cases/21usc846/f3d-935-232-us-v-norman.case

Source: cases/21usc846/f3d-935-232-us-v-norman.case

Case source: https://www.neochart.com/catalog/cases/f3d/volume_935/0232_01/index.html

Verbatim annotated passages

And it is undisputed that "conspiracy" under § 846 does not require an overt act.

We therefore hold that a "conspiracy" conviction under § 846 is a categorical mismatch to the generic crime of conspiracy enumerated in § 4B1.2(b).

Exact source text

casedsl 1.2

# author: Flash3 (gemini-3.8-flash-high)
# triaged-by: Fable (2026-11-10)
case /f3d/935/0232-01
  name    United States v. Norman
  cite    935 F.3d 232 (2019)
  court   United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit
  date    2019-08-15
  url     catalog/cases/f3d/volume_935/0232_01/index.html
  source  ir/caselaw/f3d_935.jsonl sha1=a9b36b4fd927cbdf90e2414b9c1f56b9d283629a chars=31659

opinion op : majority by Motz @0..25892 controlling
opinion dis : dissent by King @25893..31659
party p1 : Thomas Edward Norman
count c1 : sentencing enhancement predicate (prior § 846 conspiracy)

law 21usc846
  role    comparator
  posture criminal appeal challenging a Guidelines § 2K2.1 enhancement predicated on a prior 21 U.S.C. § 846 conviction; § 846 compared categorically with generic conspiracy; sentence affirmed on plain-error review
  result  not-decided

element agreement : not-reached
  party   p1
  count   c1
  route   _comparator
  pattern categorical-approach/no-overt-act-so-broader-than-generic-conspiracy
  rule @10488..10569 | And it is undisputed that "conspiracy" under § 846 does not require an overt act.
  held @14869..15016 | We therefore hold that a "conspiracy" conviction under § 846 is a categorical mismatch to the generic crime of conspiracy enumerated in § 4B1.2(b).
  gloss   Fourth Circuit uses § 846 only as a yardstick: because § 846 conspiracy requires no overt act it is broader than generic conspiracy under U.S.S.G. § 4B1.2, so the enhancement was error, but not plain error; the sentence is affirmed. Nothing about Norman's prior agreement is decided.

misfit No § 846 charge is before the court; "result" is not-decided for § 846 even though the Government prevailed on the appeal (sentence affirmed).