Court Opinion

ID: 9454385
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-04 18:45:05.944248+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T17:34:05.924001
License: Public Domain

MERRILL, Circuit Judge
(dissenting) :
I dissent and would remand for a hearing limited to appellant’s claim with respect to an induced plea of guilty. In my judgment his claim of inducement has substance.
The majority, in denying hearing, does not accept the truth of appellant’s factual assertions; nor does it recognize a factual dispute to exist with respect to them. It finds appellant’s claim of inducement to be insubstantial for the reason that as matter of law it cannot be taken to be true since his admissions and confessions provide the obvious motivating cause for his plea beyond reasonable dispute.
In support of its position the majority asserts that appellant has, apart from his plea, freely admitted that he committed the offense charged. This, I think, goes too far. He has admitted taking the money — an offense under § 2113(b) — and has characterized it as “robbing” a bank. He has not, however (aside from the concessions he says he was induced to make), admitted force, violence or intimidation, to bring the offense within § 2113(a) at double the penalty.1 His position in this respect is made clear by his petition, quoted in part in the majority’s opinion.
Assuming that one who has confessed to a crime is beyond plea inducement (as to which I retain serious doubts and reserve judgment), I do not find that to be the situation here. In my view the fact that one has freely admitted the elements of a lesser offense does not, standing alone, provide the motive for a plea of guilty to a greater offense beyond all reasonable dispute.
I conclude that a substantial factual dispute remains to be resolved.

. “§ 2113. Bank robbery and incidental crimes
(a) Whoever, by force and violence, or by intimidation, takes, or attempts to take, from the person or presence of another any property or money or any other thing of value belonging to, or in the care, custody, control, management, or possession of, any bank, or any savings and loan association;
* * * * *
Shall be fined not more than $5,000 or imprisoned not more than twenty years, or both.
(b) Whoever takes and carries away, with intent to steal or purloin, any property or money or any other thing of value exceeding $100 belonging to, or in the care, custody, control, management, or possession of any bank, or any savings, and loan association, shall be fined not more than $5,000 or imprisoned not more than ten years, or both.”