United States v. Tony Wilson, Jr., 20-11063

Tony Wilson Jr. pled guilty to a multi-count indictment charging him with leading a drug distribution conspiracy (cocaine base, heroin, fentanyl) and firearms offenses; no plea agreement.
From 2013–2018 he operated a supplier role running "trap houses" (including a central "Big House") and supplied co-conspirators who sold retail quantities; law enforcement seizures and informant purchases linked the drugs to Wilson.
Firearms and over $9,000 in cash were found in his residence; Wilson, a convicted felon, knew of the firearms; co-conspirators also used guns to protect the operation.
While detained, Wilson participated in a jailhouse assault on a cooperating co-conspirator, injuring the witness and obstructing the government’s prosecution efforts.
The PSR attributed large drug-quantity equivalents to Wilson, applied multiple Guidelines enhancements (firearms, use of residences, obstruction, leadership), capped offense level at 43, and calculated a Guidelines range of life imprisonment.
The district court adopted the PSR, denied a downward variance (citing lack of acceptance of responsibility, recidivism, community harm, and sentencing parity), and imposed concurrent life sentences for major counts with a consecutive 60-month term for the § 924(c) count.

Issue	Plaintiff's Argument	Defendant's Argument	Held
Procedural reasonableness of the sentence	Wilson: district court failed to weigh § 3553(a) factors, overemphasized respect for the rule of law, and improperly used factors to justify a harsher sentence	Government: court considered § 3553(a), facts, PSR, allocution; explanation adequate; did not treat Guidelines as mandatory	Affirmed — court adequately considered § 3553(a) and explained its reasoning; no procedural error
Substantive reasonableness of the life sentence	Wilson: life sentence for a 31‑year‑old when no deaths occurred is substantively unreasonable and atypical	Government: within‑Guidelines sentence justified by offense seriousness, leadership, obstruction, recidivism, community harm	Affirmed — sentence not substantively unreasonable; court’s weighing of § 3553(a) factors was within its discretion

Gall v. United States, 552 U.S. 38 (2007) (sentencing review standard; abuse of discretion and procedural requirements)
United States v. Cabezas‑Montano, 949 F.3d 567 (11th Cir. 2020) (standards for reviewing sentence reasonableness and § 3553(c)(1) explanation)
United States v. Gonzalez, 550 F.3d 1319 (11th Cir. 2008) (what constitutes procedural unreasonableness in sentencing)
United States v. Tome, 611 F.3d 1371 (11th Cir. 2010) (defendant bears burden to show sentence unreasonable)
United States v. Snipes, 611 F.3d 855 (11th Cir. 2010) (appellate court defers to district court’s weight given to § 3553(a) factors)
United States v. Irey, 612 F.3d 1160 (11th Cir. 2010) (en banc) (substantive‑reasonableness standard: overturn only for clear error of judgment — "definite and firm conviction")
United States v. Clay, 483 F.3d 739 (11th Cir. 2007) (weight accorded to sentencing factors is for district court’s discretion)