FILED U.S. COURT OF AP P EALS E LEV EN T HC IRC U IT JUNE 5, 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- 11692 N on -A rgum entC al endar

________________________ D . C. D o c k e tN o s . 0 7 - 6 0 4 3 7 - CV - W PD

0 4 - 6 0 1 8 1 - CR- W PD J A M E S M C S W A I N , P e titio n e r - A p p e lla n t, v ersu s U N I T E D S T A T E S O F A M E R I C A , R e s p o n d e n t- A p p e lle e .

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

_________________________ ( Ju n e 5, 2008) B efo re T JO F L A T , A N D E R S O N an d H U L L , C i rcu i tJu d g es. P E R C U R I A M: O n J u n e 2 3 , 2 0 0 5 , p e titio n e rp le d g u ilty , p u r s u a n t to a p le a a g r e e m e n t, to2

C ountT w o of

a tw o- c ounti ndi c tm e nt , w hi c h a l l e ge d tha the pos s e s s e d w i th i nt e nt to d is tr ib u te a t le a s t f

iv e g r a m s o f

c r a c k c o c a in e w ith in 1 ,0 0 0 f e e t o f a s c h o o l, in v io la tio n o f

2 1 U .S .C . § § 8 4 1 ( a ) a n d 8 6 0 . T h e d is tr ic t c o u r t s u b s e q u e n tly s e nt e nc e d hi m t o pr i s on f ora t e r m of

168 m onths , a nd a n e i ght - y e a rt e r m of s upe r vi s e d r e l e a s e . P e t i t i one rdi d notappe a l hi s c onvi c t i on ors e nt e nc e . I ns t e a d, he m ove d the di s tr i c tc our t , pur s ua ntt o 28 U . S . C . § 2255, t o va c a t e hi s c onvi c t i on a n d s e n te n c e o n th e g r o u n d th a t h is g u ilty p le a w a s n o t k n o w in g a n d v o lu n ta ry . T he di s tr i c tc our tde ni e d hi s m ot i on. P e t i t i one rf i l e d a not i c e of

appe a l , a nd the di stri ctcourtgrant ed a c ert i fi ca t e of app ea l abi l i ty on o ne i ss ue: w hether the di stri ct c our t , i n a c c e pt i ng pe t i t i one r ’ s gui l ty pl e a , f a i l e d t o i nf

or m hi m of

, a nd e xpl a i n, the el em ent s of the cr i m e. I n hi s br i e f

t o us , pe t i t i one ra r gue s tha tthe c ol l oquy be tw e e n the c our ta nd hi m athi s pl eahear i ng fa i l ed t o com pl y w i th F eder al R ul e of C ri m i nal P roce du re 1 1 b ecau se th e co u rtd i d n o tad eq u at el y ap p ri se h i m o f th e n atu re o f th e ch arg es; m or e ove r , the r e c or d doe s noti ndi c a t e tha the kne w orunde r s t ood the e l e m e nt s of th e c h a r g e s . H e a ls o a r g u e s th a t, b e c a u s e h e d id n o t u n d e r s ta n d th e te r m s o f h is pl eaagre em ent , he di d n othave an adequat e opp ortun i ty t o “ re j ec ti tfor abett er deal . ” W hen revi ew i ng the di stri ctcourt ' s deni al of a § 22 55 m ot i on , w e r evi ew3

qu es t i on s of l aw de no vo and fi nd i ng s of f ac tfor c l ea r e rr or. L ynn v . U ni t ed S ta te s , 3 6 5 F .3 d 1 2 2 5 , 1 2 3 2 ( 1 1 th C ir . 2 0 0 4 ) . “[ A ] p le a o f g u ilty is const i tut i on al l y val i d o nl y t o the ext enti ti s ‘ vo l un t ary’ and ‘ i nt el l i gent . ’ ” B ou sl ey v. U ni t e d S t a t e s , 523 U . S . 614, 618, 118 S . C t . 1604, 1609, 140 L . E d. 2d 828 (199 8) (c i t at i on s om i tt ed). “ A pl eado es no tqu al i fyas i nt el l i gentun l es s acr i m i nal de f e nda ntf i r s tr e c e i ve s r e a l not i c e of the true na tur e of

the c ha r ge a ga i ns thi m , the f i r s ta nd m os tuni ve r s a l l y r e c ogni z e d r e qui r e m e ntof due pr oc e s s . ” I d. ( quot a t i ons a nd c i t a t i ons om i tt e d) . I n e va l ua t i ng the know i ng a nd vol unt a r i ne s s of a pl e a , the r e pr e s e nt a t i ons of

the de f e nda nta ta pl e ahe a r i ng, w i th the f i ndi ngs m a de by the j udge a c c e pt i ng the pl e a , c ons t i tut e “ a f or m i dabl e ba rr i e ri n a ny s ubs e que nt c ol l a t e r a l pr oc e e di ngs . ” B l a c kl e dge v. A l l i s on, 431 U . S . 63, 74, 97 S . C t . 1621, 52 L . E d . 2 d 1 3 6 (1 9 7 7 ). T h e d ecl arat i o n s o f th e d efen d an ti n o p en co u rtcarry a s tr ong pr e s um pt i on of

ve r i ty w hi c h i s notove r c om e by the s ubs e que ntpr e s e nt a t i on of c onc l us ory a nd c ontr a di c t ory a l l e ga t i ons . I d. T he re cord of the R ul e 11 p l eahear i ng re veal s thatpet i t i on erw as i nform ed of the e l e m e nt s of

the c r i m e t o w hi c h he w a s pl e a di ng gui l ty , tha the s a i d he unde r s t ood the e l e m e nt s , a nd tha t , c ontr a ry t o hi s a s s e r t i on, hi s pl e a w a s know i ng a n d v o lu n ta ry . AF F I R ME D.