FILED U.S. COURT OF AP P E A LS E LE V EN T HC IRC U IT APR 11, 2007 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. 06- 13799 N on -A rgum entC al endar

________________________ D. C. Do c k e tNo . 0 6 - 8 0 0 1 2 - CR - KLR 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 D O M I N I Q U E S H U L E R , 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 S outhe rn D i s tr i c tof F l or i da

_________________________ ( A p r i l 11, 2007) B efo re A N D E R S O N , B IR C H an d H U L L , C i rcu i tJu d g es. P E R C U R I A M: D o m in iq u e S h u le rap p e a ls h is c o n v ic tio n s f o rp o s s e s s io n w ith in te n t to2

di s tr i but e f

i ve orm or e gr a m s of

c oc a i ne ba s e , i n vi ol a t i on of 21 U . S . C . § 841( a ) ( 1) a nd ( b) ( 1) ( B ) , a nd pos s e s s i on w i th i nt e ntt o di s tr i but e m a r i j ua na , i n vi ol a t i on of

21 U . S. C. § 8 4 1 ( a ) ( 1 ) a n d ( b ) ( 1 ) ( C) . A f t e rr e v i e w , w e a f

f i r m. O n ap p e a l, S h u le ra r g u e s th a t th e d is tr ic t c o u r t ab u s e d its d is c r e tio n w h e n it de ni e d hi s m ot i on t o w i thdr a w hi s gui l ty pl e a . T he pr obl e m f orS hul e ri s tha tthe d i stri ctco u rtd i d n o tru l e o n S h u l er’ s m o t i o n t o w i th d raw h i s g u i l ty p l ea b ecau se S h u le rw ith d r e w h is m o tio n . T he tr a ns c r i ptof

S hul e r ’ s s e nt e nc i ng he a r i ng s how s tha tS hul e r , thr ough coun se l , i nform ed the courtthathe ori gi nal l y w ant ed t o w i thd ra w hi s gui l ty pl ea because he had no tre ce i ved t he addi t i on al on e- po i ntre du ct i on i n h i s off ense l evel for a cc ept ance of re spon si bi l i ty, pu rs uantt o U . S . S . G . § 3 E 1. 1(b). H ow ever , af t er the di s tr i c tc our ti nf

or m e d S hul e rtha ti tw oul d gi ve hi m the a ddi t i ona l poi nt re du ct i on , S hu l ersa i d thathe had o nl y w ant ed t o m ake s ure he r ec ei ved t hat a d d itio n a l p o in t r e d u c tio n a n d w a n te d to p r o c e e d w ith s e n te n c in g . T h u s , th e r e c o r d c le a r ly d e m o n s tr a te s th a t S h u le rv o lu n ta r ily w ith d r e w h is m ot i on t o w i thdr a w hi s gui l ty pl e a . B e c a us e the di s tr i c tc our tdi d notrul e on S hu l er ’ s w i thd ra w al m ot i on , there i s no rul i ng for thi s C ou rtt o revi ew . S ee U ni t ed S t a t e s v. M ont oy a , 782 F . 2d 1554, 1556 ( 11th C i r . 1986) ( hol di ng tha t , abs e nt exce pt i on al ci rc um st ance s, defe nd ant ’ s w i thd ra w al of m ot i on for m i stri al l ef tAlthough Shuler cites for mer Rule 11(e )(1) , the provision prohibiting a district court 1 from par ticipating in plea

neg otiations is now found in Rul e 11(c )(1) , followingthe 2002 amendments to the F ederal Rules of Criminal Procedure. 3 “ no thi ng for thi s [ C ] ou rtt o revi ew , ” a nd no t i ng thatw e w ou l d n ot“ coun t enance the pract i ce of ‘ sa nd bagg i ng ’ the di stri ctcourt ” by w i thd ra w i ng the m ot i on af t er c o n s u lta tio n w ith c o u n s e l a n d th e n a r g u in g o n ap p e a l r e v e r s ib le e rr o rf o rf a ilin g to g r a n tth e mo t i o n ) ; s e e a l s o U n i t e d St a t e s v . O l a n o , 5 0 7 U . S. 7 2 5 , 7 3 3 - 3 4 , 1 1 3 S. C t . 17 70 , 17 77 (199 3) (e xp l ai ni ng thati n cri m i nal ca se s pl ai n err or re vi ew un der R ul e 52( b) e xt e nds t o f

or f e i t e d e rr or s , i n w hi c h the de f e nda ntf a i l s t o m a ke the t i m e l y a s s e r t i on of

a r i ght , butnotw a i ve d e rr or s , i n w hi c h the de f e nda nt i nt ent i on al l y r el i nq ui shes or abando ns a kno w n ri gh t ). S hu l eral so ar gu es thatthe di stri ctcourtvi ol at ed F eder al R ul e of C ri m i nal P r o c e d u r e 1 1 ( c ) ( 1 ) d u r in g th e s e n te n c in g h e a r in g b y p r e s s u r in g h im in to 1 m ai nt ai ni ng hi s gui l ty pl ea . S peci fi ca l l y, S hu l erpo i nt s t o com m ent s by the di stri ct courtthat , i f S hu l erw as foun d g ui l ty a ft era tri al , i tm i gh tbe i ncl i ned t o d epar t up w ar d from the advi sory gu i del i ne ra ng e bec ause S hu l er ’ s c ri m i nal hi st ory w as u n d errep resen t ed , as fo l l o w s: I c o u ld d e p a r t u p w a r d f r o m th e g u id e lin e b e c a u s e h e h a s g o t d o u b le th e p o in ts th a t a r e n e c e s s a ry f o rc r im in a l h is to ry s ix . I c a n’ ti m a gi ne a ny a dva nt a ge of hi m w i thdr a w i ng hi s pl e a a nd go i ng t o tri al i f w e’ re o n l y dea l i ng w i th a po i nton e thatyou say del ay ed thei r gi vi ng the pl eabeca u se so m e of a dv i ce you g ave. I c an g iv e h im th e e x tr a p o in t if th a t’s th e is s u e a n d p r o c e e d to s e n te n c in g .4 I w oul d thi nk tha ti f

he goe s t o t ri a l , i s c onvi c t e d, I m i ghtbe i ncl i ned t o d epar t u pw ar d b ec ause hi s c ri m i nal hi st ory i s und er r e p r e s e n te d . I d o n ’t s e e th e a d v a n ta g e a t th is p o in t o f h im w ith d r a w in g a p le a . B ec ause S hu l erra i se s thi s a rgum entfor the fi rs tt i m e on app ea l , w e r evi ew on l y f or pl ai n err or. U ni t ed S t at es v. A gu i l l ar d, 21 7 F . 3d 13 19 , 13 20 (11th C i r. 20 00 ). E rr or i s “ pl ai n” w hen i ti s obv i ou s a nd cl ea r und ercurr entl aw . U ni t ed S t at es v. B aker , 43 2 F . 3d 11 89 , 12 07 (11th C i r. 20 05 ). R ul e 11( c ) ( 1) pr ovi de s tha t“ [ a ] n a tt orne y f orthe gove rnm e nta nd the de f e nda nt ’ s a tt orne y , orthe de f e nda ntw he n pr oc e e di ng pr o s e , m a y di s c us s a nd r e a c h a pl e a a gr e e m e nt . T he c our tm us tnotpa r t i c i pa t e i n the s e di s c us s i ons . ” F e d. R . C ri m . P . 11 (c )( 1). “ R ul e 11’ s prohi bi t i on on courtpart i ci pat i on i n p l ea nego t i at i on s i s des i gn ed t o ent i re l y e l i m i nat e j ud i ci al pres sure fr om the pl ea bargai ni ng proces s. ” U ni t ed S t at es v. D i az , 13 8 F . 3d 13 59 , 13 62 (11th C i r. 19 98 ). U nde rR ul e 11, a di s tr i c tc our t ’ s r ol e i s t o e va l ua t e a pl e a a gr e e m e ntonc e the part i es di sc l ose i ti n o pen cou rt , and, pri or t o thatt i m e, a c ou rtshou l d n otoffe r com m ent s r egar di ng a possi bl e pl eaagre em entbecause s uch st at em ent s “ ar e in d ic a tio n s o f

w h a t th e ju d g e w ill a c c e p t, a n d o n e c a n o n ly a s s u m e th a t th e y w ill qui c kl y be c om e the f

oc a l poi ntof

f ur the rdi s c us s i ons . ” I d. a t1363 ( quot a t i on m arks om i tt ed). R ul e 11(c)( 1) al so proh i bi t s the di sc ussi on of “ the penal consequences of agu i l ty pl eaas com pare d t o g oi ng t o tri al ” bec ause such5

st at em ent s a re “ i nh er ent l y c oerc i ve, no m att erho w w el l -i nt ent i on ed. ” U ni t ed S t at es v. John son, 89 F . 3d 77 8, 78 3 (11 th C i r. 19 96 ). H er e, S hu l erdo es no tar gu e, no r does the re cord ref l ec t , thatthe di stri ct courtpart i ci pat ed i n p l eanego t i at i on s pri or t o the entry of hi s gui l ty pl ea . R ather, S hu l erre l i es on com m ent s m ade by the di stri ctcourtatse nt enci ng , af t erhe had e nt e r e d hi s gui l ty pl e a . H ow e ve r , S hul e rdoe s notc i t e , a nd w e ha ve notl oc a t e d, a ny c a s e appl y i ng R ul e 11( c ) ( 1) t o pos t - pl e a pr oc e e di ngs . M or e ove r , ne i the rthe p la in la n g u a g e o f

R u le 1 1 ( c ) ( 1 ) , n o rth e r e le v a n t R u le 1 1 c o m m e n ta ry , s ta te s th a t a courtca nn otcom m enton po ss i bl e penal t i es w hen add re ss i ng a m ot i on t o w i thd ra w a gui l ty pl e a . S e e F e d. R . C r i m . P . 11( c ) ( 1) . T hus , e ve n a s s um i ng w i thout deci di ng thatthe di stri ctcourt ’ s c om m ent s w er e i m prop erun der R ul e 11(c)( 1), S hul e rha s f

a i l e d t o de m ons tr a t e tha tthe a l l e ge d e rr ori s pl a i n. AF F I RME D.