Judge cuts stacked 80-year sentence to 300 months (2021)

Originally published April 26, 2021. Statements about the law were updated in October 2026; the box below gives today’s rules.

What the law says now (October 2026). A federal judge can reduce a sentence for “extraordinary and compelling” reasons (reasons that are especially unusual and convincing). You must first ask the warden in writing. You can file in court 30 days after the warden gets the request, or sooner if you finish the Bureau of Prisons’ appeals (18 U.S.C. § 3582(c)(1)(A)). The judge also weighs the sentencing factors in 18 U.S.C. § 3553(a). See who may seek compassionate release.

Changes in sentencing law. In Rutherford v. United States (May 28, 2026), the Supreme Court held that when Congress makes a sentencing change non-retroactive (meaning it does not apply to people already sentenced), such as the First Step Act’s end of “stacked” § 924(c) sentences, the gap between an old sentence and today’s sentence cannot be an “extraordinary and compelling” reason, alone or combined with other reasons. Some older posts here describe court wins on that theory; those wins are history, not today’s law.
COVID-19 and outbreaks. Today a court looks at whether the prison is affected, or at imminent risk of being affected, by an ongoing infectious disease outbreak or public health emergency, and whether the person faces a higher risk of severe illness or death that cannot be reduced in time (U.S.S.G. § 1B1.13(b)(1)(D)).

Outcomes vary. A past result does not predict or guarantee the outcome of any other case.

A federal judge in Virginia reduced Mark Wayne Woods’s sentence to 300 months. He had been serving 80 years on four “stacked” gun counts on top of his drug sentence. At the time, the court said the stacked sentence, together with his COVID-19 health concerns, justified a reduction.

Compassionate Release

United States v. Woods

United States District Court for the Western District of Virginia, Harrisonburg Division

2021 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 76917

Sentence reduction granted because of a stacked sentence and COVID-19 concerns.

His original sentence

Mr. Woods was serving 135 months in prison for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute 50 grams of methamphetamine. On top of that, he was serving a total of 960 consecutive months (80 years) for four counts of possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking. He had served 215 months (about 18 years), roughly 20% of his sentence, and his projected release date was March 12, 2081.

Why he asked for release

Mr. Woods filed for compassionate release and gave several reasons. He has asthma, which he treats with an inhaler. He also has high blood pressure (hypertension), which he treats with daily prescription medication.

He also argued that his 80-year consecutive sentence on four “stacked” counts was an “extraordinary and compelling” reason for relief. There was a 60-year difference between his sentence and the sentence that “Congress now believes to be an appropriate penalty for [such] conduct”. At the time, the court agreed that his 80-year consecutive sentence on four counts was an “extraordinary and compelling” reason for a sentence reduction.

What the court decided

At that point, Mr. Woods had already been incarcerated for 215 months, or 57% of his sentence. After careful review, the court found that a sentence of 300 months was sufficient but not greater than necessary to reflect the seriousness of his offenses, promote respect for the law, provide just punishment, deter crime, and protect the public.

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