Court Opinion

ID: 9442525
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-03 18:50:49.30509+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T17:29:07.469126
License: Public Domain

McLAUGHLIN, Circuit Judge
(concurring) .
In his motion to the District Court appellant swore that he had purchased the automobile in question; that he had not stolen it. If this be so, there is substantial authority that he did not commit the offense to which he had pleaded guilty. Ex parte Atkinson, D.C.E.D.S.C., 84 F.Supp. 300, 304; United States v. Patton, 3 Cir., 120 F.2d 73; Hite v. United States, 10 Cir., 168 F.2d 973; Loney v. United States, 10 Cir., 151 F.2d 1, 4; United States v. O’Carter, D.C., S.D.Iowa, 91 F.Supp. 544. Contra, Davilman v. United States, 6 Cir., 180 F.2d 284; Taylor v. United States, 4 Cir., 177 F.2d 194.
Appellant asserts that he mistakenly pleaded guilty to a crime which he had not committed. He says that his attorney, perhaps through inadvertence, advised such course. He may be wrong in his contentions but at least he should be allowed to submit those contentions to the scrutiny of the Court.
Since it is correct that the decisions construing Section 2255 hold it to be a substitute for habeas corpus confined to the trial court, I think it important to note that appellant’s claim that he is in prison for an offense of which he is innocent, can and should be heard on an application under Rule 32(d) of the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure. This reads: “Withdrawal of Plea of Guilty. A motion to withdraw a plea of guilty or of nolo contendere may be made only before sentence is imposed or imposition of sentence is suspended; but to correct manifest injustice the court after sentence may set aside the judgment of conviction and per-mit the defendant to withdraw his plea.”
The inquiry would be to fairly ascertain whether the plea of guilty was “given through ignorance, fear or inadvertence, Such an application does not involve any question of guilt or innocence.” Kercheval v. United States, 274 U.S. 220, 224, 47 S.Ct. 582, 583, 71 L.Ed. 1009. See also United States v. Colonna, 3 Cir., 142 F.2d 210, 212.