United States of America v. Michael Hinds

Detroit, Michigan criminal defense lawyer represented the Defendant charged with possessing cocaine base with intent to distribute, see 21 U.S.C. § 841(a)(1), possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, see 18 U.S.C. § 924(c), and being a felon in possession of a firearm, see id. § 922(g)(1). Hinds moved to suppress the evidence from the car, arguing that the officers lacked probable cause to believe the car would contain evidence of an MMMA violation.

Hinds went to trial in March 2022. At trial, both testifying officers spoke about Bush’s actions during the search and arrest. At one point, the officer who replaced Bush as a witnessrecounted Bush’s statement that Hinds had cash on him. The government also showed portions ofHarnphanich’s bodycam footage that included Bush. While deliberating, the jurors asked the judgewhy Bush, “the officer who performed the search and recovered the money,” was not called. The court answered that the government believed Bush’s testimony would have been “cumulative.”



The jury found Hinds guilty on all counts. His presentence report (PSR) recommended that he receive an enhanced sentence under the Armed Career Criminal Act (ACCA). See 18U.S.C. § 924(e)(1). That law imposes a fifteen-year minimum sentence on defendants convictedunder § 922(g) who have three prior convictions for “violent felon[ies]” or “serious drug offense[s]” that were “committed on occasions different from one another.”