United States v. Marcus Floyd
Opinion
Marcus Floyd pleaded guilty in March 2014 to one count of possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute, in violation of
knowingly and voluntarily agrees and understands the following appellate and post-conviction terms of this agreement:
a. the defendant waives the right to directly appeal the conviction and sentence pursuant to28 U.S.C. § 1291 and/or18 U.S.C. § 3742 (a) ;
b. the defendant reserves the right to appeal from a sentence which exceeds the statutory maximum;
d. the defendant waives the right to collaterally attack the conviction and sentence pursuant to28 U.S.C. § 2255 , except for claims based on Ineffective assistance of counsel which challenge the validity of the guilty plea or this waiver.
At sentencing, the district court 1 determined that Floyd's advisory guidelines sentencing range was 151 to 188 months in prison. Varying downwards, the court imposed a 140-month sentence. Floyd did not appeal the conviction or sentence.
In February 2015, Floyd filed a
pro se
motion to vacate the sentence under
At the May 2018 resentencing, the district court noted that, "when a defendant has been unconstitutionally deprived of an appellate review due to defense counsel's failure to file an appeal, the prescribed remedy is for the court to vacate the defendant's sentence and then reimpose it, allowing him to appeal the new sentence."
See
United States v. Prado
,
"As a general rule, a defendant is allowed to waive appellate rights,"
United States v. Andis
,
In this case, Floyd waived the right to directly appeal but "reserve[d] the right to appeal from a sentence which exceeds the statutory maximum," and he waived the right to collaterally attack the conviction and sentence "except for claims based on Ineffective assistance of counsel which challenge the validity of the guilty plea or this waiver ." Plea Agreement par. 7 (emphasis added). This limited ineffective assistance exception reflected our decision in DeRoo and other cases:
A decision to enter into a plea agreement cannot be knowing and voluntary when the plea agreement itself is the result of advice outside the range of competence demanded of attorneys in criminal cases. ... A defendant's plea agreement waiver of the right to seek section 2255 post-conviction relief does not waive defendant's right to argue, pursuant to that section, that the decision to enter into the plea was not knowing and voluntary because it was the result of ineffective assistance of counsel.
In the district court and on appeal, Floyd did not contend that his Plea Agreement or the Paragraph 7 appeal waivers were not knowing and voluntary. Thus, his claim that trial counsel provided ineffective assistance by failing to file a notice of appeal fell squarely within the terms of his knowing and voluntary § 2255 appeal waiver. There is no finding that "counsel's deficient performance deprive[d Floyd] of an appeal he otherwise would have taken."
Garza v. Idaho
, --- U.S. ----,
In responding to the government's appeal waiver argument on appeal, Floyd argued a different ineffective assistance theory -- "his attorney failed to object to application of the [Guidelines] career-offender enhancement at sentencing." But the § 2255 appeal waiver forecloses this argument as well. This claim does not allege ineffective assistance that challenges "the validity of the guilty plea or this waiver." And a claim of ineffective assistance alleging that counsel failed to challenge a guidelines enhancement is foreclosed by Paragraph 7.
See
Andis
,
Accordingly, we dismiss the appeal.
See
Andis
,
The Honorable Susan O. Hickey, United States District Judge for the Western District of Arkansas.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- UNITED STATES of America, Plaintiff - Appellee v. Marcus FLOYD, Defendant - Appellant
- Cited By
- 2 cases
- Status
- Published