FILED U.S. COURT OF AP P E A LS E LE V EN T HC IRC U IT MARCH 30, 2006 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. 05- 15135 N on -A rgum entC al endar

________________________ D. C . Do c k e tNo . 0 4 - 0 0 1 7 9 - C R - OR L - 1 9 - J GG 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 C H R I S T O P H E R W O R D E 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 orthe M i ddl e D i s tr i c tof F l or i da

_________________________ ( M ar c h 30, 2006) B efo re T JO F L A T , A N D E R S O N an d B IR C H , C i rcu i tJu d g es. P E R C U R I A M: P ur s ua ntt o a pl e a a gr e e m e nt , C hr i s t ophe rW or de n pl e d gui l ty t o w i r e f r a ud,2

i n v i ol at i on of 18 U . S . C . § 1 34 3. T he di stri ctcourtse nt ence d h i m t o a pri son t erm o f s ix m o n th s . H e n o w ap p e a ls h is s e n te n c e . W orden con t ends thatthe G ov ernm entbrea ched i t s obl i gat i on un der the pl ea agre em entno tt o con t es thi s r equestfor ase nt ence atthe l ow end o f the G ui del i nes s e nt e nc e r a nge by c ha l l e ngi ng hi s r e que s tf orpr oba t i on a nd a s s e r t i ng tha the s h o u ld in s te a d r e c e iv e th e lo w - e n d s e n te n c e o f s ix m o n th s o f

im p r is o n m e n t. W hether the G ov ernm entbrea ched a pl eaagre em enti s aqu es t i on of l aw w h ic h w e r e v ie w d e n o v o . U n ite d S ta te s v . M a h iq u e , 1 5 0 F .3 d 1 3 3 0 , 1 3 3 2 ( 1 1 th C ir . 1 9 9 8 ) . A m a te r ia l p r o m is e b y th e g o v e rn m e n t, w h ic h in d u c e s th e d e f e n d a n t to pl e a d gui l ty , bi nds the gove rnm e ntt o tha tpr om i s e . S a nt obe l l o v. N e w Y or k, 404 U . S . 257, 262, 92 S . C t . 496, 499, 30 L . E d. 2d 427 ( 1971) . W he n a pl e a r e s t s i n a ny s i gni f i c a ntpor t i on on the gove rnm e nt ’ s pr om i s e , s o tha ti tbe c om e s pa r tof the i nd ucem entfor the gu i l ty pl ea , such prom i se m ustbe ful fi l l ed. Id. If a bre ac h h as b ee n es tab li sh ed , w e m ay eith ero rd ersp ec ific p er fo rm an ce o f th e g o v er n m en t’ s pr om i s e – by or de r i ng a r e s e nt e nc i ng be f or e a di f f e r e ntj udge – ora l l ow the de f e nda ntt o w i thdr a w hi s gui l ty pl e a . I d. a t262- 63, 92 S . C t . a t499. A l though the c hos e n r e m e dy f

orthe gove rnm e nt ’ s br e a c h of a pl e a a gr e e m e nti s w i thi n our di sc re t i on , w e have notfa vo re d w i thd ra w al of the gu i l ty pl ea , es peci al l y w here the r e i s no doubttha tthe pl e a w a s m a de know i ng a nd vol unt a r i l y . U ni t e d S t a t e s v.3

John son, 13 2 F . 3d 62 8, 63 1 (11 th C i r. 19 98 ). W h e th e rth e g o v e rn m e n t v io la te d a p le a a g r e e m e n t is ju d g e d a c c o r d in g to the defendant ’ s r ea sonabl e und er st andi ng of the agree m entatthe t i m e he e nt er ed the pl e a . U ni t e d S t a t e s v. R e w i s , 969 F . 2d 985, 988 ( 11th C i r . 1992) . I f the g o v e rn m e n td i s p u t e s th e d e f e n d a n t ’ s u n d e r s t a n d i n g o f th e a g r e e m e n t , h o we v e r , we a s c e r t a i n i t s t e r m s us i ng obj e c t i ve s t a nda r ds . I d. T he s t a nda r ds appl i e d t o the in te rp r e ta tio n o f

a p le a a g r e e m e n t a r e a s f o llo w s : ( 1 ) h y p e r - te c h n ic a l a n d r ig id construct i on of the l angu age i n a pl eaagre em enti s unacc ept abl e; (2) the w ri tt en a g r e e m e n t s h o u ld b e 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 no tbe i nt erpret ed t o con tra di ctdi re ct l y a n o ra l un ders t andi ng ; and (3) an am bi gu ou s pl eaagre em entm ustbe i nt erpret ed agai nstthe go vernm ent . U ni t ed S ta te s v . J e f

f r ie s , 9 0 8 F .2 d 1 5 2 0 , 1 5 2 3 ( 1 1 th C ir . 1 9 9 0 ) . T he com m ent ary t o C hapt er5, P artA , of the S ent enci ng G ui del i nes M anual st at es th at , w h en l o o k i n g atth e sen t en ci n g t ab l e, “ [t ] h e i n t ersect i o n o f th e O ffen se L e ve l a nd C r i m i na l H i s t ory C a t e gory di s pl a y s the G ui de l i ne R a nge i n m onths of im p r is o n m e n t.” S e c tio n 5 B 1 .1 ( a ) ( 2 ) a u th o r iz e s p r o b a tio n if “th e ap p lic ab le gu i del i ne ra ng e i s i n Z on e B of the S ent enci ng T abl e. ” W ith th e f

o r e g o in g p r in c ip le s in m in d , w e tu rn to th e m e r its o f th is ap p e a l. B ecau se th e p art i es d i ffer as t o th e m ean i n g o f th e G o v ern m en t ’ s p ro m i se4

( r e ga r di ng s e nt e nc e r e c om m e nda t i on) , w e i nt e rpr e tthe a gr e e m e ntus i ng obj e c t i ve st andards. R ew i s, 96 9 F . 2d at98 8. T he prov i si on of the agree m entati ss ue here – thatthe G ov ernm entw ou l d “ no top po se the defendant ’ s r equestt o the C ou rtthat the de f e nda ntr e c e i ve a s e nt e nc e a tthe l ow e nd of the appl i c abl e gui de l i ne r a nge c a lc u la te d b y th e C o u r t” – is n o t a m b ig u o u s . T h e te r m “g u id e lin e r a n g e ” is consi st ent l y use d throu gh ou tthe S ent enci ng G ui del i nes t o ref ert o the nu m bere d r a nge of m onths of

i m pr i s onm e nttha ti s c a l c ul a t e d by r e f e r e nc e t o the s e nt e nc i ng t a bl e . U . S . S . G . C h. 5 P t . A , U . S . S . G . § 5B 1. 1( a ) ( 2) . O bj e c t i ve l y , the n, the una m bi guous m e a ni ng of a “ s e nt e nc e a tthe l ow e nd of the appl i c abl e gui de l i ne r a nge ” w oul d be the l ow e s tnum be rof m onths of

i m pr i s onm e ntde s i gna t e d i n the se nt enci ng t abl e, no t“ the l ea stre stri ct i ve m ea ns of confi nem ent , ” a s W orden c ont e nds . U . S . S . G . C h. 5 P t . A , U . S . S . G . § 5B 1. 1( a ) ( 2) . B e c a us e the G ove rnm e nt re com m ended a pri son t erm of si x m on ths, the l ow es tnu m ber of m on ths spec i fi ed by the se nt ence ra ng e, 6-12 m on ths, i tca rr i ed ou tthe prom i se i tm ade i n the pl ea a g r e e m e n t. AF F I RME D.