Opinion ID: 751622
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: The Role of Prejudice to the Government

Text: 53 Finally, we think it advisable to say a word about what standards govern the decision of a motion to withdraw a plea of guilty where the ground for the motion is that the government violated the defendant's rights under Brady. As a general matter, a defendant has no absolute right to withdraw his plea of guilty. See, e.g., United States v. Williams, 23 F.3d 629, 634 (2d Cir.), cert. denied, 513 U.S. 1045, 115 S.Ct. 641, 130 L.Ed.2d 547 (1994); United States v. Rodriguez, 968 F.2d 130, 140 (2d Cir.), cert. denied, 506 U.S. 847, 113 S.Ct. 139, 121 L.Ed.2d 92 (1992). The Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure provide that where a motion to withdraw the plea is made prior to sentencing, the district court may grant it for any reason that is fair and just. Fed.R.Crim.P. 32(e); see United States v. Williams, 23 F.3d at 634; United States v. Vega, 11 F.3d 309, 313 (2d Cir.1993); see also Kercheval v. United States, 274 U.S. 220, 224, 47 S.Ct. 582, 583, 71 L.Ed. 1009 (1927) (The court in exercise of its discretion will permit one accused to substitute a plea of not guilty and have a trial if for any reason the granting of the privilege seems fair and just.). Within this general framework, a defendant seeking to withdraw his plea normally bears the burden of demonstrating both that there are valid grounds for withdrawal and that such grounds are not outweighed by any prejudice to the government. United States v. Vega, 11 F.3d at 313; see also Fed.R.Crim.P. 32 Advisory Committee Note (1983) (If the defendant has established such a reason, it is then appropriate to consider whether the government would be prejudiced by withdrawal of the plea.). 54 The district court adverted to these general principles in denying Avellino's motion in the present case. It denied the motion on the grounds (1) that there was no valid basis for withdrawal of the plea because the undisclosed evidence was not material and hence there was no Brady violation; and (2) that if the plea were withdrawn, there would be a likelihood of significant prejudice to the government. In our view, however, where the motion is based solely on an alleged Brady violation, the general Rule 32(e) framework is not controlling. 55 The term any fair and just reason in Rule 32(e) obviously encompasses denials of due process and other constitutional defects; but it also includes grounds that are not of constitutional dimension. The fair-and-just-reason standard is thus more generous to the defendant than are standards that require establishment of  'a fundamental defect which inherently results in a complete miscarriage of justice' or 'an omission inconsistent with the rudimentary demands of fair procedure.'  Fed.R.Crim.P. 32 Advisory Committee Note (1983) (quoting Hill v. United States, 368 U.S. 424, 428, 82 S.Ct. 468, 471, 7 L.Ed.2d 417 (1962) (setting standard for claims pursued under 28 U.S.C. § 2255)). Rule 32 plainly gives the court discretion with respect to a motion that is based on grounds of nonconstitutional dimension, and if such grounds are found to be established, the Rule is meant to require consideration of the potential for prejudice to the government if the plea were to be withdrawn. However, where a Brady violation is established, that is, the court has found that the government withheld favorable information from the defendant and has ruled that there is a reasonable probability that the information, if disclosed, would have led the defendant not to plead guilty, we are unaware of any authority for the proposition that the court has discretion to deny the motion. Rather, if 'the false testimony could ... in any reasonable likelihood have affected the judgment of the jury,'  a new trial is required. Giglio v. United States, 405 U.S. at 153-54, 92 S.Ct. at 765-66 (quoting Napue v. Illinois, 360 U.S. at 269, 271, 79 S.Ct. at 1177-78). See also Kyles v. Whitley, 514 U.S. at 435, 115 S.Ct. at 1566 (a Brady violation, given the nature of the test for materiality, cannot be harmless). And in the context of a proven Brady violation, we would think it entirely inappropriate to allow the government to defeat the motion by arguing that the warranted remedy for its own constitutional violation is likely to cause it prejudice. 56 In the present case, the district court's reference to the likely prejudice to be suffered by the government in the event of a plea withdrawal was, of course, harmless, since there was no Brady violation. We express no view as to how Rule 32 is to be applied with respect to claims of constitutional violations other than Brady violations.