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Criminal Law-Drug Offense-Appeal Waiver-Substantive Reasonableness of Sentence
Staff Report//January 21, 2026//
Defendant challenged the substantive reasonableness of the statutory maximum sentence imposed following his guilty plea to a drug offense pursuant to a plea agreement containing an appeal waiver.
Where defendant’s involuntary plea and ineffective assistance of counsel claims were not cognizable on appeal, the court affirmed his sentence where defendant’s sentencing challenge was foreclosed by his appeal waiver.
Judgment is affirmed.
U.S. v. Molina (MLW No. 84227/Case No. 25-2294 – 2 pages) (U.S. Court of Appeals, 8th Circuit, per curiam) Appealed from U.S. District Court, Western District of Missouri, Wimes, J.
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