Opinion ID: 216187
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Circumstances Surrounding Guilty Pleas

Text: Fitzmorris alleges that his attorney told him the maximum range for his crimes under the Guidelines would be ten years, and that he could expect the Government to file a motion to reduce this amount based on his cooperation. He claims that he did not see the Plea Agreement until the day of the hearing, and blames the district court for failing to discuss his potential sentence and the consequences of being deemed a career offender. At the evidentiary hearing, defense counsel acknowledged that he did not go over the Plea Agreement with Fitzmorris until the day of the -8- Nos. 08-4140/09-3207 United States v. Fitzmorris hearing. Defense counsel testified that although he could not recall the details of his conversation with Fitzmorris, it was his custom, when reviewing plea agreements with clients, to go over the likely sentencing range and discuss potential penalties. The district court held that, in light of the extensive negotiations surrounding the Plea Agreement, and given the court’s painstaking efforts to ensure that Fitzmorris understood the consequences of pleading guilty, which included giving Fitzmorris time to consult with his attorney during the plea colloquy, this factor weighed against granting Fitzmorris’s motion. Upon review, we do not find that the district court relied on clearly erroneous findings of fact, or improperly applied the law. While it is preferable to provide plea agreements to defendants a few days early, Fitzmorris had the opportunity to review his pleas before formally entering them. Further, at the hearing itself, the district court gave Fitzmorris additional time to consult with his attorney and generally took special care to ensure that his pleas were competent, knowing and voluntary. The court did so because it was reluctant to accept Fitzmorris’s pleas: Q. All right. I just – Mr. Fitzmorris, if you want to know the truth about it, I’m scared of accepting your plea, because I’m worried you’re going to try to withdraw your plea of guilty later on based upon some reason that hasn’t been disclosed here. And I’ve got to tell you, if you come back here and you try to do that, it’s probably going to fall on deaf ears, because I’m trying to go through this plea as carefully as I can with you to make sure you understand it all. You understand? A. Yes. Q. All right. All right. (08-4140 R. 198, Order Denying Mot. Withdraw Plea 8-9 (quoting 08-4140 R. 197, Change of Plea Hr’g Tr. 28-29).) As for Fitzmorris’s allegation that defense counsel misled him about his likely sentencing range, the district court was in the best position to assess the witnesses’ credibility at the -9- Nos. 08-4140/09-3207 United States v. Fitzmorris evidentiary hearing, and its decision to credit defense counsel’s testimony was not unreasonable. The district court did not abuse its discretion in holding that this factor weighed against allowing Fitzmorris to withdraw his pleas.