Opinion ID: 153021
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Federal Charges and Guilty Plea

Text: On July 15, 2009, a federal grand jury indicted Channelle on one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1349. Counts 2-26 of the indictment charged Channelle with 25 substantive bank-fraud counts underlying the conspiracy charge in Count 1, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1344. Channelle agreed to plead guilty to Count 1 only. In exchange, the government agreed to dismiss Counts 2-26. In his plea agreement, Channelle agreed that the district court had jurisdiction to impose any sentence up to the 3 statutory maximum sentence and waived the right to appeal his sentence on any ground, “including the ground that the [District] Court erred in determining the applicable guidelines range pursuant to the United States Sentencing Guidelines,” except if the sentence (1) exceeded the applicable guidelines range “as determined by the [District] Court”; (2) exceeded the statutory maximum; or (3) violated the Eighth Amendment; and (4) if the government appealed the sentence. (emphasis in original) At his plea hearing, Channelle confirmed his intention to waive the right to appeal his sentence, except for the four specific grounds listed in his plea agreement.