Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals - Published Opinions

Friday, October 01, 2010

Gomes: FSA does not apply to pre-FSA case

In U.S. v. Gomes, No. 10-11225 (Oct. 1, 2010) (Tjoflat, Barkett, Fay), the Court held that the district court committed no error when it imposed the then-applicable statutory mandatory minimum of 120 months on a defendant convicted of trafficking in more than 50 grams of crack cocaine. The Court found that the recently enacted Fair Sentencing Act, which increased the crack cocaine quantities required to qualify for this statutory mandatory minimum punishment, did not change the result, because the Act took effect after the defendant committed his crime, and the saving clause, 1 U.S.C. § 109, bars the Fair Sentencing Act from affecting the punishment.