Case Explained: United States v. Lin

Court: United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit Filed: 2026-07-24 Docket: 5:23-CR-00278-HE-13) The Tenth Circuit affirmed the defendant’s conviction for conspiring to distribute a controlled substance in violation of 21 U.S.C. §§ 841(a)(1) and 846. The court held that five of the seven issues raised on appeal were waived because the defendant failed to adequately brief them, did not object to the evidence at trial, or failed to provide a sufficient appellate record as required by Federal Rule of Appellate Procedure 28(a)(8) and Tenth Circuit Rule 10.4(B). Regarding the two preserved issues, the court applied an abuse of discretion standard to the denial of the motion to sever under Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 14(a), ruling that the defendant failed to demonstrate actual prejudice outweighing the expense and inconvenience of separate trials. On the sufficiency of the evidence claim, the court applied a de novo standard, reviewing the facts in the light most favorable to the government to determine if any rational trier of fact could find the essential elements of the conspiracy beyond a reasonable doubt. The court concluded that testimony from co-defendants and witnesses establishing the defendant’s role as an employee who tended plants, transported marijuana, and interacted with buyers was sufficient to support the verdict. As a result of this decision, the judgment of the district court stands, and the defendant remains subject to his thirty-seven-month prison sentence and five years of supervised release. Do It For The Case Law is a news reporting service. Nothing in this episode constitutes legal advice.