US v. Roderick Bank

Filing

UNPUBLISHED PER CURIAM OPINION filed. Motion disposition in opinion--granting Motion to remand case [998705348-2] Originating case number: 5:10-cr-00077-F-1 Copies to all parties and the district court/agency. [998750447].. [11-4456]

Appeal: 11-4456

Document: 31

Date Filed: 12/22/2011

Page: 1 of 3

UNPUBLISHED
UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS
FOR THE FOURTH CIRCUIT

No. 11-4456

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,
Plaintiff - Appellee,
v.
RODERICK BANKS, a/k/a Colonel,
Defendant - Appellant.

Appeal from the United States District Court for the Eastern
District of North Carolina, at Wilmington. James C. Fox, Senior
District Judge. (5:10-cr-00077-F-1)

Submitted:

December 13, 2011

Decided:

December 22, 2011

Before WILKINSON, DAVIS, and KEENAN, Circuit Judges.

Affirmed in part, vacated in part, and remanded by unpublished
per curiam opinion.

Marilyn G. Ozer, MASSENGALE & OZER, Chapel Hill, North Carolina,
for Appellant.
Thomas G. Walker, United States Attorney,
Jennifer P. May-Parker, Kristine L. Fritz, Assistant United
States Attorneys, Raleigh, North Carolina, for Appellee.

Unpublished opinions are not binding precedent in this circuit.

Appeal: 11-4456

Document: 31

Date Filed: 12/22/2011

Page: 2 of 3

PER CURIAM:
On August 2, 2010, Roderick Banks entered a guilty
plea to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute fifty
grams

or

more

of

cocaine

§§ 841(a)(1), 846 (2006).

base,

in

violation

not

challenge

his

21

U.S.C.

The district court sentenced Banks on

April 11, 2011, to 120 months’ imprisonment.
does

of

conviction,

but

On appeal, Banks

contends

that

the

district court erred when it failed to sentence him pursuant to
the Fair Sentencing Act of 2010 (“FSA”), Pub. L. No. 111-220,
124

Stat.

2372

(2010)

(codified

in

scattered

sections

of

21

U.S.C.).
Both

Banks

and

the

Government

request

that

the

sentence be vacated and the matter remanded for resentencing in
light of the FSA.

Accordingly, we affirm Banks’ conviction, but

we vacate his sentence and remand the case to the district court
to

permit

indicate

resentencing.
no

view

as

to

By

this

whether

disposition,
the

FSA

is

however,

we

retroactively

applicable to a defendant like Banks whose offense was committed
prior to August 3, 2010, the effective date of the FSA, but who
was sentenced after that date.

We leave that determination in

the first instance to the district court. *

*

We note that at Banks’ sentencing hearing, counsel for the
defendant unsuccessfully argued for retroactive application of
the FSA.
Nevertheless, in light of the Attorney General’s
(Continued)
2

Appeal: 11-4456

Document: 31

Date Filed: 12/22/2011

Page: 3 of 3

We dispense with oral argument because the facts and
legal
before

contentions
the

court

are

adequately

and

argument

presented

would

not

in
aid

the
the

materials
decisional

process.

AFFIRMED IN PART;
VACATED IN PART;
AND REMANDED

revised view on the retroactivity of the FSA, as well as the
development of case law on this point in other jurisdictions, we
think it appropriate, without indicating any view as to the
outcome, to accord the district court an opportunity to consider
the matter anew.
3