Case Explained: Non-Argument Calendar UNITED STATES OF AMERICA v. BARRETT PURVIS

Court: United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit Filed: 2026-08-17 Docket: 8:23-cr-00110-CEH-AAS-1 The eleventh-circuit affirmed Barrett Purvis’s convictions for wire fraud and money laundering, holding that the district court properly instructed the jury on the doctrine of deliberate ignorance. The court applied the standard requiring evidence that a defendant was aware of a high probability that the fact in question existed and purposely contrived to avoid learning all the facts to maintain a defense against prosecution. The court found this standard met because Purvis’s shifting and evasive statements to law enforcement regarding his use of loan proceeds demonstrated awareness of a high probability that he could not spend the funds on personal expenses, and his decision to have an assistant complete the application while he spent only 32 seconds reviewing the agreement supported an inference that he deliberately avoided learning the specific restrictions. As a result, Purvis’s convictions stand and he remains subject to the sentence imposed by the district court. Do It For The Case Law is a news reporting service. Nothing in this episode constitutes legal advice.