Source: http://openjurist.org/80/f3d/1145
Timestamp: 2015-04-01 22:36:17
Document Index: 595623359

Matched Legal Cases: ['§ 2113', '§ 2113', '§ 2113', '§ 4', '§ 3', '§ 6', '§ 4']

80 F3d 1145 United States v. Sandles | OpenJurist
80 F. 3d 1145 - United States v. Sandles	Home80 f3d 1145 united states v. sandles
80 F3d 1145 United States v. Sandles 80 F.3d 1145
UNITED STATES of America, Plaintiff-Appellee,v.John SANDLES, Defendant-Appellant.
No. 95-2704.
Argued Feb. 27, 1996.Decided March 25, 1996.
Paul Kanter (argued), Office of the U.S. Atty., Milwaukee, WI, for Plaintiff-Appellee.
Frank Lipuma (argued), Chicago, IL, for Defendant-Appellant.
John E. Sandles pleaded guilty to bank larceny under 18 U.S.C. § 2113(b). On appeal he argues that the district court (1) should not have sentenced him as a career offender, even though the plea agreement stipulated that he be classified as such; and (2) should have given him a three-level reduction for acceptance of responsibility under the Sentencing Guidelines, rather than a two-level reduction. We affirm.
A federal grand jury charged Sandles with five counts of bank robbery under 18 U.S.C. § 2113(a). Sandles represented himself at trial, with his court-appointed lawyer serving as stand-by counsel. The jury convicted him, and the court sentenced him to five concurrent terms of 180 months (Offense Level 30, Criminal History Category VI/ Career Offender, Range 168-210 months). This court vacated the judgment, on grounds that the district court did not sufficiently warn Sandles of the perils of proceeding pro se. United States v. Sandles, 23 F.3d 1121 (7th Cir.1994).
On remand, Sandles continued to insist on representing himself, with court-appointed stand-by counsel. Sandles pursued an insanity defense, which caused his second trial to be postponed. He also filed a number of motions seeking to overturn or dismiss the indictment; the court twice granted Sandles' motion for a continuance. In February, 1995, Sandles indicated he wished to pursue plea negotiations. On June 15, shortly before trial was to begin, Sandles pleaded guilty to five lesser counts under 18 U.S.C. § 2113(b) ("bank larceny"). Each of the five counts charged that Sandles stole money "by force and intimidation."1 The plea agreement stipulated that the crimes were crimes of violence, that Sandles was a career offender, and that his sentencing range, pursuant to U.S.S.G. § 4B1.1(E), would be 100-125 months incarceration (Offense Level 24, Criminal History Category VI/Career Offender). The government agreed to recommend a two-level reduction in the offense level for acceptance of responsibility under U.S.S.G. § 3E1.1.
We first address the applicable standard of review. Sandles argues that we should review the district court's decision de novo, because it involves an interpretation of the Sentencing Guidelines. United States v. Sebero, 45 F.3d 1075, 1077 (7th Cir.1995). The government counters that the classification of a defendant as a career offender is a finding of fact subject to review for clear error. Id. The district court, however, did not make its own finding of fact; the court explicitly stated it was not making an independent review. Therefore, to the extent Sandles argues that the Guidelines compel district courts to make such an independent examination, appellate review is plenary. The sentencing transcript makes clear, however, that the district court found the plea agreement so unusual that it felt constrained either to accept it without modification, or reject it altogether. We review the court's decision to accept or reject a plea agreement for abuse of discretion. U.S.S.G. §§ 6B1.2(a), 6B1.4(d); United States v. Greener, 979 F.2d 517, 518 (7th Cir.1992).
Sandles argues that at the sentencing hearing, the district court should have let him challenge the stipulation that classified him as a career offender without otherwise disturbing the provisions of the plea agreement. This argument ignores the fact that plea bargains are contracts, albeit "unique contracts in which special due process concerns for fairness and the adequacy of procedural safeguards obtain." Carnine v. United States, 974 F.2d 924, 928 (7th Cir.1992) (internal quotation omitted). As with other contracts, courts interpret disputed terms of a plea agreement according to the objective intentions of the parties. United States v. Eppinger, 49 F.3d 1244, 1251 (7th Cir.1995).
In the case at bar, the plain language of the plea agreement states "that the defendant is a 'career offender' as that term is used and defined in U.S.S.G. § 4B1.1." Nothing in the plea agreement suggests t