United States v. Koren Jones

── United States v. Koren Jones ── Court: Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit Date: May 14, 2026 Category: General NOT PRECEDENTIAL UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE THIRD CIRCUIT ______________ No. 24-3185 ______________ UNITED STATES OF AMERICA v. KOREN JONES a/k/a KURON JONES, Appellant ______________ On Appeal from the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania (D.C. No. 2:17-cr-00447-001) U.S. District Judge: Honorable Paul S. Diamond ______________ Submitted Under Third Circuit L.A.R. 34.1(a) May 12, 2026 ______________ Before: SHWARTZ, MASCOTT, and McKEE, Circuit Judges. (Filed: May 14, 2026) ______________ OPINION * ______________ ∗ This disposition is not an opinion of the full court and, pursuant to I.O.P. 5.7, does not constitute binding precedent. SHWARTZ, Circuit Judge. Koren Jones appeals his sentence for Hobbs Act robbery and firearm offenses. His counsel argues that his appeal presents no nonfrivolous issues and moves to withdraw under Anders v. California, 386 U.S. 738 (1967). We agree and will grant the motion and affirm. I Over the course of two days, Jones committed two armed robberies and attempted a third. During the first incident, Jones pointed a gun at a grocery store cashier, shot a customer in the leg, and left with $200. The next day, Jones fired a gun at another grocery store cashier but missed him and left with $250. The same day, Jones pointed a gun at a deli cashier but, during a tussle, the gun discharged, and Jones fled without obtaining any money. Jones was charged with Hobbs Act and attempted Hobbs Act robbery in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1951(a) (Counts One, Three, and Five), and using, carrying, and brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 924(c)(1) (Counts Two, Four, and Six). Jones pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 420 months and one day imprisonment and five years’ supervised release. Jones appealed twice and was resentenced twice. After his first appeal, Jones pleaded guilty to all six counts and, in accordance with a Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 11(c)(1)(C) plea agreement, was resentenced to 324 months’ imprisonment and five years’ supervised release. His second appeal followed, where he challenged his § 924(c) convictions (Counts Two, Four, and Six) and argued that Hobbs Act robbery is 2 not a crime of violence. While that appeal was pending, the Supreme Court held that attempted Hobbs Act robbery is not a crime of violence, United States v. Taylor, 596 U.S. 845, 851 (2022), and, as a result, we vacated Jones’s § 924(c) conviction related to his attempted Hobbs Act robbery charge and remanded for resentencing. 1 During the resentencing, the District Court acknowledged that it could have imposed a sentence below the 324-month term of imprisonment stipulated in the plea agreement, and Jones’s counsel advocated for a sentence below the stipulated term given Jones’s post-sentencing rehabilitation efforts. The parties agreed that the 324-month stipulation was no longer binding. The Court, after considering the violent