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Our firm’s founder, Page Anthony Pate, passed away Sunday, September 11, 2022 in St. Simons Island, Georgia. A memorial service will be conducted at 2pm on Saturday, September 17, 2022 at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church with Father Alan Akridge officiating.

Page Pate was many things to many people—a husband, a father, a son, a mentor, a colleague, a friend, and most prominently, a trial lawyer, one who poured himself into his practice and fought hard for his clients. Above all, he was a true gentleman who embodied service and grace.

Last month, the U.S. Sentencing Commission published a new report titled “The Organizational Sentencing Guidelines: Thirty Years of Innovation and Influence,” summarizing hte history and development of Chapter 8 of the U.S. Guidelines, which apply to defendant-corporations and other defendant-entities.

Earlier this month, President Biden signed legislation extending the statute of limitations for federal prosecutions against individuals and businesses accused of fraudulently obtaining COVID-19 relief funds, specifically through the PPP and EIDL loan programs. The PPP and Bank Fraud Enforcement Harmonization Act and the COVID-19 EIDL Fraud Statute of Limitations Act extended the statute of limitations to ten years, up from five years.

Last week, the U.S. Sentencing Commission published a new study on defendants sentenced on federal robbery charges in 2021. The report provides a comprehensive look at the demographics and other characteristics of robbery offenders, as well as well as their ranges of prior criminal history and the types of sentences imposed. Notably, the report also identifies characteristics of the robbery offense itself such as the identity of the victim, the type of property taken, whether violence was used or threatened, whether a weapon was involved, and whether the victim was injured or killed.

For the first time since 2019, the U.S. Sentencing Commission will have a quorum of members and the ability to promulgate new guidelines and regulations for federal sentencing. The Commission’s newest members were approved by the U.S. Senate by voice vote on August 4, 2022. Click here to read our previous coverage of the newest appointees to the Commission.

On Tuesday, July 26, 2022, at 2:30PM, the U.S. Senate’s Subcommittee on Criminal Justice and Counterterrorism will hold a hearing on decriminalization of marijuana at the federal level. The witnesses include Dr. Malik Burnett, medical director of the Maryland Department of Health’s Center for Harm Reduction Services, Edward Jackson, the Chief of Annapolis Police Department, Weldon Angelos, a former inmate who received a pardon and is now the president of the Weldon Project, Steven Cook, a former Associate Deputy Attorney General under Jeff Sessions, and Alex Berenson, a former New York Times reporter known for his attempts to link marijuana to violent crime and mental illness.

The U.S. Sentencing Commission released two new reports regarding offenders serving life sentences in federal prison and older offenders sentenced in federal court. The reports include a substantial amount of data regarding the types of offenders sentenced to life imprisonment or “de facto” life imprisonment. The reports also illustrate the differences in how older offenders are sentenced compared to younger offenders, as well as other characteristics of older offenders.

This month, the Sentencing Commission released a new report regarding federal firearm offenses. The report primarily looks at the kinds of sentences imposed on firearm offenders, including the Guidelines for more firearm offenses under USSG 2K2.1. The report includes data on recidivism rates, penalties, offender demographics, propensity for violence, etc.

This week, the senate confirmed Steven Dettelbach as the new director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms, often referred to as the “ATF,” on a 48-46 vote. Director Dettelbach is the first ATF leader confirmed in seven years. The confirmation comes on the heels of Congress passing new gun control measures that, among […]

The DOJ recently appointed a new Director of the BOP. Colette Peters, who has been the director of the Oregon corrections department since 2012, has been described as “reform-minded” and will assume her duties on August 2, 2022.