Opinion ID: 161378
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Denial of the motion to withdraw guilty plea

Text: Two months after he pleaded guilty, Mr. Battle moved to withdraw his guilty plea and complained about his retained counsel. R. Vol. III, Doc. 40 at 3. He claimed his counsel was ineffective because he did not make Mr. Battle aware of all the evidence the government had nor of the concept of relevant conduct before he entered his plea, and that he did not have a “clear notion of what his sentence could be or should be going into the plea hearing.” Id. at 5. He claimed that counsel misinformed him as to the sentence he risked if he did not plead guilty and of the range he would get if he did. Id. at 14-15. He again admitted to -7- possession of the crack cocaine but argued that there was no admissible evidence that he intended to distribute it and that he now believed he could be successful in a motion to suppress the evidence for lack of probable cause to stop him the day he was arrested with the crack. Id. at 39, 46. He asserted that if he had been adequately advised, he would not have accepted the plea. Id. at 50. The district court conducted an analysis using the factors set forth in United States v. Black , 201 F.3d 1296, 1300 (10th Cir. 2000), and found that Mr. Battle was not innocent of the charges; the government would be prejudiced by having to go to trial; there would be inconvenience to the court and a waste of judicial resources if the plea was withdrawn; Mr. Battle had sufficiently satisfactory and competent representation; and his plea was knowing and voluntary. R. Vol. III, Doc. 40 at 51-55. The court concluded that Mr. Battle had not established a fair and just reason for the withdrawal of his plea and denied his motion to withdraw the plea. Id. at 61-62. The decision to allow withdrawal of a plea is solidly within the province of the district court and we review that decision only for an abuse of discretion. United States v. Gordon , 4 F.3d 1567, 1572-73 (10th Cir. 1993). The district court considered the proper factors in denying the motion and its findings are well supported in the record. We conclude that the district court did not abuse its discretion in denying the motion to withdraw the plea. Cf. id. at 1573 (stating -8- that “dissatisfaction with the length of a sentence is an insufficient reason to withdraw a plea”). For the reasons stated above, we AFFIRM the district court’s denial of Mr. Battle’s motion to withdraw his guilty plea, and DISMISS the appeal of his sentence and his ineffective assistance of counsel claim. We GRANT Mr. Mank’s motion to withdraw as appointed appellate counsel for Mr. Battle. The judgment of the United States District Court for the District of Kansas is AFFIRMED. Entered for the Court Stephen H. Anderson