United States of America v. Joseph Christopher Boyden

UNPUBLISHED
UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS
FOR THE FOURTH CIRCUIT
No. 22-6556
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,
Plaintiff - Appellee,
v.
JOSEPH CHRISTOPHER BOYDEN,
Defendant - Appellant.
Appeal from the United States District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina, at
Greenville. W. Earl Britt, Senior District Judge. (4:11-cr-00025-BR-1)
Submitted: September 8, 2022 Decided: September 13, 2022
Before HARRIS and RICHARDSON, Circuit Judges, and TRAXLER, Senior Circuit
Judge.
Affirmed by unpublished per curiam opinion.
Joseph Christopher Boyden, Appellant Pro Se.
Unpublished opinions are not binding precedent in this circuit.

-- 1 of 2 --

2
PER CURIAM:
Joseph Christopher Boyden appeals the district court’s order denying his 18 U.S.C.
§ 3582(c)(1)(A) motion for compassionate release. We review a district court’s order
granting or denying a compassionate release motion for abuse of discretion. United
States v. Kibble, 992 F.3d 326, 329 (4th Cir.) (stating standard of review), cert. denied, 142
S. Ct. 383 (2021). We have reviewed the record and conclude that the district court did
not abuse its discretion. The court denied the compassionate release motion after
explaining why Boyden failed to demonstrate extraordinary and compelling circumstances,
discussing the applicable 18 U.S.C. § 3553(a) factors, and sufficiently explaining the
reasons for the denial. See United States v. High, 997 F.3d 181, 188-91 (4th Cir. 2021)
(discussing amount of explanation required for denial of straightforward compassionate
release motion). We therefore affirm the district court’s order. We dispense with oral
argument because the facts and legal contentions are adequately presented in the materials
before this court and argument would not aid the decisional process.
AFFIRMED

-- 2 of 2 --