Case Explained: (L), 25-4664 UNITED STATES OF AMERICA Plaintiff – v. CORTEZ DESEAN IRELAND Defendant – Appellant Appeals from the United States District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina, at Greensboro. Thomas D. Schroeder, District Judge. (1:20-cr-00217-TDS-1; 1:24-cr-00310- TDS-1)

Court: United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit Filed: 2026-08-13 The Fourth Circuit affirmed the district court’s imposition of a 165-month sentence for a new felony conviction and a consecutive 24-month revocation sentence for violating supervised release. Regarding Ireland’s argument that the district court erred in applying a specific Sentencing Guidelines cross-reference, the court held that any such error was harmless because the record demonstrated the district court would have reached the same result regardless of the calculation and because the resulting sentence was substantively reasonable under the 18 U.S.C. § 3553(a) factors. Furthermore, the court concluded there was no reversible error in ordering the sentences to run consecutively, noting that the Federal Sentencing Guidelines recommend consecutive terms for new convictions and supervision violations arising from the same conduct and that the district court’s discussion of the sentencing factors adequately supported this decision. Do It For The Case Law is a news reporting service. Nothing in this episode constitutes legal advice.