United States v. Gonzalez
United States v. Gonzalez
Opinion
IN THE UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE FIFTH CIRCUIT
No. 99-40089 Conference Calendar
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,
Plaintiff-Appellee,
versus
LOUIE GONZALEZ,
Defendant-Appellant.
-------------------- Appeal from the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas USDC No. B-98-CR-438-ALL --------------------
October 20, 1999
Before JONES, WIENER, and STEWART, Circuit Judges.
PER CURIAM:*
Louie Gonzalez appeals the district court’s denial of his
motion to withdraw his guilty plea. Gonzalez contends that he
established a fair and just reason for the district court to
allow him to withdraw his plea because he asserted his innocence,
the Government did not prove that it would be prejudiced by the
withdrawal, and the withdrawal would not have substantially
inconvenienced the court or wasted judicial resources.
* Pursuant to 5TH CIR. R. 47.5, the court has determined that this opinion should not be published and is not precedent except under the limited circumstances set forth in 5TH CIR. R. 47.5.4. No. 99-40089 -2-
We review the denial of a Fed. R. Crim. P. 32(e) motion for
an abuse of discretion. See United States v. Grant,
117 F.3d 788, 789(5th Cir. 1997). We consider seven relevant factors in
reviewing the denial of a motion to withdraw a guilty plea under
Rule 32(e). See United States v. Brewster,
137 F.3d 853, 857(5th Cir.), cert. denied,
119 S. Ct. 247(1998).
Gonzalez’s assertion of innocence does not justify a
withdrawal of his guilty plea. See Grant,
117 F.3d at 789-90.
Gonzalez’s withdrawal of his guilty plea on the day of
sentencing, without prior notice to the district court or the
Government of his intent to withdraw the plea, would have
substantially inconvenienced the district court and wasted
judicial resources. See
id. at 790(withdrawal of guilty plea on
day of sentencing would have disrupted trial docket,
inconveniencing court and wasting judicial resources).
Gonzalez’s three-month delay in moving to withdraw his plea also
weighed against the decision to grant the motion to withdraw.
See
id. at 790(motion filed three months after entry of guilty
plea was untimely).
Our review of the relevant factors, the parties’ briefs, and
the record reveals that the district court did not abuse its
discretion by denying Gonzalez’s motion to withdraw his guilty
plea. Accordingly, we AFFIRM.
AFFIRMED.
Reference
- Status
- Unpublished