Filed: Apr. 01, 2013
Latest Update: Feb. 12, 2020
Summary: UNPUBLISHED UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE FOURTH CIRCUIT No. 12-4723 UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, Plaintiff - Appellee, v. VONZELLE WADE CAREY, Defendant - Appellant. Appeal from the United States District Court for the Northern District of West Virginia, at Martinsburg. Gina M. Groh, District Judge. (3:12-cr-00032-GMG-DJJ-1) Submitted: March 28, 2013 Decided: April 1, 2013 Before NIEMEYER, KING, and KEENAN, Circuit Judges. Dismissed in part, affirmed in part by unpublished per curiam opin
Summary: UNPUBLISHED UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE FOURTH CIRCUIT No. 12-4723 UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, Plaintiff - Appellee, v. VONZELLE WADE CAREY, Defendant - Appellant. Appeal from the United States District Court for the Northern District of West Virginia, at Martinsburg. Gina M. Groh, District Judge. (3:12-cr-00032-GMG-DJJ-1) Submitted: March 28, 2013 Decided: April 1, 2013 Before NIEMEYER, KING, and KEENAN, Circuit Judges. Dismissed in part, affirmed in part by unpublished per curiam opini..
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UNPUBLISHED
UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS
FOR THE FOURTH CIRCUIT
No. 12-4723
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,
Plaintiff - Appellee,
v.
VONZELLE WADE CAREY,
Defendant - Appellant.
Appeal from the United States District Court for the Northern
District of West Virginia, at Martinsburg. Gina M. Groh,
District Judge. (3:12-cr-00032-GMG-DJJ-1)
Submitted: March 28, 2013 Decided: April 1, 2013
Before NIEMEYER, KING, and KEENAN, Circuit Judges.
Dismissed in part, affirmed in part by unpublished per curiam
opinion.
Stephen D. Herndon, Wheeling, West Virginia, for Appellant.
Thomas Oliver Mucklow, Assistant United States Attorney,
Martinsburg, West Virginia; Stephen L. Vogrin, Assistant United
States Attorney, Wheeling, West Virginia, for Appellee.
Unpublished opinions are not binding precedent in this circuit.
PER CURIAM:
Pursuant to a written plea agreement, Vonzelle Wade
Carey pled guilty to distribution of a quantity of cocaine base,
in violation of 21 U.S.C.A. § 841(a)(1), (b)(1)(C) (West 1999 &
Supp. 2012). In the plea agreement, Carey agreed to waive all
rights to appeal any sentence within the maximum possible
penalty provided in the statute of conviction, as well as the
manner in which any such sentence was determined. Carey now
appeals. His counsel filed a brief pursuant to Anders v.
California,
386 U.S. 738 (1967), asserting that there are no
meritorious grounds for appeal and requesting that the court
conduct the review required by Anders. Carey was advised of his
right to file a pro se supplemental brief, but he has not done
so. The Government has filed a motion to dismiss Carey’s appeal
based on the appellate waiver provision in his plea agreement.
We dismiss in part and affirm in part.
In the absence of a motion in the district court to
withdraw a guilty plea, this court’s review of the plea colloquy
is for plain error. United States v. Martinez,
277 F.3d 517,
525 (4th Cir. 2002). After reviewing the plea agreement and the
transcript of the plea hearing, we conclude that the magistrate
judge fully complied with the requirements of Fed. R. Crim. P.
11 when accepting Carey’s guilty plea.
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We review de novo a defendant’s waiver of appellate
rights. United States v. Blick,
408 F.3d 162, 168 (4th Cir.
2005). “A defendant may waive his right to appeal if that
waiver is the result of a knowing and intelligent decision to
forgo the right to appeal.” United States v. Amaya-Portillo,
423 F.3d 427, 430 (4th Cir. 2005) (internal quotation marks
omitted). To determine whether the waiver is knowing and
intelligent, we look “to the totality of the circumstances,
including the experience and conduct of the accused, as well as
the accused’s educational background and familiarity with the
terms of the plea agreement.” United States v. General,
278
F.3d 389, 400 (4th Cir. 2002) (internal quotation marks
omitted).
Our review of the record leads us to conclude that
Carey knowingly and voluntarily waived the right to appeal his
sentence. We therefore grant in part the Government’s motion to
dismiss and dismiss the appeal of Carey’s sentence. The waiver
provision, however, does not preclude our direct review of
Carey’s conviction pursuant to Anders. Accordingly, we have
reviewed the entire record and have found no meritorious issues
that are outside the scope of the waiver. We therefore deny in
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part the Government’s motion to dismiss and affirm Carey’s
conviction.
This court requires that counsel inform Carey, in
writing, of his right to petition the Supreme Court of the
United States for further review. If Carey requests that a
petition be filed, but counsel believes that such a petition
would be frivolous, then counsel may move in this court for
leave to withdraw from representation. Counsel’s motion must
state that a copy thereof was served on Carey. 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.
DISMISSED IN PART;
AFFIRMED IN PART
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