# U ni te d S ta te s Co ur t of A pp ea ls For the Eig hth Circu it

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__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ _ Uni te d S ta te s o f Am eri ca
ll ll ll ll ll ll ll ll ll ll l Pla in ti

ff - App el le e

v.
Aam ir A. Hafi z-Th om

ps on
ll ll ll ll ll ll ll ll ll ll l Defe nd

an t - Ap pe ll an t

__ __ __ __ __ __ App eal fro m

Uni te d S ta te s Di st ric t Co ur t fo r th e Weste rn Dis tri ct of M is so ur i - Kan sa s C it y

__ __ __ __ __ __ Su bm it te d: Feb ru ary 7, 2 01 8 Fi le d: Feb ru ary 9, 2 01 8 [Un pu bl is he d]

__ __ __ __ __ __ Befo re WOL LMAN, LOKEN , and COLLOTON, Cir cu it Ju dg es

.

__ __ __ __ __ __ PER CURI AM.

Aam ir Hafi z-Th om

ps on di rect ly ap pe al s th e ab ov e-g ui de li ne s- ran ge se nt en ce th e di st ric t co ur t im

po se d aft er he pl ead ed gu il ty to po ss es si ng a s to le n fir earm , 1

The Hon or ab l e D e a n W hi pp le , Un it ed St at es Dis tri ct Ju dg e fo r th e W es te rn 1 Dis tri ct of M is so ur i.pu rs ua nt to a pl ea ag reem en t th at co nt ai ne d an ap pe al waiv er. His co un se l ha s m ov ed

fo r le av e to wit hd raw, an d ha s fil ed a br ie f un de r And ers v. Cal ifo rn ia , 38 6 U.S. 73 8 (1 96 7) , ack no wled gi ng th e ap pe al waiv er, an d qu es ti on in g whe th er th e di st ric t co ur t

co m pl i e d wit h Fed

. R. Cri m

. P. 11 at th e ch an ge -o f-p le a he ari ng an d whe th er th e
se nt en ce is pr oc ed ur al ly or su bs ta nt iv el y un reas on ab le

. In hi s p r o s e br ie fs , Hafi z
as se r t s t ha t he rece iv ed in effe ct iv e as si st an ce of co un se l an d th at hi s pl ea was
un kn owi ng or i nv ol un ta ry

.

To be gi n, we de cl in e to co ns id er Hafi z-Th om ps on ’s in effe ct iv e-as si st an ce-o fco un se l cl ai m

on di rect ap pe al

. See Uni te d Stat es v. Ram ire z-Her na nd ez, 449 F.3d 82 4, 82 6- 27 (8 th Ci r. 20 06 ) (in effe ct iv e-as si st an ce cl ai m s are us ua ll y be st li ti ga te d in co ll at eral pr oc eed in gs , whe re r e c o r d c a n be pr op erl y de ve lo pe d)

. Nex t, we
co nc lu de th at hi s as se rti on th at hi s g ui lt y pl ea was un kn owi ng or in vo lu nt ary is no t

co gn iz ab le on di rect ap pe al be cau se he di d no t m ov e in th e di st ric t co ur t to wit hd raw hi s gu il ty pl e a

. S e e Uni te d St at es v. Fo y , 61 7 F.3 d 10 29 , 10 33 -3 4 (8 th Ci r. 20 10 ) (cl ai m th at pl ea was un kn owi ng or in vo lu nt ary is no t co gn iz ab le on di rect ap pe al whe re de fen da nt fai le d to m ov e in di st ric t co ur t to wit hd raw gu il ty pl ea). W it h reg ard to co un se l’s Ru le 11 arg um en t, we fin d no pl ai n erro r. See Uni te d St at es v. Dom in gu ez Be ni te z, 54 2 U.S. 7 4, 7 6 (2 00 4) (st an da rd of r ev ie w).

As to co un se l’s rem ai ni ng arg um en ts ch al le ng i n g th e pr oc ed ur al an d

su bs ta nt iv e reas on ab le ne ss of th e se nt en c e , we co nc lu de th at th e ap pe al waiv er is

va li d an d en fo rcea bl e. In pa rti cu la r, we no te th at Hafi z-Th om ps on ’s own st at em en ts at the ch an ge -o f-p le a he ari ng in di cat ed th at he kn owi ng ly an d vo lu nt ari ly en te red int o th e pl ea ag reem en t an d ap pe al waiv er. See Uni te d St at es v. Sco tt , 62 7 F.3 d 70 2, 70 4 (8 th Ci r. 20 10 ) (d e no vo rev ie w of va li di ty an d ap pl ic ab il it y of ap pe al waiv er); Uni te d St at es v. And is , 3 33 F.3 d 8 86 , 89 0- 92 (8t h C ir. 20 03 ) (en ba nc ) (d is cu ss in g
en fo rcem en t of ap pe al waiv ers ); Ngu y en v. Uni te d St at es , 11 4 F.3 d 69 9, 70 3 (8 th Ci r. 19 97 ) (d efen da nt ’s rep r e s e nt at io ns du rin g pl ea-t ak in g carr y st ro ng pr es um pt io n of

ve rit y ).

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-Fi na ll y , we ha ve in de pe nd en tl y rev ie wed th e reco rd un de r Pen so n v. Ohi o, 48 8

U.S. 75 (1 98 8) , an d hav e fo un d no no nf riv ol ou s is su es fo r ap pe al ou ts id e th e sc op e of th e ap pe al waiv er. Acco rd in gl y , we di sm is s th is a p p eal , an d we gr an t co un se l le av e to wit hd raw.

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