Plea & Sentencing – Alford Plea

Listen to this article

7^th Circuit Court of Appeals

Case Name: United States of America v. Adel Daoud

Case No.: 19-2174; 19-2185; 19-2186

Officials: RIPPLE, BRENNAN, and ST. EVE, Circuit Judges.

Focus:  Plea & Sentencing – Alford Plea

Adel Daoud pressed the button to detonate a bomb that would have killed hundreds of innocent people in the name of Islam. Fortunately, the bomb was fake, and the FBI arrested him on the spot. Two months later, while in pretrial custody, Daoud solicited the murder of the FBI agent who supplied the fake bomb. Two and a half years later, while awaiting trial on the first two charges, Daoud tried to stab another inmate to death using makeshift weapons after the inmate drew a picture of the Prophet Muhammad. Daoud eventually entered an Alford plea, and the cases were consolidated for sentencing. The district court sentenced Daoud to a combined total of 16 years’ imprisonment for the crimes. The government appeals that sentence on the ground that it was substantively unreasonable. We agree. We vacate the sentence and remand for resentencing.

Vacated and remanded

Full Text

Derek A Hawkins is Associate Corporate Counsel, IP at Amazon.