Case Explained: Non-Argument Calendar UNITED STATES OF AMERICA v. KENNETH STEELE

Court: United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit Filed: 2026-08-11 Docket: 1:24-cr-00009-AW-MAL-2 The eleventh-circuit affirmed Kenneth Steele’s 90-month below-Guidelines sentence for conspiring to distribute methamphetamine. The court held that the district court did not err in declining to apply a four-level mitigating-role reduction under Amendment 833, ruling that the amendment is substantive and therefore does not apply retroactively to sentences imposed before its effective date. Additionally, the court rejected Steele’s claim of substantive unreasonableness, applying an abuse-of-discretion standard to review whether the district court properly weighed the factors under 18 U.S.C. § 3553(a). The appellate panel found that the district court did not abuse its discretion because it explicitly considered Steele’s mitigating circumstances, including his guilty plea and cooperation, while giving significant weight to aggravating factors such as the seriousness of the offense and Steele’s prior perjury during trial. As a result, Steele’s conviction and sentence remain in effect, and he must serve the imposed term of imprisonment. Do It For The Case Law is a news reporting service. Nothing in this episode constitutes legal advice.