Saxton & Stump shareholder Mark Cedrone secured a significant appellate victory in United States v. Martinez, a precedential decision issued by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit.
Cedrone, the co-chair of the Saxton & Stump Investigations and Criminal Defense Group, represented Shakira Martinez, who had been sentenced to 108 months in prison for money laundering charges. On appeal, Cedrone successfully argued that the court had authority under 28 U.S.C. § 2106 to vacate the sentence and remand the case for resentencing based on an intervening retroactive amendment to the U.S. sentencing guidelines. The Third Circuit agreed, finding that this discretionary appellate relief could be granted “as may be just under the circumstances” without requiring Martinez to file a separate motion under 18 U.S.C. § 3582(c)(2).
The ruling promotes judicial efficiency and reinforces the availability of timely sentencing relief for eligible defendants, marking an important development in federal sentencing jurisprudence.
