Filed: Jan. 18, 2017
Latest Update: Mar. 03, 2020
Summary: FILED United States Court of Appeals UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS Tenth Circuit FOR THE TENTH CIRCUIT January 18, 2017 Elisabeth A. Shumaker Clerk of Court UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, Plaintiff - Appellee, v. No. 16-3302 (D.C. No. 5:15-CR-40012-CM-1) WILLIAM D. GROSS, (D. Kan.) Defendant - Appellant. ORDER AND JUDGMENT* Before KELLY, O’BRIEN, and McHUGH, Circuit Judges. William D. Gross pleaded guilty to one count of possession with intent to distribute approximately fourteen grams of marijuana.
Summary: FILED United States Court of Appeals UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS Tenth Circuit FOR THE TENTH CIRCUIT January 18, 2017 Elisabeth A. Shumaker Clerk of Court UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, Plaintiff - Appellee, v. No. 16-3302 (D.C. No. 5:15-CR-40012-CM-1) WILLIAM D. GROSS, (D. Kan.) Defendant - Appellant. ORDER AND JUDGMENT* Before KELLY, O’BRIEN, and McHUGH, Circuit Judges. William D. Gross pleaded guilty to one count of possession with intent to distribute approximately fourteen grams of marijuana. ..
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FILED
United States Court of Appeals
UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS Tenth Circuit
FOR THE TENTH CIRCUIT January 18, 2017
Elisabeth A. Shumaker
Clerk of Court
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,
Plaintiff - Appellee,
v. No. 16-3302
(D.C. No. 5:15-CR-40012-CM-1)
WILLIAM D. GROSS, (D. Kan.)
Defendant - Appellant.
ORDER AND JUDGMENT*
Before KELLY, O’BRIEN, and McHUGH, Circuit Judges.
William D. Gross pleaded guilty to one count of possession with intent to
distribute approximately fourteen grams of marijuana. As the parties had agreed in
his Fed. R. Crim. P. 11(c)(1)(C) plea agreement, he was sentenced to time served and
supervised release. Although the plea agreement contained an appeal waiver, he
appealed. The government has moved to enforce the appeal waiver under United
States v. Hahn,
359 F.3d 1315, 1328 (10th Cir. 2004) (en banc) (per curiam).
*
This panel has determined that oral argument would not materially assist the
determination of this appeal. See Fed. R. App. P. 34(a)(2); 10th Cir. R. 34.1(G). The
case is therefore ordered submitted without oral argument. This order and judgment
is not binding precedent, except under the doctrines of law of the case, res judicata,
and collateral estoppel. It may be cited, however, for its persuasive value consistent
with Fed. R. App. P. 32.1 and 10th Cir. R. 32.1.
Mr. Gross’s counsel responded with a motion to withdraw and a brief pursuant
to Anders v. California,
386 U.S. 738, 744 (1967), stating that he could identify no
non-frivolous argument to oppose the government’s motion. We gave Mr. Gross the
opportunity to respond to his counsel’s submission, see
id., but two separate mailings
to him at different addresses were returned to the court.1 His pro se notice of appeal
lists the following complaints: “Ineffective Assistance of Counsel/Duress/Coercion”;
“Failure/Refus[]al to object/correct errors in PSR”; and “Involuntary Servitude on a
TIME SERVED SENTENCE.” R. Vol. 1 at 43.
Under Hahn, we consider “(1) whether the disputed appeal falls within the
scope of the waiver of appellate rights; (2) whether the defendant knowingly and
voluntarily waived his appellate rights; and (3) whether enforcing the waiver would
result in a miscarriage of
justice.” 359 F.3d at 1325. Our independent review of the
record, see
Anders, 386 U.S. at 744, does not reveal any non-frivolous arguments
regarding the waiver that can properly be decided on direct appeal.
First, we consider the scope of the waiver.
Hahn, 359 F.3d at 1325.
Mr. Gross’s waiver is broad, covering “any matter in connection with this
prosecution, his conviction, or the components of the sentence . . . including the
length and conditions of supervised release.” Mot. to Enforce, Attach. C at 5. In
1
By letter from Mr. Gross received and filed by the Clerk of this Court on
November 8, 2016, he supplied his mailing address. Both the Clerk of this Court and
appointed counsel sent notices to that address. They were returned as undeliverable.
Any failure of notice results from Mr. Gross's failure to keep this Court advised of
changes in his address as he is required to do.
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addition, he specifically “waive[d] any right to appeal a sentence imposed in
accordance with the sentence recommended by the parties under Rule 11(c)(1)(C).”
Id. This waiver covers any arguments Mr. Gross might want to make about
objections to the pre-sentence report and the propriety of a time-served sentence.
And although the waiver specifically excludes claims of ineffective assistance of
counsel, see
id., it has long been the rule that ineffective-assistance claims generally
should be raised in collateral proceedings under 28 U.S.C. § 2255, see United States
v. Galloway,
56 F.3d 1239, 1240 (10th Cir. 1995) (en banc). “This rule applies even
where a defendant seeks to invalidate an appellate waiver based on ineffective
assistance of counsel.” United States v. Porter,
405 F.3d 1136, 1144 (10th Cir.
2005); see also
Hahn, 359 F.3d at 1327 n.13.
We next consider whether the waiver was knowing and voluntary.
Hahn,
359 F.3d at 1325. In evaluating this factor, we generally examine the language of the
plea agreement and the adequacy of the Fed. R. Crim. P. 11 plea colloquy.
Id. It is
Mr. Gross’s burden “to provide support for the notion that he did not knowingly and
voluntarily enter into his plea agreement.”
Id. at 1329.
Mr. Gross’s notice of appeal refers to duress and coercion, but the record
belies these assertions. In his plea agreement, he acknowledged that there was no
duress or coercion, and that he was knowingly and voluntarily entering into the plea
agreement generally and the appeal waiver specifically. Similarly, during the plea
colloquy, he repeatedly denied that anyone had made promises or threats to him and
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asserted that he was entering his plea knowingly and voluntarily. He acknowledged
that he was taking certain medications, but he asserted that he understood the
proceedings and was competent to enter his plea. And during the colloquy the court
particularly addressed the appeal waiver, securing Mr. Gross’s assurance that he was
aware of the waiver and had accepted it of his own free will. On this record, there is
no non-frivolous argument that the waiver was not knowing and voluntary.
Finally, we consider whether enforcing the waiver would result in a
miscarriage of justice.
Id. at 1325, 1327. A miscarriage of justice occurs “[1] where
the district court relied on an impermissible factor such as race, [2] where ineffective
assistance of counsel in connection with the negotiation of the waiver renders the
waiver invalid, [3] where the sentence exceeds the statutory maximum, or [4] where
the waiver is otherwise unlawful.”
Id. at 1327 (internal quotation marks omitted).
The only one of these conditions potentially applicable here is ineffective assistance
of counsel. As stated above, however, any such allegations should be raised in a
§ 2255 proceeding. See
Porter, 405 F.3d at 1144;
Hahn, 359 F.3d at 1327 n.13.
For these reasons, we determine that it is “wholly frivolous” for Mr. Gross to
oppose the motion to enforce in this direct appeal.
Anders, 386 U.S. at 744. The
motion to enforce is granted, without prejudice to Mr. Gross raising allegations of
ineffective assistance of counsel in a 28 U.S.C. § 2255 motion. The motion to
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withdraw is granted. This matter is dismissed.
Entered for the Court
Per Curiam
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