Case Explained: UNITED STATES OF AMERICA v. CHRISTOPHER LOUIS PARK

Court: United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit Filed: 2026-08-05 The Fourth Circuit affirmed the conviction and sentence of Christopher Louis Park in part and dismissed the appeal in part. The court held that Park’s valid appeal waiver, entered into knowingly and intelligently during a Rule 11 colloquy, barred his challenges to the substantive reasonableness of his 180-month sentence for possession with intent to distribute cocaine. Although the Government moved to dismiss based on this waiver, the court clarified that an appeal waiver does not preclude colorable challenges to the validity of a guilty plea itself; however, because Park failed to preserve any claims regarding the plea proceedings, the court reviewed the adequacy of the colloquy for plain error and found the plea was knowing, voluntary, and supported by an independent factual basis. The court further determined that the substantial upward variance in Park’s sentence did not constitute a “miscarriage of justice” sufficient to render the waiver unenforceable under *Hunter v. United States*. Consequently, the court granted the Government’s motion to dismiss the appeal regarding all issues within the scope of the waiver and affirmed the remainder of the judgment, directing counsel to inform Park of his right to petition the Supreme Court for further review. Do It For The Case Law is a news reporting service. Nothing in this episode constitutes legal advice.