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Supreme Court Affirms 'Crimes of Violence' Include Inaction in Murder-for-Hire Case

The 7-2 ruling upholds Salvatore Delligatti's conviction, clarifying legal standards for violent crimes committed through indirect actions.

The US Supreme Court is shown March 17, 2025 in Washington, DC.
Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch poses for a new group portrait, at the Supreme Court building in Washington, Friday, Oct. 7, 2022.
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Overview

  • The Supreme Court ruled that crimes involving intentional harm, even through inaction, qualify as 'crimes of violence.'
  • Salvatore Delligatti, a Genovese crime family associate, was convicted for a murder-for-hire plot and sentenced to 25 years in prison.
  • The Court upheld a mandatory five-year sentence enhancement for Delligatti's possession of a firearm during the crime.
  • Justice Clarence Thomas wrote the majority opinion, while Justices Neil Gorsuch and Ketanji Brown Jackson dissented, raising concerns about broad interpretations of inaction as violence.
  • The decision provides critical legal clarity for lower courts in applying the 'crime of violence' penalty to similar cases involving indirect actions.