Federal Sentencing in Chattanooga: Facts, Myths, and Figures

A large share of Chattanooga federal drug cases start as traffic stops on I-75 or I-24. Whether the stop and search were lawful under the Fourth Amendment is often the single biggest issue in the case.

18 U.S.C. § 924(e) turns a § 922(g) felon-in-possession charge into a 15-year mandatory minimum when the defendant has three prior 'violent felony' or 'serious drug offense' convictions. Tennessee aggravated burglary and certain drug priors are frequent triggers.

Health-care fraud, PPP loan fraud, and wire fraud prosecutions have expanded in recent years. Loss amount under U.S.S.G. § 2B1.1 is the single biggest driver — every doubling of loss adds roughly two offense levels.

Federal drug and firearm sentences typically run two to five times longer than the equivalent Tennessee state sentence, and there is no parole in the federal system. Good-time credit caps at roughly 15%.

Under Pinkerton liability and U.S.S.G. § 1B1.3 relevant conduct, a defendant is accountable for reasonably foreseeable drug quantities of the entire conspiracy, not just what they personally handled.

A government motion under U.S.S.G. § 5K1.1 or 18 U.S.C. § 3553(e) is the only reliable way below a mandatory minimum. Nationally, cooperators receive average reductions of about 50% off the low end of the range.