2009 D e c i sion s O p inion s of the U nit e d S t at e s C our t of Appe al s for the Thir d C ir c uit 1-29-2009 

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w . vi ll anova . e du . Re c omme nde d C it at ion " U SA v . Whitne r " (2009). 2009 D e cisio n s . P ape r 1971. http://d i git alc ommon s .l a

w . vi ll anova . e du/thir dc ir c uit_2009/1971T he H onor abl e Eugene E. Si l er , J r . , Seni orC i r cui tJ udge, U ni t ed St at es C our tof * A p p e a ls f

o r t h e S ix th C ir c u it, s ittin g b yd e s ig n a tio n . NOT P RE CE DE NT I AL

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v. REGI E E DW ARD W HI TNE R, A ppel l ant APP EAL F ROM THE UNI TE D ST ATE S DI S TRI CT C OURT F O R T H E W E S T E R N D IS T R IC T O F P E N N S Y L V A N IA

( D . C . C r i m . N o. 07- cr - 00190) D i stri ctJudg e: T he H on orabl e D on et t a W . A m brose Subm i t t ed U nderT hi r d C i r cui tL A R 34. 1( a)

J anuary15, 2009 B efor e: SL O V I T E R , B A R R Y , and SI L E R , J R . , C i r cui tJ udges * ( O pi ni on Fi l ed: J anuary29, 2009)

OP I NI ON2

B A R R Y , C i r cui tJ udge R e g ie W h itn e r a p p e a ls h is s e n ten c e o f 2 3 5 m o n th s’ im p riso n m e n t f o r c o n sp irin g to d istrib u te a n d p o ss e ss w ith in ten t to d istrib u te f iv e k ilo g ra m s o r m o re o f c o c a in e in viol at i on of 2 1 U . S . C . § 8 46 . W hitner ar gu es that hi s sent ence is un reas on able because t he D i s t r i ctC our tm echa ni cal l yappl i ed the gui del i ne r ange c al cul at ed i n hi s Pr es ent ence Inv esti g ati v e R ep o rt(“P S R ”) w ith o u t du e c o n side rati o n o f th e o ther se n tenc ing fa ctors o u tlin e d in 1 8 U .S .C . § 3 5 5 3 (a ). T he governm entcont ends t hatW hi t ner ’ s ar gum entm us tfai l beca us e ( 1) the w ith in -g u id e lin e s s e n ten c e w a s re a so n a b le, a n d (2 ) W h itn e r w a iv e d h is rig h t to a p p e a l h is s ent ence i n hi s pl ea a gr eements ubj ectt o s ever al i nappl i cabl e exc ept i ons . R el y i ng on the l a t t e rc o n t e n t i o n , we wi l l a f f i r m. W e h a v e j u r i s d i c t i o n o v e rt h i s a p p e a l p u r s u a n tt o 2 8 U. S . C. § 1 2 9 1 a n d 1 8 U. S . C. § 3 7 4 2 . S e e U

n itedS ta tes v . G w in n e tt , 4 8 3 F . 3 d 2 0 0 , 2 0 3 ( 3 d Ci r . 2 0 0 7 ) . Ho we v e r , “ we wi l l n o te x e r c i s e t h a tj u r i s d i c t i o n t o r e v i e w th e me r i t s o f [ a d e f e n d a n t ’ s ] a p p e a l i f

we c o n c lu d e th a t [ ]h e k n o w in g lya n d v o lu n tar ilyw a iv e d h [ is] rig h t to a p p e a l u n les s th e re su lt w oul d w or k a mi s carr i age of j us t i ce. ” I

d. W hitner doe s not r eference h i s w ai ver of ap peal i n h i s appell at e bri ef. Iti s, how ever , cont ai ned i n t he pl ea a gr eement , w hi ch i s i ncl uded i n t he Suppl ement al A ppendi x s ubm i t t ed byt he governm ent . ( S. A . 26- 30. ) Sect i on A . 5 of the pl ea a gr eement st at es:W e not e thatt he D i s t r i ctC our tappl i ed a dow nw ar d departur e of one cr i m i nal 1 hi s t or ycat egorypur s uantt o U . S. S. G . § 4A 1. 3( b) ( 1) bas ed on i t s concl us i on thatthe r ecomm ended c r i m i nal hi s t or ycat egoryof V I over s t at ed the s er i ous nes s of tw o of W h itn e r’ s p ri o r c o n v ic tio n s f o r r e la tiv e ly m in o r d ru g o f f e n s e s . ( See A . 7 , 1 0 , 3 3 .) T h is r educe d t he gui del i ne r ange f r om 262- 327 m ont hs , as r ecomm ended i n t he PSR , t o 235- 293 m ont hs . W hi t nerar gues t hat , even w i t h t hi s r educt i on, the gui del i ne r ange ove r s t at ed h i s c r i m i n a l h i s t o r y. 3 R e g ie E d w a rd W h itn e r w a iv e s th e rig h t to tak e a d ire c t ap p e a l f ro m h is con vict i on or sent ence . . . subjectt o the foll ow i ng excep t i on s: (a ) I f th e U n ite d S ta te s a p p e a ls f ro m th e s e n te n c e . . . . (b ) If (1 ) th e se n ten c e e x c e e d s th e a p p lica b le s tatu to rylim its s etfor t h i n the U ni t ed St at es C ode, or( 2) the s ent ence unr eas onabl yexce eds the gui del i ne r ange de t erm i ned bythe C o u rt u n d e r t h e S e n te n c in g G u id e lin e s . . . . ( S. A . 27. ) N one of the exc ept i ons appl yher e: the governm enthas notappea l ed, W hi t ner ’ s s ent ence does notexce ed the s t atut orym axi m um of l i fe, and the s ent ence i m pos ed fa l l s w i t hi n t he gui del i ne r ange of 235- 293 m ont hs det erm i ned bythe D i s t r i ct C o u rt. 1 A s n o ted a b o v e , w e m u st e n su re th a t W h itn e r e n ter e d in to th e w a iv e r k n o w in g ly and vol unt ar i l y , and thatenfor cementof the w ai verw oul d notw or k a mi s carr i age of ju s tic e . G w in n e tt , 4 8 3 F .3 d a t 2 0 3 ; U ni t ed Stat es v. Khat tak , 273 F. 3d 557, 562- 63 ( 3d C i r . 2001) . A tt he cha nge of pl ea he ar i ng, W hi t nerappea r ed i n open court , hear d a r eci t at i on of the cont entand s cope of hi s pl ea a gr eement , i ncl udi ng the appe l l at e w ai ver ( S. A . 12) , and ac know l edged thati tacc ur at el ydes cr i bed the agr eementhe had r eac hed w i t h t he governm ent( S. A . 14) . T he D i s t r i ctC our tthen s peci fi cal l yas ked W hi t ner4

w hetherhe under s t ood t hathe w as w ai vi ng hi s r i ghtt o appea l s ubj ectt o t he exc ept i ons s t at ed above . ( S. A . 16. ) W hi t nerr es ponded af fi r m at i vel y . ( S. A . 16- 17. ) T he D i s t r i ct C o u rtthere af

ter acc ep ted th e p lea, find ing that itw as “ k n o w ing an d v o lun tary . ” (S . A . 2 3 . ) I n l i ghtof the for egoi ng, and W hi t nernotcont endi ng thathi s w ai verw as o th e rw is e u n e n f

o rc e a b le , w e w ill a f

f ir m th e ju d g m e n t o f

th e D is tr ic t C o u rt .