Smith v. United States

319 F. Supp. 1359, 1970 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 9318
CourtDistrict Court, D. Vermont
DecidedDecember 3, 1970
DocketCiv. A. No. 5994
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 319 F. Supp. 1359 (Smith v. United States) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. Vermont primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Smith v. United States, 319 F. Supp. 1359, 1970 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 9318 (D. Vt. 1970).

Opinion

OPINION AND ORDER

LEDDY, Chief Judge.

I. FACTS.

Petitioner William J. Smith, Jr. moves this Court pursuant to 28 U.S.C.A. § 2255 to vacate his sentence and conviction. Petitioner alleges that a plea of guilty was accepted by the late Honorable Ernest W. Gibson in violation of revised Rule 11 of the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure and that his plea of guilty was not voluntary nor made with understanding of the nature of the charge and that there was no finding by this Court that a factual basis existed for acceptance of the plea.

II. THE APPLICATION OF RULE 11

Rule 11 of the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure as amended effective July 1, 1966, provides that the Court shall not accept a guilty plea “ * * * without first addressing the defendant personally and determining that the plea is made voluntarily with understanding of the nature of the charge and the consequences of the plea.” In addition the Court cannot enter judgment upon the plea of guilty “* * * unless it is satisfied that there is a factual basis for the plea.” The record shows that there was no finding of a factual basis for acceptance of petitioner Smith’s plea. Rule 11 requires strict compliance with its mandates. If a guilty plea is accepted without compliance to Rule 11, the conviction will be vacated and such defendant will be allowed to plead anew. See McCarthy v. United States, 394 U.S. 459, 89 S.Ct. 1166, 22 L.Ed.2d 418 (1969).

Petitioner Smith was brought before the late Chief Judge Gibson on July 20, 1966, and at that time entered his plea of guilty. The rule set down by the Supreme Court in McCarthy, supra, applies prospectively, that is only to pleas accepted after April 2, 1969. See Halliday v. United States, 394 U.S. 831, 89 S.Ct. 1498, 23 L.Ed.2d 16; George v. United States, 421 F.2d 128 (2d Cir. [1361]*13611970). Thus, petitioner is foreclosed from the relief provided for by McCarthy, supra. We cannot automatically vacate his plea and allow him to plead anew.

III. ISSUES PRESENTED.

Petitioner claims first that his plea was not made voluntarily. Secondly, he alleges that the plea was not made with understanding of the charges and its consequences. Thirdly, petitioner asserts that there was no finding by the Court that a factual basis existed for acceptance of his plea.

We find that only the third claim as to a finding of factual basis for the plea is worthy of consideration. However, an explanation is necessary as to the reason why petitioner’s first and second allegations should not be considered by the Court at this time.

The record reveals that Judge Gibson asked the petitioner personally at least three times whether his plea was voluntary. The late Judge Gibson also inquired whether threats or promises had induced the plea. The consequences or penalties allowed by law were noted in open court and petitioner was asked if he understood. All of this leads inescapably to the fact that petitioner’s plea was voluntary, uncoerced, with understanding of the attendant consequences and of the charge that was read to him in open Court.

However, there is another more compelling reason why this Court is es-topped from reopening the questions of voluntariness and understanding of the charge and its consequences. Petitioner Smith had previously brought before this Court, with the late Judge Gibson presiding, a § 2255 motion to vacate conviction and sentence. His motion was dismissed and petitioner Smith appealed. See United States v. Smith, 407 F.2d 33 (2d Cir. 1969). Although petitioner’s previous motion did not directly confront the issues of voluntariness nor that of understanding of the plea and its consequences, the Court of Appeals held that petitioner Smith

* * * knowingly and voluntarily represented that “with fraudulent or unlawful intent” he caused to be transported in interstate commerce a falsely made and forged security knowing the security to have been falsely made and forged, (citations omitted) [and] appellant has precluded himself from now challenging the truthfulness of those admissions. 407 F.2d at 35 (emphasis added).

This Court is cognizant of the fact that the doctrine of res judicata has no application to habeas corpus and § 2255 petitions. See Sanders v. United States, 373 U.S. 1, 13-14, 83 S.Ct. 1068, 10 L.Ed.2d 148 (1963); Salinger v. Loisel, 265 U.S. 224, 44 S.Ct. 519, 68 L.Ed. 989 (1924). However, the Second Circuit has noted that the doctrine of stare decisis does apply to successive habeas corpus and § 2255 proceedings, and that a district court must be vigilant in this regard lest there should occur the odious result of overturning its Court of Appeals. See United States ex rel. Schnitzler v. Follette, 406 F.2d 319 (2d Cir. 1969).

Since the Court of Appeals had held that petitioner knowingly and voluntarily entered a plea of guilty, Smith, supra, 407 F.2d at 34-35, this Court is foreclosed from reopening these questions. However, we are not estopped from considering petitioner’s contention that there was no finding that a factual basis existed for acceptance of his plea of guilty.

IV. RIGHT TO RELIEF.

In our order dated November 5, 1970, filed on November 6,1970, we determined that petitioner should be accorded a hearing to ascertain whether there existed a factual basis for acceptance of petitioner’s plea of guilty in order to comply with Rule 11 of the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure as amended July 1, 1966. Petitioner entered his plea of guilty before the late Chief Judge Ernest W. Gibson of this Court on July 20, 1966. At that [1362]*1362time Judge Gibson accepted petitioner’s pleas of guilty to three offenses with no specific finding or determination that a factual basis existed for acceptance of petitioner’s pleas of guilty.

Petitioner pleaded to three counts, and all three of his guilty pleas were accepted. The three counts were as follows:

one count of interstate transportation of a falsely made and fraudulent security (18 U.S.C.A. § 2314); and two counts of escape from federal custody (18 U.S. C.A. § 751).

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

State v. Hunt
555 A.2d 369 (Supreme Court of Vermont, 1988)
X v. United States
454 F.2d 255 (Second Circuit, 1971)
Smith v. United States
455 F.2d 1406 (Second Circuit, 1971)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
319 F. Supp. 1359, 1970 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 9318, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/smith-v-united-states-vtd-1970.