U.S. v. Covington

Dist. Ct. did not commit plain error in sentencing defendant to 120-month term of incarceration on charges of bank robbery and brandishing firearm during bank robbery, even though defendant argued that Dist. Ct. denied him right of allocution at his sentencing hearing. While Dist. Ct. interrupted defendant on two occasions during allocution to ask defendant questions, said interruptions did not amount to denial of right of allocution where, as here, instant interruptions constituted attempt to have defendant refocus on issue of mitigation. Moreover, although defendant contended that interruptions prevented him from discussing certain topics, record showed that defendant had already touched on said topics, and thus further discussion would not have given defendant lesser sentence. (Dissent filed.)