United States v. Jamel Lunsford

U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit

United States v. Jamel Lunsford

Opinion

USCA4 Appeal: 23-4379 Doc: 37 Filed: 02/05/2024 Pg: 1 of 4

UNPUBLISHED

UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE FOURTH CIRCUIT

No. 23-4379

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,

Plaintiff - Appellee,

v.

JAMEL TYREE LUNSFORD, a/k/a Action, a/k/a Beaver,

Defendant - Appellant.

Appeal from the United States District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina, at Greensboro. Catherine C. Eagles, Chief District Judge. (1:21-cr-00356-CCE-1)

Submitted: January 30, 2024 Decided: February 5, 2024

Before KING, AGEE, and THACKER, Circuit Judges.

Affirmed in part and dismissed in part by unpublished per curiam opinion.

ON BRIEF: Louis C. Allen, Federal Public Defender, Ames C. Chamberlin, Assistant Federal Public Defender, OFFICE OF THE FEDERAL PUBLIC DEFENDER, Greensboro, North Carolina, for Appellant. Kyle David Pousson, Assistant United States Attorney, OFFICE OF THE UNITED STATES ATTORNEY, Greensboro, North Carolina, for Appellee.

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PER CURIAM:

Jamel Tyree Lunsford pled guilty, pursuant to a written plea agreement, to Hobbs

Act robbery, in violation of

18 U.S.C. §§ 2

, 1951(a), and two counts of brandishing a

firearm during a crime of violence, in violation of

18 U.S.C. §§ 2

, 924(c)(1)(A)(ii). The

district court sentenced him to a total of 201 months’ imprisonment. On appeal, counsel

has filed a brief pursuant to Anders v. California,

386 U.S. 738

(1967), stating that there

are no meritorious grounds for appeal but questioning whether Lunsford’s sentence is

reasonable. Lunsford has filed a pro se supplemental brief, arguing that the Government

unconstitutionally delayed bringing his case and requesting credit toward his federal

sentence for time served on a related state sentence. The Government moves to dismiss

Lunsford’s appeal pursuant to the appellate waiver in his plea agreement. We affirm in

part and dismiss in part.

“We review an appellate waiver de novo to determine whether the waiver is

enforceable” and “will enforce the waiver if it is valid and if the issue[s] being appealed

fall[] within the scope of the waiver.” United States v. Boutcher,

998 F.3d 603, 608

(4th

Cir. 2021) (internal quotation marks omitted). An appellate waiver is valid if the defendant

enters it “knowingly and intelligently, a determination that we make by considering the

totality of the circumstances.”

Id.

“Generally though, if a district court questions a

defendant regarding the waiver of appellate rights during the [Fed. R. Crim. P.] 11 colloquy

and the record indicates that the defendant understood the full significance of the waiver,

the waiver is valid.” United States v. McCoy,

895 F.3d 358, 362

(4th Cir. 2018) (internal

quotation marks omitted). Our review of the record, including the plea agreement and the

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transcript of the Rule 11 hearing, confirms that Lunsford knowingly and intelligently

waived his right to appeal his conviction and sentence, with limited exceptions not

applicable here. We therefore conclude that the waiver is valid and enforceable.

Furthermore, the sentencing issues raised in the Anders brief and Lunsford’s challenge in

the pro se brief to the timeliness of his indictment fall squarely within the waiver’s scope.

See United States v. Moussaoui,

591 F.3d 263, 279

(4th Cir. 2010) (“When a defendant

pleads guilty, he waives all nonjurisdictional defects in the proceedings conducted prior to

entry of the plea.”); see also United States v. Jackson,

697 F.3d 1141, 1144

(9th Cir. 2012)

(recognizing that right to a speedy trial is nonjurisdictional).

In accordance with Anders, we have reviewed the entire record in this case and have

found no potentially meritorious grounds for appeal outside the scope of Lunsford’s valid

appellate waiver. Indeed, Lunsford’s challenge to the execution of his sentence is better

raised in a

28 U.S.C. § 2241

petition. We therefore grant the Government’s motion to

dismiss in part and dismiss the appeal as to all issues covered by the waiver. We deny the

motion in part and otherwise affirm.

This court requires that counsel inform Lunsford, in writing, of the right to petition

the Supreme Court of the United States for further review. If Lunsford requests that a

petition be filed, but counsel believes that such a petition would be frivolous, then counsel

may move in this court for leave to withdraw from representation. Counsel’s motion must

state that a copy thereof was served on Lunsford. We dispense with oral argument because

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the facts and legal contentions are adequately presented in the materials before this court

and argument would not aid the decisional process.

AFFIRMED IN PART, DISMISSED IN PART

4

Reference

Status
Unpublished