Background
Gregory D’Arquaes Zander pleaded guilty in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia to being a felon in possession of firearms, in violation of 18 U.S.C. §§ 922(g)(1) and 924(a)(8).
Zander appealed the sentence imposed by District Judge Joseph R. Goodwin. The Fourth Circuit submitted the appeal for decision without oral argument.
The Court’s Holding
In an unpublished per curiam opinion, the Fourth Circuit affirmed the district court’s judgment. After reviewing the record, the panel found no reversible error in Zander’s sentence.
The court did not provide additional analysis or identify the specific sentencing arguments raised on appeal. It concluded that oral argument was unnecessary because the written materials adequately presented the facts and legal contentions and argument would not aid the decisional process.
Key Takeaways
- The Fourth Circuit affirmed Zander’s sentence for being a felon in possession of firearms.
- The panel found no reversible error after reviewing the record.
- The unpublished opinion is not binding precedent in the Fourth Circuit.
Why It Matters
The decision leaves Zander’s conviction and sentence intact but supplies no substantive sentencing analysis for future litigants. Because the disposition is unpublished and expressly designated as nonbinding, its value is principally case-specific rather than precedential.