7th Circuit upholds Corrie Singleton's 180-month sentence for armed bank robbery, ruling the district court…

Record source: CourtListener

In the United States Court of Appeals For the Seventh Circuit ____________________ No. 25-2154 UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, Plaintiff-Appellee, v. CORRIE SINGLETON, Defendant-Appellant. ____________________ Appeal from the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, Eastern Division. No. 22 CR 574-3 — Robert W. Gettleman, Judge. ____________________ ARGUED MAY 22, 2026 — DECIDED JULY 15, 2026 ____________________ Before EASTERBROOK, RIPPLE, and PRYOR, Circuit Judges. PRYOR, Circuit Judge. Corrie Singleton pled guilty to Hobbs Act robbery and using a firearm during and in connection with that robbery. Singleton was sentenced to a below-guide- lines sentence of 180 months’ imprisonment. On appeal, Sin- gleton argues that his sentence is procedurally unreasonable. Because the district court adequately explained the chosen sentence, we affirm. 2 No. 25-2154 I. BACKGROUND On October 31, 2022, twenty-one-year-old Corrie Single- ton, his brother, and a minor traveled in a stolen vehicle to a Chase Bank in Lansing, Illinois. The group arrived around 10:45 a.m., exited the stolen vehicle, and approached a Brink’s employee who was outside of the Brink’s armored truck ser- vicing an ATM. Singleton brandished a loaded firearm and held it to the employee’s head while his brother disarmed her. Singleton continued to hold the gun to the victim’s head while his brother and the minor emptied the money from the ATM. After the ATM was empty, Singleton dragged the employee to the armored truck while someone from the group forced her to unlock the rear compartment. Singleton and the minor took the cash from the truck’s rear compartment and loaded it into the stolen vehicle. The group fled the scene shortly after the stolen car was loaded. Law en- forcement had been notified, however, and attempted to ef- fectuate a stop. While fleeing, Singleton lost control of the get- away car during his attempt to merge onto the highway. He crashed into another vehicle, a pole, and the highway’s ramp wall. After the crash, the group continued to flee on foot. Po- lice apprehended Singleton and the minor and then recov- ered, from the stolen vehicle, $1,025,956 in cash and firearms used during the robbery. Singleton’s brother, however, evaded arrest that day. In July 2024, a federal grand jury charged Singleton in a third superseding indictment with conspiracy to commit armed robbery in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1951 (Count I), Hobbs Act robbery in violation of 18 U.S.C. §§ 1951(a) and 2 (Count II), and brandishing a firearm during and in relation with a crime of violence in violation of 18 U.S.C. No. 25-2154 3 §§ 924(c)(1)(A) and 2 (Count III). Singleton pled guilty to the latter two charges in January 2025. Before sentencing, the United States Probation Office pre- pared Singleton’s Presentence Investigation Report (“PSR”). The probation officer who prepared the PSR calculated a total offense level of 33. With no criminal history points, Single- ton’s offense level yielded an advisory guidelines range of 135 to 168 months’ imprisonment on the Hobbs Act robbery con- viction, followed by a mandatory consecutive term of 84 months’ imprisonment on the conviction for brandishing a firearm in connection with a crime of violence. See 18 U.S.C. § 924(c)(1)(D)(ii) (mandating that the sentence for a 924(c) conviction be imposed consecutively). This resulted in a total advisory guidelines range of 219 to 252 months’ imprison- ment. The parties responded by filing sentencing memoran- dums. Relevant here, Singleton sought a downward depar- ture based on the November 2024 amendment to U.S.S.G § 5H1.1 and the U.S. Sentencing Commission’s accompanying policy statement. He argued this amendment broadened § 5H1.1 to support a guidelines departure from an overly harsh sentencing range because “youthful individuals gener- ally are more impulsive, risk-seeking, and susceptible to out- side influence as their brains continue to develop into young adulthood.” See U.S.S.G § 5H1.1. When discussing the likeli- hood of recidivism and the opportunity for rehabilitation, Sin- gleton discussed his strong family support, his ability to se- cure vocational and educational training, his lack of prior cus- todial sentences, his age at the time of the offense, and brain science data regarding young adults. 4 No. 25-2154 At sentencing, in June 2025, the district court acknowl- edged it had reviewed the PSR, the parties’ sentencing mem- oranda, and other materials counsel submitted. Next, the dis- trict court heard argument about the appropriate sentence. The government requested a sentence of 204 months’ impris- onment and four years of supervised release. The government focused on the seriousness of Singleton’s offense and the ter- ror that he brought to the victims and the community. It also highlighted the jail’s disciplinary actions taken against Single- ton because of his behavior during pretrial detention. Single- ton, on the other hand, sought a sentence of 96 months’ im- prisonment followed by supervised release allowing neces- sary mental health counseling. Singleton’s counsel argued this sentence was warranted because of Singleton’s lack of criminal history; his poverty-stricken childhood; his ability for rehabilitation; and his young age. After hearing argument, the district court announced the sentence. Apart from confirming that it had read the parties’ submissions, the district court explained that Singleton’s sen- tence needed to reflect the seriousness of the offense, deter others from engaging in this violent behavior, and protect the public. Although the district court recognized that a guide- lines sentence would be reasonable based on the underlying offense’s violent nature, the district court found Singleton’s mitigating circumstances to be a significant factor. Balancing the 18 U.S.C. § 3553(a) sentencing factors, including Single- ton’s lack of criminal history, his family history, unfortunate childhood trauma, community gun violence, and his young age both at sentencing and following his term of imprison- ment, the district court determined that a below-guidelines sentence of 96 months’ imprisonment for the robbery, fol- lowed by the mandatory consecutive sentence of 84 months No. 25-2154 5 for the firearm, for a total of 180 months’ imprisonment with four years’ supervised release was appropriate. This appeal followed. II. ANALYSIS On appeal, Singleton argues his sentence is procedurally unreasonable because the district court failed to consider his two principal mitigation arguments and adequately explain its reasoning for imposing a 15-year term of imprisonment. We disagree. We review procedural challenges to a criminal sentence de novo. United States v. Hendrix, 74 F.4th 859, 866 (7th Cir. 2023). “A district court commits procedural error when it fails to ad- dress a defendant’s mitigating arguments that are not so weak as not to merit discussion.” Id. at 868 (citation modified); United States v. Cunningham, 429 F.3d 673, 679 (7th Cir. 2005). “In determining whether a court addressed an argument, we consider the totality of the record.” United States v. Wilcher, 91 F.4th 864, 874 (7th Cir. 2024) (citation modified). Where “the court meaningfully considered the defendant’s mitiga- tion arguments, even if implicitly and imprecisely, that is enough.” United States v. Hodge, 138 F.4th 1021, 1025 (7th Cir. 202

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