Third Circuit Court upholds ‘career offender’ status, denying Torey Dobbin’s appeal to shorten his prison sentence.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit has rejected an appeal from Torey Dobbin, who was convicted for his role in a 2014 Cracker Barrel robbery in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. The court affirmed the denial of Dobbin’s motion to vacate his sentence, ruling that his trial counsel was not ineffective for failing to challenge his classification as a career offender under federal sentencing guidelines.
This classification was based on two of Dobbin’s prior robbery convictions from Dauphin and Cumberland counties.
The case hinged on the interpretation of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines (U.S.S.G.), specifically the definition of a “crime of violence.” A defendant with at least two prior felony convictions for a crime of violence can be designated a career offender, leading to a significantly longer sentence…