U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit, 2019

United States v. Joshua Bowers

United States v. Joshua Bowers
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit · Decided June 18, 2019

United States v. Joshua Bowers

Opinion

United States Court of Appeals For the Eighth Circuit ___________________________ No. 18-3632 ___________________________ United States of America lllllllllllllllllllllPlaintiff - Appellee v. Joshua K. Bowers lllllllllllllllllllllDefendant - Appellant ____________ Appeal from United States District Court for the Western District of Missouri - St. Joseph ____________ Submitted: June 11, 2019 Filed: June 18, 2019 [Unpublished] ____________ Before COLLOTON, ERICKSON, and STRAS, Circuit Judges. ____________ PER CURIAM.

Joshua Bowers pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute heroin and methamphetamine, 21 U.S.C. §§ 841(a)(1), (b)(1)(A)(i), (viii), 846, and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime, 18 U.S.C. § 924(c)(1)(a). As part of his plea agreement, he waived his right to appeal unless, as relevant here, he received a sentence falling outside the plea agreement’s recommended range of 180 to 360 months in prison. The district court1 gave him a 310-month total prison sentence, which counsel suggests is substantively unreasonable in a brief citing Anders v. California, 386 U.S. 738 (1967).

We review the validity and applicability of an appeal waiver de novo. See United States v. Scott, 627 F.3d 702, 704 (8th Cir. 2010). Upon careful review, we conclude that the appeal waiver is enforceable and that it is applicable to the issue that Bowers has raised. See United States v. Andis, 333 F.3d 886, 889–92 (8th Cir. 2003) (en banc) (explaining that an appeal waiver will be enforced if the appeal falls within the scope of the waiver, the defendant knowingly and voluntarily entered into the plea agreement and the waiver, and enforcing the waiver would not result in a miscarriage of justice). We have also independently reviewed the record and conclude that no other non-frivolous issues exist. See Penson v. Ohio, 488 U.S. 75, 82–83 (1988). Accordingly, we dismiss the appeal. ______________________________

The Honorable Greg Kays, United States District Judge for the Western District of Missouri. -2-

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