United States Second Circuit

Sentences for, inter alia, bank fraud, tax evasion, false statements, conspiracy, and mail fraud are vacated and remanded where the trial court's sentencing terms were substantively unreasonable and constituted an abuse of discretion in light of: 1) procedural errors; 2) clear factual errors; and 3) misinterpretations of 18 U.S.C. section 3553(a) factors, in particular, the needs to provide just punishment, to afford adequate deterrence of crimes by others, to avoid unwarranted disparities among similarly situated defendants, and to promote respect for the law.

Appellate Information

• Decided 03/17/2008
• Published 03/17/2008

Judges

• Before:  JACOBS, Chief Judge, KEARSE and POOLER, Circuit Judges.

Court

• United States Second Circuit

Counsel

• For Appellant:
  
• Justin S. Weddle, Assistant United States Attorney, New York, NY (Michael J. Garcia, United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Stanley J. Okula, Jr., Peter G. Neiman, Assistant United States Attorneys, New York, NY, on the brief), for Appellant in No. 05-3303.


• For Appellees:
  
• Stanley J. Okula, Jr., Assistant United States Attorney, New York, NY (Michael J. Garcia, United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Justin S. Weddle, Barbara A. Ward, Celeste L. Koeleveld, Assistant United States Attorneys, New York, NY, on the brief), for Appellee-Cross-Appellant in No. 05-6178., William J. Schwartz, New York, NY (Jason M. Koral, Kronish Lieb Weiner & Hellman, New York, NY, on the brief), for Defendant-Appellee James Cutler in No. 05-3303., Audrey Strauss, New York, NY (Andrew T. Gardner, Lisa H. Bebchick, Sloan S. Johnston, Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson, New York, NY, on the brief), for Defendant-Appellant-Cross-Appellee Sanford Freedman in No. 05-6178.