Kratsas v. United States

MEMORANDUM

MALETZ, Senior Judge. 1

On March 18, 1993, the petitioner, Paul Kratsas, was convicted by a jury of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute cocaine in violation of 21 U.S.C. § 846, and laundering proceeds of unlawful activities in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1956(a)(1)(B)(I). Given petitioner’s two prior convictions for felony drug offenses, the court imposed a mandatory life sentence as to Count I pursuant to 21 U.S.C. § 841(b)(1)(A), and a seventy month concurrent sentence as to Count II. Kratsas appealed arguing that the statute requiring a mandatory life…