Sentencing and appeal

United States v. Cassandra Plaza

U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Iowa and U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit4:04-cr-00311-RP-RAW / Nos. 06-1762 and 07-35902004–2008

Documented record

Rouse served as Plaza's defense counsel continuously through the original district-court proceedings and sentencing, the government's first appeal, resentencing, and the government's second appeal. The advisory sentencing-guidelines range was 135 to 168 months; Plaza qualified for safety-valve relief and the government filed a substantial-assistance motion.

The district court initially imposed twelve months and one day. The government appealed and prevailed, and the Eighth Circuit remanded for resentencing. On October 12, 2007, the district court again imposed the identical sentence. The government filed a second appeal but later moved to dismiss it. On January 9, 2008, the Eighth Circuit dismissed the appeal, leaving the resentencing judgment undisturbed.

Why this matter is included

The combined district-court and appellate records document continuous representation and the procedural path to the final sentence.

Principal sources

This page is historical and informational, not legal advice. It is part of a curated, non-exhaustive archive and should be read with the linked sources.

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