PRESS RELEASE (Chicago). On December 9, 2015 Chicago Federal Defense Attorney Michael J. Petro filed a brief in the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals on behalf of his client Charles Thomas. US v. Charles Thomas, 15-1142. In sum, Mr. Thomas states that the district court erred in applying the United States Sentencing Guidelines Section 3C1.1 Obstruction of Justice enhancement. Specifically, Mr. Thomas states that he should not have received a higher sentence for having co-defendant Domingo Blount testify at his trial.
Mr. Thomas states that while Mr. Blount’s testimony was inaccurate at times, there was no proof that Mr. Thomas attempted to suborn perjury which is required by Section 3C1.1. Further, Mr. Thomas states that his ability to call witnesses to defend himself at trial is guaranteed by the the Constitution. As such, Mr. Thomas states that making his sentence higher for exercising a Fundamental Constitutional Right is just plain wrong!
The government has until February 22, 2016 to respond to Mr. Thomas’ Brief.
By: Chicago Federal Defense Attorney Michael J. Petro