FILED U.S. COURT OF A P P E A LS E LE V EN T HC IR C U IT FEB RUARY 24, 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- 13194 N on -A rgum entC al endar

________________________ D . C . D ocketN o. 04 -000 24 -C R -B A E -6 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 L E S T E R L E S H O N C O R L E Y , a .k .a . F la w , 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 S o u th e r n D is tr ic t o f G e o r g ia

_________________________ ( F e b r u ar y 24, 2006)

B e f o r e A N D E R S O N , B L A C K a n d B A R K E T T , C ir c u it J u d g e s . P E R C U R I A M: L e s t e rL e s hon C or l e y a ppe a l s hi s c onvi c t i on a nd 151- m onth s e nt e nc e f or2

d i s tr i b u t i n g 2 2 . 4 g r a ms o f c o c a i n e b a s e i n v i o l a t i o n o f 1 8 U . S. C. § 2 a n d 2 1 U . S. C. § 8 4 1 ( a ) ( 1 ) , ( b ) ( 1 ) ( B ) . A w r i t t e n pl e a a gr e e m e ntpr ovi de d tha tthe gove r nm e ntw oul d r e c om m e nd a s e nt e nc e a tthe l ow e nd of the a ppl i c a bl e s e nt e nc i ng gui de l i ne r a nge butthe go vernm ent ’ s r ec om m endat i on s w er e notbi nd i ng on the court . A tthe change-ofpl e a he a r i ng, the c our ta dvi s e d C or l e y , a nd C or l e y s t a t e d tha the unde r s t ood, thatthe courtw as no tbo un d b y the go vernm ent ’ s r ec om m endat i on , and C orl ey m ay n o tw i th d raw h i s p l ea, ev en i f th e co u rtd i d n o taccep tan y o f th e p art i es’ re com m endat i on s. C orl ey ac kn ow l edged t hathe had read and si gn ed the pl ea agre em ent , and, af

t eri tw as sum m ar i ze d i n o pen cou rt , ac kn ow l edged t hati tw as consi st entw i th h i s und er st andi ng . L at eri n t he sa m e hea ri ng , the courtadvi se d C or l e y : “ N ow , the pl e a a gr e e m e nti s notbi ndi ng upon the [ c ] our t . B uti f the [ c ] our tr e j e c t s , y ou, t oo, m a y w i thdr a w f r om a nd r e

j e c ti ta nd go t o tr i a l , ” a nd C or l e y s t a t e d tha the unde r s t ood. A ts e nt e nc i ng, C or l e y w a s s e nt e nc e d t o 151 m onths ’ i m pr i s onm e nt , w hi c h w a s the hi gh e nd of the gui de l i ne s r a nge , de s pi t e the gove r nm e nt ’ s r e c om m e nda t i on tha the be s e nt e nc e d a tthe l ow e nd. O n a p p e a l , Co r l e y a r g u e s th a t , b e c a u s e : ( 1 ) th e d i s tr i c tc o u r ti n f o r me d h i m, atthe pl ea col l oq uy, that , i f i tre j ec t ed the pl ea agre em ent , he w ou l d b e per m i t t ed t o w i thd ra w hi s pl ea , and (2) the di stri ctcourtes se nt i al l y r ej ec t ed the pl ea3

a g r e e m e n t w h e n it r e f

u s e d to h o n o rth e g o v e r n m e n t’s r e c o m m e n d a tio n th a t it s e n te n c e h im a t th e lo w e n d o f th e g u id e lin e s r a n g e , h e s h o u ld b e p e r m itte d to w i thd ra w hi s pl ea . H e a rgues thata s ent ence atthe l ow end o f the gu i del i nes w as

“ a n i nt e gr a l pa r tof

hi s de a l , ” a nd tha the unde r s t ood tha thi s pl e a c oul d be w i thdr a w n i f

thi s e s s e nt i a l pa r tof

the a gr e e m e ntw a s notf ol l ow e d, a na l ogi z i ng the in s ta n t a p p e a l to Z ic k e r t v . U n ite d S ta te s , 9 5 5 F .2 d 6 6 5 ( 1 1 th C ir . 1 9 9 2 ) . W he r e , a s he r e , a de f

e nda ntf a i l s t o f i l e a m ot i on t o w i thdr a w hi s pl e a i n the di stri ctcourt , w e r evi ew chal l enges t o h i s pl ea on l y f or pl ai n err or. U ni t ed S t at es v . Mo n r o e , 3 5 3 F . 3 d 1 3 4 6 , 1 3 4 9 n . 2 ( 1 1 th C i r . 2 0 0 3 ) . “ Un d e rp l a i n - e r r o rr e v i e w, the de f e nda ntha s the bur de n t o s how tha tthe r e i s ( 1) e r r or( 2) tha ti s pl a i n a nd (3) thataf

fe ct [s ] subst ant i al ri gh t s, ” a nd , “ [i ] f a l l three cond i t i on s a re m et , an a p p e lla te c o u r t m a y th e n e x e r c is e its d is c r e tio n to n o tic e a f o r f e ite d e r r o r , b u t o n ly i f ( 4) the e r r ors e r i ous l y a f f e c t [ s ] the f

a i r ne s s , i nt e gr i ty , orpubl i c r e put a t i on of ju d ic ia l p r o c e e d in g s .” I d . a t 1 3 4 9 ( in te r n a l q u o ta tio n s a n d c ita tio n s o m itte d ) . F eder al R ul e of C ri m i nal P roce du re 11 (c ) c on t em pl at es se vera l types of pl ea a g r e e m e n ts a n d p r o v id e s th a t a p le a a g r e e m e n t: m a y s pe c i f

y tha ta n a t t or ne y f

orthe gove r nm e ntw i l l : ( A ) notbr i ng, or w ill m o v e to d is m is s , o th e rc h a r g e s ; ( B ) r e c o m m e n d . . . th a t a pa r t i c ul a rs e nt e nc e ors e nt e nc i ng r a nge i s a ppr opr i a t e . . . ( s uc h a re com m endat i on or re qu es tdo es no tbi nd the court ); or (C ) a gree that a s pe c i f i c s e nt e nc e ors e nt e nc i ng r a nge i s the a ppr opr i a t e di s pos i t i on of the ca se . . . (s uch a rec om m endat i on or re qu es tbi nd s the court4

on ce the courtac ce pt s the pl ea agre em ent ). F ed. R . C ri m . P . 11 (c )( 1)(A ), (B ), (C ). In addi t i on , “ [t ] o t he ext entthe pl ea a gr e e m e nti s of

the ty pe s pe c i f

i e d i n R ul e 11( c ) ( 1) ( B ) , the c our tm us ta dvi s e the de f e nda nttha tthe de f

e nda ntha s no r i ghtt o w i thdr a w the pl e a i f the c our tdoe s not fol l ow the re com m endat i on or re qu es t . ” F ed. R . C ri m . P . 11 (c )( 3)(B ). M oreover,

“ [i ] f the courtre

j ec t s apl ea agre em entcont ai ni ng prov i si on s of the type s peci fi ed in R u le 1 1 ( c ) ( 1 ) ( A ) o r( C ) , th e c o u r t m u s t . . . g iv e th e d e f e n d a n t a n o p p o r tu n ity to w ith d r a w th e p le a .” F e d .R .C r im .P . 1 1 ( c ) ( 5 ) ( B ) . In Z i cker t , the pl ea agre em entspec i fi ed thatthe defendantcoul d w i thd ra w hi s gui l ty pl e a i f

the c our tr e

j e c t e d the gove r nm e nt ’ s r e c om m e nda t i ons , a nd the di stri ctcourtfa i l ed t o i nform the defendantthat , i n fac t , he w ou l d n otbe perm i t t ed t o w i thd ra w hi s pl ea i f i tdi d n otfol l ow the go vernm ent ’ s r ec om m endat i on s. Id. at 6 6 7 . O n a p p e a l f

r o m th e d e n ia l o f

Z ic k e r t’s m o tio n to w ith d r a w h is p le a , w e h e ld th a t th e d is tr ic t c o u r t’s o m is s io n w a s r e v e r s ib le e r r o r , r e a s o n in g th a t “Z ic k e r t c o u ld r e a s ona bl y ha ve e xpe c t e d tha the w oul d ha ve the r i ghtt o w i thdr a w hi s pl e a i f the di s tr i c tc our tde c i de d nott o i m pos e the gove r nm e nt ’ s r e c om m e nde d s e nt e nc e . ” I d. a t668. H o w ev er , i n th is ca se th e p lea a g re em en t p ro v id ed th at th e g o v er n m en t’ s r e c om m e nde d s e nt e nc e a tthe l ow e nd of the gui de l i ne r a nge w a s notbi ndi ng onThis was not inconsistent with the fac t that the district court, later in the chang e of ple a 1 hearing, advised Corley

that he could withdra

w the plea

if the cour

t rejec ted the plea

agreement. F a ilureto ac c ept t

heg ov e rnme nt’ s lo w end sentenc ere c omm e nd atio n did n ot c on sti tut e reje ction of the plea

agreement itself. Z icker

t, 955 F.2d at 669. And that should have been clea r t o C o rl ey , an d

h i s p l eaats ent en ci n g co n fi rm s h i s un d er s t an di n g. 5 the court , and t hatC orl ey coul d n otw i thd ra w the pl ea i f the di stri ctcourtdecl i ned t o fol l ow the go vernm ent ’ s r ec om m endat i on . M oreover, atthe change of ple a he a r i ng the di s tr i c tc our te xpr e s s l y a dvi s e d C or l e y t o thi s e f f e c t . C or l e y c oul d not 1 re as on abl y have bel i eved ot herw i se , the courtw as no tre qu i re d t o g i ve hi m an oppor tuni ty t o w i thdr a w hi s pl e a w he n i tde c l i ne d t o a c c e ptthe r e c om m e nda t i on a n d d id n o t e r rb y s e n te n c in g C o r le y . A c c o r d in g ly , h is c o n v ic tio n a n d s e n te n c e is a f f i r m e d. AF F I RME D.