United States v. JoiSade Wilford

── United States v. JoiSade Wilford ── Court: Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit Date: April 22, 2026 Category: General NOT RECOMMENDED FOR PUBLICATION File Name: 26a0183n.06 Case No. 24-6139 UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE SIXTH CIRCUIT FILED Apr 22, 2026 ) KELLY L. STEPHENS, Clerk UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, ) Plaintiff-Appellee, ) ) ON APPEAL FROM THE UNITED ) STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR v. ) THE MIDDLE DISTRICT OF ) TENNESSEE JOISADE WILFORD, ) Defendant-Appellant. ) OPINION ) Before: CLAY, McKEAGUE, and NALBANDIAN, Circuit Judges. NALBANDIAN, Circuit Judge. Joisade Wilford asks the court to vacate her conviction for using and carrying a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime. Wilford pleaded guilty to that charge but now brings four challenges to her conviction. She argues that her plea colloquy was invalid, her plea was involuntary, the factual basis of her plea was insufficient, and that she is innocent. Because we find no error, we AFFIRM. I. In April 2021, federal, state, and local law enforcement started investigating suspected gun and drug crimes by a group that included Wilford in and around Nashville. Officers believed that Brandon Long, Wilford’s co-defendant and boyfriend at the time, led the group and supplied large amounts of fentanyl, methamphetamine, heroin, and marijuana. Officers regularly observed Wilford and other group members at two homes—4737 Terragon Trail and 2948 Mossdale Drive—where group members prepared, stored, and distributed drugs. No. 24-6139, United States v. Wilford In the early morning hours of July 9, 2021, Wilford and Long were at the Terragon Trail house. Jennifer Orellana, another of Wilford’s co-defendants who lived at Mossdale Drive, contacted Long and Wilford and told them that she thought that someone was about to rob the drugs at Mossdale. So Long and Wilford went to Mossdale Drive to protect those drugs. Security camera footage shows Wilford holding a gun as she patrolled the residence. Eventually, a federal grand jury returned a superseding indictment charging Wilford with seven counts of various drug and firearms crimes including the use and carry of a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. Wilford signed a written plea agreement and appeared for a change-of-plea hearing on February 9, 2024. She pleaded guilty to the charge of using and carrying a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime under 18 U.S.C. § 924(c)(1)(A). In exchange, the government agreed to dismiss the other six charges. The district court found that Wilford’s plea was knowing, voluntary, and intelligent, and that it was supported by a factual basis. Wilford’s plea agreement included a waiver of appellate rights. The district court sentenced Wilford to five years in prison, which is the mandatory minimum sentence under § 924(c)(1)(A). She appealed.1 II. Wilford argues that her plea was invalid for three reasons. First, because the district court misstated an element of her offense during the plea colloquy.