Engstrom

FOR PUBLICATION

UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS

FOR THE NINTH CIRCUIT

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, No. 24-1878 D.C. No. Plaintiff - Appellant, 2:21-cr-00190-

ART-EJY-

v.

PAUL ENGSTROM, OPINION

Defendant - Appellee.

Appeal from the United States District Court for the District of Nevada Anne R. Traum, District Judge, Presiding

Argued and Submitted September 17, 2025 San Francisco, California

Filed February 5, 2026

Before: David F. Hamilton, Ryan D. Nelson, and Patrick J. Bumatay, Circuit Judges. *

Opinion by Judge R. Nelson

* The Honorable David F. Hamilton, United States Circuit Judge for the Court of Appeals, 7th Circuit, sitting by designation. SUMMARY **

Criminal Law

The panel reversed the district court’s decision that Paul Engstrom was eligible for safety valve relief under 18 U.S.C. § 3553(f), vacated the sentence imposed below the statutory minimum, and remanded for resentencing in a case in which Engstrom pleaded guilty to drug-related crimes. The district court imposed the below-minimum sentence after holding a resentencing hearing under Fed. R. Crim. P. 35. Rejecting Engstrom’s…