Opinion ID: 569828
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Conlee's Appeal

Text: 4 On the date set for trial, Conlee pled guilty to a charge of attempting to possess cocaine with an intent to distribute. The court, following Rule 11 of the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure, accepted Conlee's guilty plea after determining that it was voluntary and intelligent. A week later Conlee asked the court to withdraw the plea on the grounds it was not voluntary or intelligent. The court refused Conlee's request. 5 The only issue on appeal is whether Conlee's guilty plea was voluntary and intelligent. Although Conlee's brief does not explicitly state the premises for his argument, he apparently claims that the district court was prejudiced in favor of the government and that he was confused and pressured with regard to his plea. 6 Fed.R.Crim.P. 11 provides the basis for properly accepting a guilty plea. The three considerations underlying Rule 11 are that the plea be non-coerced, that the defendant understands the nature of the charge, and that the defendant appreciates the consequences of his plea. United States v. Bell, 776 F.2d 965, 968 (11th Cir.1985). The validity of a guilty plea is determined by the totality of the circumstances. Brady v. United States, 397 U.S. 742 (1970). To properly accept a guilty plea, there must be an affirmative showing that [the plea] was intelligent and voluntary. Matusiak v. Kelly, 786 F.2d 536, 546 (2d Cir.1986) (quoting Boykin v. Alabama, 395 U.S. 238, 242 (1969)). The record demonstrates that such an affirmative showing existed and that the district court's actions were proper. 7 The court did not pressure Conlee to plead guilty. Rather, the court went to great lengths to make clear to Conlee that he had the choice of either pleading guilty or having a jury trial. As acknowledged by the Supreme Court in Brady, 397 U.S. at 755, the voluntariness of a guilty plea, when entered into intelligently, is suspect if it was induced by threats, misrepresentation, or improper promises. None of these factors existed here and, as evidenced by the trial record, Conlee's plea was voluntary. 8 The trial court must determine if the plea was intelligent. For a plea to be considered intelligent, the court must inform the defendant of the charges against him and he must understand the nature of the charges. Bell, 776 F.2d at 968. There is no set formula for this determination; it is left to the court's good judgment based on the complexity of the charges and the defendant's sophistication and intelligence. Id. (quoting United States v. Dayton, 604 F.2d 931, 938 (5th Cir.1979)). The court advised Conlee, who had attended college for two years, of the charges against him, the range of sentences available, the applicability of the sentencing guidelines, and the various constitutional rights waived by a guilty plea. These circumstances, as well as Conlee's dialogue with the district court during the entry of his plea, support the district court's finding that Conlee's plea was intelligent and voluntary.