FILED U.S. COURT OF AP P EALS E LEV EN T HC IRC U IT AUGUST 18, 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. 08- 10977 N on -A rgum entC al endar

________________________ D . C . D ocketN o. 06 -001 68 -C R -W S D -1 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 E R R I C K A . B R O W N , a .k .a . D e rr ic k B r o w n , 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 o rth e N o r th e rn D is tr ic t o f G e o r g ia

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O n A pr i l 11, 2006, aN or the rn D i s tr i c tof G e or gi ac our tr e turne d athi r t e e nc ounti ndi c tm e nta ga i ns tD e rr i c k A . B r ow n c ha r gi ng hi m w i th s e ve n c ount s of bank robb ery, i n v i ol at i on of 18 U . S . C . § 2 11 3(a) , and si x cou nt s of posse ss i on of a f i r e a rm i n f

ur the r a nc e of

ac r i m e of

vi ol e nc e , ba nk r obbe ry , i n vi ol a t i on of 18 U . S . C . § 9 24 (c )( 1)(A )( i i ). O n M ar ch 20 , 20 07 , B row n p l ed gu i l ty t o tw o o f the § fi re arm char ges, C ou nt s F ou r a nd S i x, and o n F ebruary25 , 20 08 , the di stri ctcourt s e nt e nc e d hi m t o pr i s on f orat ot a l of

384 m onths – 84 m onths on C ountF oura nd 30 0 m on ths on C ou ntS i x. B row n n ow appeal s, cont endi ng thatthe di stri ctcourt abus e d i t s di s c r e t i on by de ny i ng hi s m ot i on t o w i thdr a w hi s gui l ty pl e aw i thout fi rsth o l d i n g an ev i d en t i ary h eari n g . A p l ea h eari n g , h e rep resen t s, w o u l d est ab l i sh tha ta tthe t i m e the c our te nt e r t a i ne d a nd a c c e pt e d hi s pl e a s of gui l ty , he di d not u n d e r s ta n d th a t th e m e a n in g o f th e te rm “f

ir e a rm ,” a s u s e d in § 9 2 4 ( c ) ( 1 ) ( A ) . T h is i s be c a us e the c our tf

a i l e d t o i nf

orm hi m of

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i ni t i on of f i r e a rm i n the w o r d s i tw o u l d u s e i n i n s tru c t i n g aj u ry a s t o th e me a n i n g o f th e t e rm. W e r e vi e w the di s tr i c tc our t ’ s r e f us a l t o c onduc ta n e vi de nt i a ry he a r i ng f or an abuse of di sc re t i on . S ee U ni t ed S t at es v. S t i t ze r, 78 5 F . 2d 15 06 , 15 14 (11th C i r. 1986) ( hol di ng tha tthe di s tr i c tc our t ' s r e f us a l t o hol d a n e vi de nt i a ry he a r i ng di d not a m ountt o abus e of

di s c r e t i on be c a us e of

the e xt e ns i ve F e d. R . C r i m . P . 11 in q u ir ie s c o n d u c te d b y th e tr ia l c o u r t p r io rto a c c e p tin g th e ap p e lla n t's g u ilty p le a ) .3

A d is tr ic t c o u r t m u s t h o ld a n e v id e n tia ry h e a r in g w h e r e it c a n n o t s ta te c o n c lu s iv e ly thatthe fa ct s a l l eged, t aken as true, w ou l d p re se ntno grou nd for r el i ef . U ni t ed S t a t e s v. Y i z a r , 956 F . 2d 230, 234 ( 11th C i r . 1992) ( a ddr e s s i ng ac l a i m of i ne f f e c t i ve a s s i s t a nc e of

c ouns e l i n 28 U . S . C . § 2255 c ont e xt ) . A he a r i ng i s not n e c e s s a ry , h o w e v e r , if

th e d e f e n d a n t, in m o v in g to w ith d r a w h is g u ilty p le a , o n ly s e e ks t o “ r e l i t i ga t e r e pr e s e nt a t i ons m a de by hi m s e l f , hi s l a w y e r , a nd the pr os e c ut or i n o pen cou rt . ” U ni t ed S t at es v. D abdo ub -D i az , 59 9 F . 2d 96 , 10 0 (5th C i r. 19 79 ). R ul e 11( d) s t a t e s tha tade f e nda ntm a y w i thdr a w apl e aof gui l ty a f t e rthe c o u r ta c c e p t s th e p l e a , b u tb e f o r e i ti m p o s e s as e n t e n c e , i f th e d e f e n d a n tc a n s h o w a fa i r a nd j ustre as on for r equest i ng the w i thd ra w al . F ed. R . C ri m . P . 11 (d). W hether ad e f e n d a n t’s m o tio n to w ith d r a w s h o w s af a ira n d ju s t r e a s o n is to b e lib e r a lly c ons true d; the de c i s i on t o a l l ow w i thdr a w a l i s l e f tt o the s ound di s c r e t i on of the di s tr i c tc our t , how e ve r , a nd w i l l notbe di s turbe d unl e s s i ti s a rbi tr a ry or 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 88 ). In det erm i ni ng i f the defendanthas m ethi s burden for w i thd ra w al , “ the di stri ctcourt m a y c ons i de rthe t ot a l i ty of the c i r c um s t a nc e s s urr oundi ng the pl e a , ” i nc l udi ng the f ol l ow i ng f

a c t or s : “ ( 1) w he the rc l os e a s s i s t a nc e of c ouns e l w a s a va i l abl e ; ( 2) w h e th e rth e p le aw a s k n o w in g a n d v o lu n ta ry ; ( 3 ) w h e th e rju d ic ia l r e s o u r c e s w o u ld 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

the4

defe nd antw er e a l l ow ed t o w i thd ra w hi s pl ea . ” I d. at47 1-47 2 (ci t at i on s om i tt ed). T here i s no m ec hani ca l rul e f or us t o fol l ow w hen d et erm i ni ng w hether a di s tr i c tc our tc om pl i e d w i th R ul e 11' s r e qui r e m e ntt o s a t i s f y i t s e l f tha tade f

e nda nt unde r s t ood the na tur e of the c ha r ge s a ga i ns thi m . U ni t e d S t a t e s v. C a m a c ho, 233 F . 3d 1308, 1314 ( 11th C i r . 2000) . T he e xt e ntof the i nqui ry r e qui r e d de pe nds on th e d e f e n d a n t’s in te llig e n c e a n d th e r e la tiv e c o m p le x ity o f th e c h a r g e s in v o lv e d . Id. “ F or si m pl e c harges . . . ‘ a r ea di ng of the i nd i ctm ent , fol l ow ed by an op po rtun i ty gi ven the defendantt o ask qu es t i on s abo uti t , w i l l usual l y s uffi ce . ’ ” Id. (quo t i ng U ni t ed S t at es v. D eP ac e, 12 0 F . 3d 23 3, 23 7 (11 th C i r. 19 97 )) . H e r e , B r ow n f

a i l e d t o pr ovi de c r e di bl e e vi de nc e tha the di d notunde r s t a nd th e n a tu r e o f

th e c h a r g e s to w h ic h h e p le d g u ilty . T h e d is tr ic t c o u r t th e r e f o r e d id n o t ab u se it s d iscr etio n b y r ef u sin g to co n d u ct an ev id en ti ar y h ea rin g o n B ro w n ’s m o tio n to w ith d r a w h is p le a . AF F I R ME D.