Criminal Law: Firearms and Drug Offenses-Reasonableness of Sentence-Ineffective Assistance of Counsel

Defendant appealed the sentence imposed following his guilty plea to drug and firearms offenses. Defendant challenged the reasonableness of the sentence and argued that he was misled by counsel during plea negotiations.

Where the district court considered all relevant statutory sentencing factors, it imposed a presumptively reasonable sentence, and defendant’s claims of ineffective assistance of counsel were cognizable on collateral review.

Judgment is affirmed.

U.S. v. Ruel (MLW No. 79569/Case No. 22-3302 – 2 pages) (U.S. Court of Appeals, 8th Circuit, per curiam) Appealed from U.S. District Court, District of Nebraska, Rossiter, J.