Filed: Jan. 02, 2013
Latest Update: Mar. 02, 2020
Summary: UNPUBLISHED UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE FOURTH CIRCUIT No. 12-4437 UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, Plaintiff - Appellee, v. BRENDON EVAN HOLE, a/k/a Deago Evan Fox, Defendant - Appellant. Appeal from the United States District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina, at Wilmington. W. Earl Britt, Senior District Judge. (7:11-cr-00117-BR-1) Submitted: December 18, 2012 Decided: January 2, 2013 Before GREGORY, SHEDD, and DAVIS, Circuit Judges. Affirmed in part, dismissed in part by u
Summary: UNPUBLISHED UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE FOURTH CIRCUIT No. 12-4437 UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, Plaintiff - Appellee, v. BRENDON EVAN HOLE, a/k/a Deago Evan Fox, Defendant - Appellant. Appeal from the United States District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina, at Wilmington. W. Earl Britt, Senior District Judge. (7:11-cr-00117-BR-1) Submitted: December 18, 2012 Decided: January 2, 2013 Before GREGORY, SHEDD, and DAVIS, Circuit Judges. Affirmed in part, dismissed in part by un..
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UNPUBLISHED
UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS
FOR THE FOURTH CIRCUIT
No. 12-4437
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,
Plaintiff - Appellee,
v.
BRENDON EVAN HOLE, a/k/a Deago Evan Fox,
Defendant - Appellant.
Appeal from the United States District Court for the Eastern
District of North Carolina, at Wilmington. W. Earl Britt,
Senior District Judge. (7:11-cr-00117-BR-1)
Submitted: December 18, 2012 Decided: January 2, 2013
Before GREGORY, SHEDD, and DAVIS, Circuit Judges.
Affirmed in part, dismissed in part by unpublished per curiam
opinion.
Jenna T. Blue, BLUE, STEPHENS & FELLERS, LLP, Raleigh, North
Carolina, for Appellant. Thomas G. Walker, United States
Attorney, Jennifer P. May-Parker, Joshua L. Rogers, Assistant
United States Attorneys, Raleigh, North Carolina, for Appellee.
Unpublished opinions are not binding precedent in this circuit.
PER CURIAM:
Brendon Evan Hole appeals his conviction and 70-month
sentence following his guilty plea pursuant to a plea agreement
to two counts of possession of a firearm by a person previously
convicted of a felony offense. Hole contends that the district
court erred by denying his motion for a continuance and that his
sentence is unreasonable. The Government asserts that Hole’s
appeal of his sentence is foreclosed by the waiver of appeal
rights in his plea agreement and that the remainder of the
appeal is without merit. We dismiss in part and affirm in part.
A criminal defendant may waive the right to appeal if
that waiver is knowing and intelligent. United States v.
Poindexter,
492 F.3d 263, 270 (4th Cir. 2007). Generally, if
the district court fully questions a defendant regarding the
waiver of his right to appeal during a plea colloquy performed
in accordance with Fed. R. Crim. P. 11, the waiver is both valid
and enforceable. United States v. Johnson,
410 F.3d 137, 151
(4th Cir. 2005). Whether a defendant validly waived his right
to appeal is a question of law this court reviews de novo.
United States v. Blick,
408 F.3d 162, 168 (4th Cir. 2005).
Where the Government seeks to enforce an appeal waiver
and there is no claim that it breached its obligations under the
plea agreement, we will enforce the waiver if the record
establishes that (1) the defendant knowingly and intelligently
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agreed to waive the right to appeal; and (2) the issue being
appealed is within the scope of the waiver.
Id. at 168 & n.5.
Upon review of the record and the parties’ briefs, we
conclude that Hole knowingly and voluntarily waived the right to
appeal his 70-month sentence. Accordingly, we dismiss the
portion of Hole’s appeal challenging the reasonableness of his
sentence.
Hole also contends that the district court erred by
denying his motion for a continuance to allow him an opportunity
to review with counsel the plea agreement, which he received
just before the plea hearing. This court reviews for abuse of
discretion the district court’s denial of a continuance. United
States v. Williams,
445 F.3d 724, 739 (4th Cir. 2006). In
addition to demonstrating an abuse of discretion, the defendant
also must show that the denial of a continuance specifically
prejudiced his case. United States v. Hedgepeth,
418 F.3d 411,
423-24 (4th Cir. 2005).
Hole contends that he was not afforded sufficient time
to consider the plea agreement and was forced to make a hasty
decision as to whether to accept it. At the beginning of Hole’s
arraignment, counsel requested a continuance. The court offered
to allow counsel and Hole to confer after the court advised the
defendants of their rights, but before the court specifically
addressed Hole. Counsel stated that this arrangement “probably”
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would be sufficient. Counsel was then afforded the opportunity
to confer with Hole. When the court called Hole’s case, counsel
did not renew the motion and neither counsel nor Hole expressed
any concern that they had insufficient time to discuss the plea
agreement. Rather, upon the court’s inquiry, Hole stated that
he had “plenty of time” to discuss the case with his attorney,
that he discussed the plea agreement with counsel, and that he
read and understood the terms of the plea agreement before he
signed it. Based on counsel’s agreement with court’s suggested
alternative to a continuance and Hole’s admissions that he had
sufficient time to review his case and the plea agreement, we
conclude that Hole has failed to show that the district court
abused its discretion in denying his request for a continuance.
See
Williams, 445 F.3d at 739.
Moreover, Hole has not asserted any manner in which he
was prejudiced by the denial of a continuance. Although he
asserts that he was forced to “make a hasty decision,” he did
not attempt to retract that decision by seeking to withdraw his
plea. Nor has Hole asserted that, had he been given more time
to review the plea agreement, he would have rejected the
agreement and proceeded to trial. See
Hedgepeth, 418 F.3d at
423-24 (requiring defendant to show prejudice resulted from
denial of motion for continuance).
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We conclude that Hole has failed to show that the
district court abused its discretion in denying his motion for
continuance and therefore affirm the district court’s decision
and affirm Hole’s conviction. We dismiss the appeal in part
based on Hole’s waiver of his right to appeal his sentence. We
dispense with oral argument because the facts and legal
contentions are adequately presented in the materials before
this court and argument would not aid the decisional process.
AFFIRMED IN PART;
DISMISSED IN PART
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