Case Explained: UNITED STATES OF AMERICA v. HANDRIKUS LYKEIN DONTAE WEBB

Court: United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit Filed: 2026-06-24 The Fourth Circuit granted the Government’s motion to dismiss the appeal, holding that the defendant’s valid plea agreement appeal waiver precluded review of his claims regarding the substantive reasonableness of his prison term and the constitutionality of a supervised release condition requiring him to contribute to substance abuse testing costs. The court applied the standard for enforcing appeal waivers under *United States v. Archie* and *United States v. Soloff*, determining that Webb knowingly and voluntarily waived his right to appeal based on the totality of the circumstances, including his background and knowledge of the plea terms. The court found that the specific challenges raised by counsel did not fall within the waiver’s exceptions for ineffective assistance of counsel, prosecutorial misconduct, or subsequent changes in the law; specifically, the court noted that its recent decision in *United States v. Jones* upheld the challenged condition against an unconstitutional delegation argument, meaning no change in the law affected Webb’s sentence. As a practical consequence, the appeal is dismissed without oral argument, and counsel is required to inform Webb in writing of his right to petition the Supreme Court for further review, with provisions allowing counsel to seek leave to withdraw if a petition is requested but deemed frivolous. Do It For The Case Law is a news reporting service. Nothing in this episode constitutes legal advice.