United States v. Cedric Butts

U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit

United States v. Cedric Butts

Opinion

Case: 18-14935 Date Filed: 01/15/2020 Page: 1 of 2

[DO NOT PUBLISH]

IN THE UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS

FOR THE ELEVENTH CIRCUIT

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No. 18-14935

Non-Argument Calendar

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D.C. Docket No. 1:17-cr-00006-LJA-TQL-15 UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,

Plaintiff - Appellee,

versus CEDRIC BUTTS,

Defendant - Appellant.

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Appeal from the United States District Court

for the Middle District of Georgia

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(January 15, 2020) Before MARTIN, GRANT, and TJOFLAT, Circuit Judges. PER CURIAM:

Je’Nita Lane, appointed counsel for Cedric Butts in this direct criminal appeal, has moved to withdraw from further representation of Butts and filed a

Case: 18-14935 Date Filed: 01/15/2020 Page: 2 of 2 brief pursuant to Anders v. California, 386 U.S. 738, 87 S. Ct. 1396 (1967). Our independent review of the entire record reveals that counsel’s assessment of the merit of the appeal is correct.

As part of Butts’s plea agreement, he agreed to “waive[] any right to appeal or other collateral review of [his] sentence in any court.” Notwithstanding this language in Butts’s plea agreement, the court advised him as follows during his plea colloquy: “[I]f you believe you received constitutionally ineffective assistance of counsel, you’ll [] be able to appeal in that circumstance.” A waiver is unenforceable if the district court’s explanation of the waiver was “confusing” such that the defendant would not have understood the waiver’s “full significance.” United States v. Bushert, 997 F.2d 1343, 1352–53 (11th Cir. 1993).

Nevertheless, and regardless of the appeal waiver, our independent examination of the record reveals no arguable issues of merit on appeal. Counsel’s motion to withdraw is therefore GRANTED, and Butts’s conviction and sentence are AFFIRMED.

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Reference

Status
Unpublished