United States v. Hollywood, 1:18-cr-00054

Defendant Willie Bernard Hollywood pleaded guilty in January 2020 to conspiracy to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine.
He was sentenced in August 2020 to 262 months in prison.
On July 2, 2025, Hollywood filed a pro se motion for compassionate release under the First Step Act, seeking a reduction to 120 months imprisonment.
The Federal Public Defender notified the court it would not submit a supplemental motion.
Defendant's arguments included COVID-19, alleged sentencing guideline errors, ineffective consideration of mitigating circumstances, and a claim that the indictment was defective.
The court reviewed whether Hollywood demonstrated extraordinary and compelling reasons for release and whether applicable sentencing factors justified a sentence reduction.

Issue	Plaintiff's Argument	Defendant's Argument	Held
Standard for Compassionate Release	Hollywood has not met burden; no extraordinary reasons shown	COVID-19 infection risk and alleged improper sentencing	No extraordinary/compelling reasons; motion denied
Appropriateness of Sentencing Calculation	Sentencing was proper; mitigating factors considered	Court failed to consider youth and other mitigation; career offender status improper	Sentencing properly considered all facts and guidelines
Career Offender Status	Robbery conviction qualifies; upheld as a crime of violence	Robbery was not a crime of violence; status incorrect	Detailed record supports career offender status
Collateral Attack on Conviction	Claims are not proper in a compassionate release motion	Indictment defective, conviction flawed	Claims not considered in this motion

None cited with official reporter citations in this opinion (opinion relies on statutory standards and sentencing guidelines only).