Document ID: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-ca8-09-02991/USCOURTS-ca8-09-02991-0/pdf.json

Parties Involved:
Lorenzo Christian
Appellant
United States of America
Appellee

Document Text:

1

The Honorable John A. Jarvey, United States District Judge for the Southern

District of Iowa.

United States Court of Appeals

FOR THE EIGHTH CIRCUIT

___________

No. 09-2991

___________

United States of America, *

*

Appellee, *

* Appeal from the United States

v. * District Court for the

* Southern District of Iowa.

Lorenzo Christian, * 

* [UNPUBLISHED]

Appellant. *

___________

Submitted: May 3, 2010

Filed: May 11, 2010

Before WOLLMAN, COLLOTON, and GRUENDER, Circuit Judges.

___________

PER CURIAM.

Pursuant to a written plea agreement containing an appeal waiver, Lorenzo

Christian pleaded guilty to conspiring to distribute and possess with intent to

distribute cocaine base, and opening and maintaining a place for the purpose of

distributing and using cocaine base, in violation of 21 U.S.C. §§ 841(a)(1), (b)(1)(A),

856(a)(1), and 846. The district court1

 sentenced him within the applicable advisory

Guidelines range to 168 months in prison and 5 years of supervised release. On

appeal, his counsel has moved to withdraw and has filed a brief under Anders v.

California, 386 U.S. 738 (1967), in which he asserts that fundamental fairness requires

Appellate Case: 09-2991 Page: 1 Date Filed: 05/11/2010 Entry ID: 3663260
-2-

this court to set aside the appeal waiver, and further argues that the district court

should have delayed sentencing or imposed a shorter sentence, was prejudiced against

Christian based on a separate civil suit Christian had filed, and relied on false evidence

in sentencing him. Christian has filed two pro se supplemental briefs in which he

echoes counsel’s arguments and adds that the indictment was insufficient and was

barred by the statute of limitations, and that the government presented no admissible

evidence supporting his conviction. Christian also suggests that his trial counsel

rendered ineffective assistance.

To the extent Christian is attempting to assert an ineffective-assistance-ofcounsel claim, we decline to consider it on direct appeal. See United States v. Cain,

134 F.3d 1345, 1352 (8th Cir. 1998) (ineffective-assistance claim should be raised in

28 U.S.C. § 2255 motion). Upon careful review, we conclude that the remaining

arguments asserted in the briefs are all precluded by the appeal waiver contained in

Christian’s written plea agreement, because Christian knowingly and voluntarily

entered into the plea agreement and the appeal waiver, the issues raised all fall within

the scope of the appeal waiver, and enforcing the appeal waiver would not result in

a miscarriage of justice. See United States v. Andis, 333 F.3d 886, 889-92 (8th Cir.

2003) (en banc) (discussing enforceability of appeal waiver); see also United States

v. Estrada-Bahena, 201 F.3d 1070, 1071 (8th Cir. 2000) (per curiam) (enforcing

appeal waiver in Anders case).

Having reviewed the record independently under Penson v. Ohio, 488 U.S. 75,

80 (1988), we find no nonfrivolous issue for appeal beyond the scope of the appeal

waiver. Accordingly, we grant counsel’s motion to withdraw, and we dismiss the

appeal.

______________________________

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