United States v. Churchwell

Defendant, employed as an Adjudication Manager for the Houston Passport Agency, appealed his conviction of two counts of aiding and abetting the making of a false statement in a passport violation. The court concluded that there was sufficient evidence to convict defendant; the district court did not abuse its discretion in admitting lay testimony regarding defendant's conduct and behavior; even if it was error to admit the lay testimony, the error was harmless; and the prosecutor's statements during closing argument was not improper and, even if it were improper, defendant's substantial rights were not affected. Finally, the court concluded that defendant's above-Guidelines sentence of 42 months was procedurally and substantively reasonable. The court affirmed the judgment and sentence. View "United States v. Churchwell" on Justia Law