FILED U.S. COURT OF AP P EALS E LEV EN T HC IRC U IT MAY 9, 2008 THOMAS K. KAH

N CLERK [ DO NO T P UB L I S H]

I N THE UN I TE D STATE S C OU RT OF APPE ALS F O R T H E E L E V E N T H C IR C U IT

________________________ N o. 07- 14134 N on -A rgum entC al endar

________________________ D. C . Do c k e tNo . 0 6 - 0 0 2 2 6 - C R - OR L - 1 8 - DA B U N I T E D S T A T E S O F A M E R I C A , P la in tif f - A p p e lle e , v ersu s B E N J A M I N P H I L L I P H U R W I T Z , D e f e n d a n t- A p p e lla n t.

________________________ A pp ea l fr om the U ni t ed S t at es D i stri ctC ou rt f orthe M i ddl e D i s tr i c tof F l or i da

_________________________ ( M ay 9, 2008) B efo re A N D E R S O N , H U L L an d P R Y O R , C i rcu i tJu d g es. P E R C U R I A M: B enj am i n P hi l l i p H urw i t z app ea l s hi s c on vi ct i on for unautho ri ze d u se of a2

p r o t e c t e d c o mp u t e rw i th th e i n t e n tt o d e f r a u d a n d c a u s e d a ma g e . 1 8 U . S. C. § 1030( a ) ( 5) ( A ) ( i ) . H urw i t z a r gue s tha tthe di s tr i c tc our tabus e d i t s di s c r e t i on by no tal l ow i ng hi m t o w i thd ra w hi s gui l ty pl eaon the grou nd thathi s c ou nsel w as in e f f e c tiv e f o rf a ilin g to d is c o v e rth e c o rr e c t a m o u n t o f lo s s a ttr ib u tab le to h is c o n d u c t. H u rw itz a d m its th a t, o n r e m a n d , h e w o u ld p le a d g u ilty a g a in . W e a f f irm . W e r e vi e w a de ni a l of

a m ot i on t o w i thdr a w a gui l ty pl e af ora n abus e of di s c r e t i on. U ni t e d S t a t e s v. F r e i xa s , 332 F . 3d 1314, 1316 ( 11th C i r . 2003) . “ T he di stri ctcourtw i l l be re vers ed on l y i f i t s dec i si on i s a rbi tra ryor un re as on abl e. ” U ni t ed S t at es v. B uckl es , 84 3 F . 2d 46 9, 47 1 (11 th C i r. 19 98 ). T here i s notan abs ol ut e r i ghtt o w i thdr a w a gui l ty pl e abe f or e s e nt e nc i ng. I d. “A d e f e n d a n t m a y w ith d r a w a p le ao f g u ilty . . . ( 2 ) a f

te rth e c o u r t a c c e p ts th e p le a , b u t b e f

o r e it im p o s e s s e n te n c e if: . . . ( B ) th e d e f e n d a n t c a n s h o w a f

a ir a n d j u s tr e a s o n f

o rr e q u e s t i n g th e wi th d r a wa l . ” Fe d . R. Cr i m. P. 1 1 ( d ) ( 2 ) ( B) . To d e te rm in e w h e th e rth e r e is a “f a ira n d ju s t r e a s o n ” f

o rw ith d r a w a l o f

th e p le a , a di stri ctcourtconsi ders the t ot al i ty of the ci rc um st ance s s urroun di ng the pl ea , w hi ch i ncl ud es se vera l fa ct ors: “ (1) w hether c l ose a ss i st ance of coun se l w as avai l abl e; (2) w hether the pl eaw as kn ow i ng and v ol un t ary; (3) w hether j ud i ci al r e s our c e s w oul d be c ons e rve d; a nd ( 4) w he the rthe gove rnm e ntw oul d be pr e j udi c e d i f

the de f e nda ntw e r e a l l ow e d t o w i thdr a w hi s pl e a . ” B uc kl e s , 843 F . 2d3

at47 1– 72 (c i t at i on om i tt ed). If the defendantre ce i ved cl ose a ss i st ance of coun se l a n d e n te r e d th e p le a k n o w in g ly a n d v o lu n ta r ily , w e n e e d n o t g iv e “c o n s id e r ab le w e i ght ” t o the r e m a i ni ng f a c t or s . S e e U ni t e d S t a t e s v. G onz a l e z - M e r c a do, 808 F . 2d 79 6, 80 1 (11 th C i r. 19 87 ). A m on g o ther f ac t ors thatw e have consi dere d are the de f e nda nt ’ s a dm i s s i on of

f a c tua l gui l tunde roa th a ta pl e ahe a r i ng a nd the t i m i ng of the m ot i on t o w i thdr a w . U ni t e d S t a t e s v. R oge r s , 848 F . 2d 166, 168 ( 11th C i r . 1988) . “ T he l onge rthe de l a y be tw e e n the e ntry of the pl e aa nd the m ot i on t o w i thdr a w i t , the m or e s ubs t a nt i a l the r e a s ons m us tbe a s t o w hy the de f e nda nts e e ks w i thdr a w a l . ” B uc kl e s , 843 F . 2d a t473. T he r e i s a s tr ong pres um pt i on thatst at em ent s m ade duri ng the pl eacol l oq uy ar e true. U ni t ed S t at es v. M edl ock, 12 F . 3d 18 5, 18 7 (11 th C i r. 19 94 ). B a s e d on a r e vi e w of

the r e c or d a nd the pa r t i e s ’ br i e f s , w e di s c e rn no r e ve r s i bl e e rr or . T he di s tr i c tc our tdi d notabus e i t s di s c r e t i on i n de ny i ng H u rw itz ’s m o tio n to w ith d r a w h is g u ilty p le a . H u rw itz e n te r e d th e p le ak n o w in g ly an d v o l u n t ari l y. T he r e c or d s uppor t s the f i ndi ng tha tH urw i t z r e c e i ve d the c l os e a s s i s t a nc e of c o u n s e l b e f

o r e p le a d in g g u ilty . I n h is p le aa g r e e m e n t, H u rw itz a c k n o w le d g e d “h is co m p lete sa ti sf

ac ti o n w ith th e r ep re se n tati o n an d ad v ice r ec eiv ed fr o m d ef en d an t’ s un ders i gn ed coun se l . ” A thi s c hang e of pl eahear i ng , H urw i t z s t at ed thathe w as4

s a t i s f i e d w i th the r e pr e s e nt a t i on by hi s c ouns e l a nd H urw i t z ha d di s c us s e d the a g r e e m e n t w ith h is c o u n s e l b e f o r e s ig n in g th e a g r e e m e n t. I n h is m o tio n to w i thdr a w , H urw i t z a dm i tt e d tha the ha d be e n a w a r e of the l os s a m ounts t a t e d i n the pl eaagre em entand h ad bel i eved i tw as “ arbi tra ry , ” buthe st at ed i n the pl ea co l l o q u y th ath e w as sat i sfi ed w i th h i s co u n sel an d w an t ed t o p l ead g u i l ty. H urw i t z f

a i l e d t o e s t abl i s h i ne f

f e c t i ve a s s i s t a nc e of

c ouns e l . U ni t e d S t a t e s v. P ea se , 2 4 0 F .3 d 9 3 8 , 9 4 1 (1 1 th C ir. 2 0 0 1 ). H u rw it z f ailed to es tab li sh “a re as on abl e probabi l i ty that , bu tfor c ou nsel ’ s e rr ors, he w ou l d n othave pl ea ded gui l ty a nd w oul d ha ve i ns i s t e d on goi ng t o tr i a l . ” H i l l v. L oc kha r t , 474 U . S . 52, 59, 106 S . C t . 366, 370 ( 1985) . H urw i t z i ns t e a d a dm i tt e d a nd s t i l l a dm i t s tha the w oul d pl e a d gui l ty a ga i n. T h e r e c o r d a ls o s u p p o r ts th e f in d in g th a t H u rw itz k n o w in g ly a n d v o lu n ta r ily p le a d e d g u ilty . I n h is p le a a g r e e m e n t, H u rw itz s ta te d th a t h e w a s p le a d in g g u ilty

“ f r e e l y a nd vol unt a r i l y . . . a nd w i thoutpr om i s e of be ne f i tof a ny ki nd . . . a nd w i thoutthr e a t s , f

or c e , i nt i m i da t i on, orc oe r c i on of a ny ki nd. ” A tthe c ha nge of pl e a he a r i ng, H urw i t z s t a t e d tha the ha d r e a d the pl e aa gr e e m e nt“ [ n] um e r ous t i m e s ” be f

or e s i gni ng i t , he “ [ a ] bs ol ut e l y ” unde r s t ood i t , a nd he w a s f r e e l y a nd vol unt a r i l y pl e a di ng gui l ty . H urw i t z a dm i tt e d tha tthe s t i pul a t i on of f a c t s i n the pl e a a gr e e m e ntw a s c orr e c te ve n though the a m ountof l os s s t a t e d i n the a gr e e m e nt5

w as hi gh erthan the am ou ntl at erfoun d b y the di stri ctcourt . H urw i t z a l so adm i tt ed i n hi s pl e a c ol l oquy tha the unde r s t ood tha tthe di s tr i c tc our tw a s notbound by the a m o u n t o f

lo s s s ta te d in th e p le a a g r e e m e n t. W e a f f i rm H urw i t z ’ s c onvi c t i on. AF F I RME D.