Case Explained: USA V. HUNTER

Court: United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit Filed: 2026-08-13 Docket: 4:24-cr-00320-HSG-1 The Ninth Circuit affirmed the district court’s denial of Hunter’s motion for a judgment of acquittal under Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 29 and its imposition of a two-level sentencing enhancement for obstruction of justice. Regarding the Hobbs Act robbery conviction, the court held that the government satisfied the jurisdictional element by presenting sufficient evidence of a de minimis effect on interstate commerce, including security footage of the theft and testimony regarding economic harm to the retailer and potential customer alienation; the court rejected Hunter’s argument that the shoes were inauthentic as speculative. On the obstruction of justice issue under U.S.S.G. § 3C1.1, the court applied clear error review to factual findings and de novo review to the legal characterization of conduct, concluding that Hunter lacked a sincere but inaccurate recollection because he continued to deny shoving an officer despite being shown video evidence of the act. Additionally, the court held that Hunter waived any challenge to the revocation of his supervised release by failing to argue the issue specifically and distinctly in his opening brief. Consequently, the judgment of conviction and sentence is affirmed. Do It For The Case Law is a news reporting service. Nothing in this episode constitutes legal advice.