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Date: 09-10-2021
Case Style:
United States of America v. NATHAN VAN BUREN
Case Number: 18-12024
Judge: PER CURIAM
Court: IN THE UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS
FOR THE ELEVENTH CIRCUIT
Plaintiff's Attorney: Not Listed
Defendant's Attorney:
Description:
Atlanta, Georgia - Criminal defense lawyer represented defendant with a computer fraud charge.
When this case came to us initially, our circuit precedent required that we
affirm Van Buren’s conviction for computer fraud under 18 U.S.C. § 1030 because
he misused a database for an inappropriate nonbusiness reason, even though he
was otherwise authorized to use and could lawfully access the database. See
United States v. Van Buren, 940 F.3d 1192, 1207–08 (11th Cir. 2019) (citing
United States v. Rodriguez, 628 F.3d 1258, 1263 (11th Cir. 2010)). On June 3,
2021, the United States Supreme Court reversed our decision, holding that 18
U.S.C. § 1030 applies when a person “accesses a computer with authorization but
then obtains information located in particular areas of that computer—such as files,
folders, or databases—that are off limits to him.” Van Buren v. United States, 593
U.S. __, 141 S. Ct. 1648, 1652, 1662 (2021). “It does not cover those who, like
Van Buren, have improper motives for obtaining information that is otherwise
available to them.” Id. at 1652.
Outcome: For the reasons stated in the Supreme Court’s decision, we vacate Van Buren’s conviction for computer fraud under 18 U.S.C. § 1030 and remand this case to the district court for further proceedings consistent with the Supreme Court’s decision.
VACATED AND REMANDED
Plaintiff's Experts:
Defendant's Experts:
Comments: