F I L ED U. S . C OUR T OF AP PE ALS E LE V E N T H C IR C U IT JUN E 13 , 2006 THOM A S K. KA HN CL ERK [ 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

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________________________ D . C . D ocketN o. 05 -000 09 -C R -H L -7 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 J E R R Y J O H N N Y T H O M P S O N , J R ., D e f e n d a n t- A p p e lla n t.

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_________________________ ( Ju n e 13, 2006) B efo re T JO F L A T , B L A C K an d R O N E Y , C i rcu i tJu d g es. P E R C U R I A M:2

Je rry J oh nn y T ho m pson , Jr . pl ed gu i l ty t o con spi ra cyt o p osse ss m ore than 1000 ki l ogr a m s of

m a r i j ua naf r om A pr i l 4, 2004 thr ough N ove m be r8, 2004, 21 U .S .C . § § 8 4 1 ( a ) ( 1 ) a n d ( b ) ( 1 ) ( A ) ( v ii) , 8 4 6 . T h is ap p e a l e s s e n tia llyc h a lle n g e s h is 32 7-m on th sent ence on the grou nd thati n ass es si ng the se nt ence the di stri ctcourt im p r o p e r lyr e lie d u p o n in f o rm a tio n p r o v id e d b y th e g o v e rn m e n t in b r e a c h o f its p le aa g r e e m e n t a n d in b r e a c h o f a n e a r lie rp r o m is e o f

im m u n ityf

o rh is c oope r a t i on. A l though w e a f f i rm the j udge m e ntof

the di s tr i c tc ourt , thi s i s the o n lyis s u e th a t n e e d s d is c u s s io n . T he r e c or d i s i ns uf

f i c i e ntt o m a ke ade c i s i on on T hom ps on’ s c l a i m tha the r e c e i ve d i ne f

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

c ouns e l be c aus e hi s a tt orne y di d notobj e c tt o the g o v e rn m e n t’s b r e a c h o f th e p le aa g r e e m e n t; U

ni ted Stat es v. B ender , 290 F . 3d 1 2 7 9 , 1 2 8 4 ( 1 1 th C ir . 2 0 0 2 ) , U ni ted Stat es v. Espi no -P er ez , 798 F . 2d 439, 440- 41 ( 1 1 th C ir . 1 9 8 6 ) . T o the ext entthatT ho m pson chal l enges hi s s ent ence for any addi t i on al re as o n , su ch as w h eth erth e d istrict co u rt im p ro p er ly en h an ce d T h o m p so n ’s se nt ence for posse ss i on of a w eapo n and for r ec rui t i ng a m i no r ( i ss ues upo n w hi ch the gove rnm e ntpr ope r l y a r gue s tha tthe di s tr i c tc ourtpr ope r l y de t e rm i ne d the m e r its in a n y e v e n t) , it is f o r e c lo s e d b y th e w a iv e rc o n ta in e d in h is p le aa g r e e m e n t. U ni ted Stat es v. W

eave r , 27 5 F . 3d 13 20 , 13 33 (11th C i r. 20 01 ). T he di stri ctcourt3

spec i fi ca l l y quest i on ed T ho m pson abou thi s s ent ence appeal w ai ver. In q u e s t i o n i n g T h o m p s o n , th e d i s tr i c tc o u rts t a t e d th a th e c o u l d ap p e a l o n two gr ounds : i ne f

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

c ouns e l a nd a n i l l e ga l appl i c a t i on of the gui de l i ne s a nd T hom ps on i ndi c a t e d tha the unde r s t ood. ( R 5 a t14- 15) . T hom ps on doe s nota l l e ge the r e w a s a n i l l e ga l appl i c a t i on of the gui de l i ne s e xc e ptt o the e x t e n tth e d i s tr i c tc o u rtr e l i e d o n i n f o rm a t i o n p r o d u c e d i n v i o l a t i o n o f two g o v e rn m e n t a g r e e m e n ts . A s to th e a lle g e d b r e a c h o f ap le aa g r e e m e n t, th is C o u rt h a s , in th e p a s t, h e ld thatan appeal w ai ver does notpreventa def endantfr om appeal i ng an al l eged b r e a c h o f

th e p le aa g r e e m e n t. U

ni te d State s v . C ope land , 381 F . 3d 1101, 1105 ( 1 1 th C ir . 2 0 0 4 ) . T h o m p s o n a r g u e s th a t th e g o v e rn m e n t, in o r d e rto s e c u r e h is c onvi c t i on a nd s e nt e nc e , br e a c he d the pl e aa gr e e m e ntby us i ng i nf orm a t i on he p r o v id e d to th e m . A cco rd i n g t o T h o m p so n , th e g o v ern m en tm ad e tw o p ro m i ses. T h e fi rst p r o m is e w a s a n in f

o rm a l im m u n itya g r e e m e n t th a t T h o m p s o n a s s e rts h e m a d e w ith th e U n ite d S ta te s A tto rn e y in B e au m o n t, T e x a s , th a t f o rm e d th e b a s is o f

h is coop er at i on w i th the D E A . T he se cond prom i se , w hi ch T ho m pson cont ends w as w r i tt e n i n the pl e aa gr e e m e nt , s t a t e s tha tthe i nf orm a t i on pr ovi de d t o the4

go vernm entw ou l d n otbe used agai nsthi m , and thathi s s ent ence w ou l d b e r educed if h e p r o v id e d s u b s ta n tia l a s s is ta n c e . T h e i ssu e o f w h eth er th e g o v ern m en tb reach ed a p l ea ag reem en ti s a que s t i on of

l a w , t o be r e vi e w e d de no vo , a nd s i nc e no obj e c t i on w a s r a i s e d i n the d is tr ic t c o u rt, w e r e v ie w f o rp la in e rr o r . U

ni te d State s v . M

ahi que , 150 F . 3d 1330, 1332 ( 11th C i r . 1998) . A m a t e r i a l pr om i s e by the gove rnm e nt , w hi c h i nduc e s the defe nd antt o p l ea d g ui l ty, bi nd s the go vernm entt o thatprom i se . Sa ntob el lo v. N ew Y o rk , 404 U . S . 257, 262, 92 S . C t . 496, 499, 30 L . E d. 2d 427 ( 1971) . W he the rthe g o v ern m en t v io lated a p lea a g re em en t i s ju d g ed ac co rd in g to th e d ef en d an t’ s re as on abl e und er st andi ng of the agree m entatthe t i m e he e nt er ed the pl eaas d e te rm in e d a c c o r d in g to o b je c tiv e s ta n d a r d s . U

n ite d S ta te s v . R e w is , 969 F . 2d 985, 98 8 (11 th C i r. 19 92 ). T he st andards appl i ed t o the i nt erpret at i on of a pl ea a gr e e m e nta r e a s f

ol l ow s : ( 1) hype r - t e c hni c a l a nd r i gi d c ons truc t i on of the l a ngua ge i n apl e aa gr e e m e nta r e una c c e pt abl e , ( 2) the w r i tt e n a gr e e m e nts houl d be v ie w e d a g a in s t th e b a c k g r o u n d o f th e n e g o tia tio n s a n d s h o u ld n o t b e in te rp r e te d to c ontr a di c tdi r e c t l y a n or a l unde r s t a ndi ng, and ( 3) a n a m bi guous pl e aa gr e e m e nt m u s t b e in te rp r e te d a g a in s t th e g o v e rn m e n t. U ni ted Stat es v. Je

f f ri es , 908 F . 2d 15 20 , 15 23 (11th C i r. 19 90 ).5

T here w as no error, pl ai n o r otherw i se , because the re cord do es no tsupp ort th e a lle g a tio n th a t th e g o v e rn m e n t b r e a c h e d e ith e ro f th e a lle g e d a g r e e m e n ts . I n th e f ir s t in s ta n c e , th e r e is n o e v id e n c e th a t a n in f o rm a l im m u n ity a gr e e m e nte xi s t e d. T he onl y m e nt i on tha tthe r e m i ghtbe a n a gr e e m e ntw a s m a de b y T h o m p s o n d u r in g h is s e n te n c in g , a n d h e o n lys ta te d th a t h e h a d b e e n to ld th a t if he a s s i s t e d the of

f i c i a l s i n B e aum ont , T e xa s i n appr e he ndi ng hi s now de c e a s e d c oc o n s p ir a to rR e s e n d e z , h e m ig h t r e c e iv e alig h te rs e n te n c e . A s s u m in g , ar gue ndo , tha tthi s pr om i s e w a s m a de , T hom ps on’ s ow n de s c r i pt i on s ugge s t s tha ti tw a s not a n im m u n itya g r e e m e n t. M o r e o v e r , th e r e is n o m e n tio n o f th e im m u n ity a gr e e m e nte l s e w he r e i n the r e c or d. A tthe c ha nge of pl e ahe a r i ng, T hom ps on as se rt ed thathe had n otbeen prom i se d anythi ng . W i tho utthe exi st ence of an a gr e e m e nt , the r e c a n be no br e a c h. T h e r e is s im ila r lyn o p la in e rr o rw ith r e g a r d s to th e w r itte n p le aa g r e e m e n t. T ho m pson ’ s pl eaagre em entst at ed that“ the U ni t ed S t at es agre es thatany s el fi nc r i m i na t i ng i nf

orm a t i on w hi c h w a s pr e vi ous l y unknow n t o the U ni t e d S t a t e s a nd i s p ro v i d ed t o th e U n i t ed S t at es b y [T h o m p so n ] i n co n n ect i o n w i th [h i s] c o o p e r a tio n a n d a s ar e s u lt o f [ h is ] p le aa g r e e m e n t to c o o p e r a te w ill n o t b e u s e d in d e te rm in in g th e a d v is o ry g u id e lin e r a n g e .” T h e s e te rm s u n a m b ig u o u s lyin d ic a te thatthe on l y i nform at i on thatw ou l d n otbe used i n d et erm i ni ng hi s a dv i sory6

gu i del i ne se nt ence w as thatprov i ded (1) by T ho m pson , (2) a ft erthe dat e on w hi ch he ent er ed the pl eaagre em ent , and (3) because of the exi st ence of the pl ea a gr e e m e nt . T hus , the gove rnm e nti s onl y pr e c l ude d f r om us i ng i nf

orm a t i on pr ovi de d a f

t e rT hom ps on’ s gui l ty pl e a . T he e vi de nc e i tpr oduc e d a tthe s e nt e nc i ng hear i ng s i n sup po rtof the advi sorygu i del i nes c al cul at i on s w as gathere d b ef ore T ho m pson w as i nd i ct ed. C on se qu ent l y, the go vernm entdi d n otbrea ch the w ri tt en p le aa g r e e m e n t. AF F I RME D.