Court Throws Out 50-Year Sentence Over Improper Plea Guidance

A man convicted of money laundering and wire fraud succeeded in his bid to undo his 50-year prison sentence on appeal.

Christopher John Pettit’s penalty needs to be reconsidered since the district court didn’t correctly inform him of the maximum possible penalty he faced, the US Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit said in a Thursday opinion vacating and remanding his guilty plea.

“We have previously held that Rule 11 is clearly violated when a district court informs a defendant of an incorrect, lower maximum penalty,” the ...