard in compassionate release context). Accordingly, we affirm the district court’s

        order. United States v. Freeman, No. 2:88-cr-00076-jcc-2 (E.D. Va. July 27, 2022). We

        dispense with oral argument because the facts and legal contentions are adequately

        presented in the materials before this court and argument would not aid the decisional

        process.

                                                                                         AFFIRMED

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