Opinion ID: 2789195
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: analysis

Text: A. Authority to Sentence Symington Beyond the Ten-Year Maximum Sentence Agreed to in Written Plea Agreement Symington argues that the district court lacked the authority to sentence him beyond the ten-year maximum sentence agreed to in his written plea agreement, which explicitly stated that his prior convictions did not qualify as predicate offenses for an enhanced sentence under the ACCA. Symington maintains that after accepting his plea agreement, thereby becoming bound by the agreement not to apply the ACCA enhancement, the district court could impose no greater than a ten-year maximum sentence. Thus, Symington argues that the district court erred in sentencing him to 15 years’ imprisonment rather than the ten years agreed upon in his plea agreement. The government responds that Symington cannot be sentenced without the ACCA sentencing enhancement because, as Symington concedes, he qualifies for the mandatory enhancement. Generally, this court may remedy the breach of a plea agreement by ordering specific performance of the agreement, but that is not the proper remedy here. As the government argues, enforcing the agreed upon tenyear sentence in the plea agreement would result in the imposition of an illegal sentence because application of the ACCA is mandatory when a defendant meets the statutory requirements. 10 Case: 14-10482 Date Filed: 03/25/2015 Page: 11 of 15 Our circuit has not addressed whether a district court is bound by a plea agreement that requires it to impose an illegal sentence. We find guidance in decisions of our sister circuits. In United States v. Moyer, the defendant pleaded guilty under § 922(g), and the government agreed in the defendant’s plea agreement not to seek an enhanced sentence under the ACCA. 282 F.3d 1311, 1314 (10th Cir. 2002). Despite the PSI’s clear indication that Moyer qualified for the ACCA’s 15-year mandatory minimum sentence, the district court determined that it was bound by the government’s agreement not to apply the ACCA and, instead, sentenced the defendant to ten years’ imprisonment. The Tenth Circuit reversed Moyer’s sentence, explaining that his ten-year sentence was “an illegal sentence” because the court did not apply the 15-year mandatory minimum sentence under § 924(e)(1). Id. at 1318. The court held that “the application of § 924(e)(1) is not subject to governmental waiver or prosecutorial discretion. Thus, notwithstanding the commitment made by the government in the plea agreement, the district court erred when it sentenced [the defendant] without applying § 924(e)(1).” Id. at 1318–19 (citation omitted). Similarly, in United States v. Davis, the defendant pleaded guilty under § 922(g), and the plea agreement stated that he faced a maximum penalty of ten years’ imprisonment. 689 F.3d 349 (4th Cir. 2012). During his plea hearing, both 11 Case: 14-10482 Date Filed: 03/25/2015 Page: 12 of 15 the government and the district court stated the same maximum penalty. The PSI, however, recommended Davis be sentenced under the ACCA, and the district court agreed, sentencing him to a 15-year mandatory minimum sentence. Davis filed a petition under 28 U.S.C. § 2255 challenging his sentence. In Davis, unlike Symington’s case, the government made no binding promise that the ACCA would not apply. On review, the circuit court determined that “Davis’s claim for breach fails insofar as he seeks the benefit of a promise that the government never made.” Id. at 353. The circuit court, nonetheless, held that even if the government had breached a promise for a particular sentence, the district court could not be bound by that promise because the ACCA was mandatory. The circuit court noted that “the district court could not have imposed a sentence that contravened the applicable statute.” Id. at 354. Accordingly, the circuit court had “no authority to order the district court to impose an unlawful sentence.” Id. at 354. Although not directly on point, we find the analysis in these cases persuasive. Accordingly, we hold that the district court did not err in sentencing Symington in accordance with the ACCA because the ACCA is mandatory, and the district court lacked the authority to impose the unlawful sentence contained in the plea agreement. 12 Case: 14-10482 Date Filed: 03/25/2015 Page: 13 of 15 B. Motion to Withdraw Guilty Plea On appeal, the government acknowledges that the district court abused its discretion in denying Symington’s motion to withdraw his guilty plea. It agrees with Symington that his conviction should be vacated and his plea withdrawn. “Rule 11 imposes upon a district court the obligation and responsibility to conduct an inquiry into whether the defendant makes a knowing and voluntary guilty plea.” United States v. Hernandez-Fraire, 208 F.3d 945, 949 (11th Cir. 2000). That inquiry “must address three core concerns underlying Rule 11: (1) the guilty plea must be free from coercion; (2) the defendant must understand the nature of the charges; and (3) the defendant must know and understand the consequences of his guilty plea.” Id. (internal quotation marks omitted). The failure to address any of these three core concerns, such that a defendant’s substantial rights are affected, requires automatic reversal of the conviction and the opportunity to plead anew. United States v. Siegel, 102 F.3d 477, 481 (11th Cir. 1996). Under Rule 11, the district court must inform the defendant of any possible maximum penalty and any mandatory minimum penalty he will be subjected to by pleading guilty, and the district court must ensure that the defendant understands the sentencing range. Fed. R. Crim. P. 11(b)(1)(H)–(I). 13 Case: 14-10482 Date Filed: 03/25/2015 Page: 14 of 15 Under the ACCA, a defendant who is convicted under § 922(g) for being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm faces a maximum sentence of ten years’ imprisonment. 18 U.S.C. §§ 922(g), 924(a)(2). However, the ACCA raises the maximum sentence to life imprisonment and imposes a 15-year mandatory minimum sentence for defendants who have three prior convictions for violent felonies. § 924(e)(1); see United States v. Brame, 997 F.2d 1426, 1428 (11th Cir. 1993). Recently, this court determined that it was plain error for a plea agreement to mistakenly provide, and a district court to erroneously state, that the maximum penalty for a defendant’s § 922(g)(1) conviction was ten years’ imprisonment when the defendant actually faced a 15-year mandatory minimum sentence under the ACCA. United States v. Gandy, 710 F.3d 1234, 1240–41 (11th Cir. 2013), cert. denied, ___ U.S. ___, 134 S. Ct. 304 (2013). This court held, however, that the error did not affect the defendant’s substantial rights because the district court gave the defendant the opportunity to withdraw his guilty plea prior to sentencing, but he declined. Id. As Symington and the government agree, the district court abused its discretion by denying Symington’s motion to withdraw his guilty plea. See Brehm, 442 F.3d at 1298. Once the government and Symington brought to the district court’s attention its failure to comply with Rule 11, the court should have 14 Case: 14-10482 Date Filed: 03/25/2015 Page: 15 of 15 permitted Symington to withdraw his guilty plea. See Gandy, 710 F.3d at 1240– 41. Accordingly, under the totality of the circumstances surrounding Symington’s plea, we conclude that the district court abused its discretion by denying Symington’s motion to withdraw his plea after he presented a “fair and just reason” to support his motion. See Brehm, 442 F.3d at 1298. Accordingly, we are compelled to vacate Symington’s conviction and sentence and remand this case with directions to the district court that it permit Symington to withdraw his guilty plea. Because we are vacating Symington’s conviction and sentence and remanding this case for further proceedings consistent with this opinion, we need not reach the third and fourth issues presented in this appeal. VACATED AND REMANDED. 15