United States v. Banda

25 F. App'x 437
CourtCourt of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit
DecidedDecember 10, 2001
DocketNo. 00-3559
StatusPublished

This text of 25 F. App'x 437 (United States v. Banda) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
United States v. Banda, 25 F. App'x 437 (7th Cir. 2001).

Opinion

ORDER

Braulio Banda pleaded guilty to distributing cocaine, 21 U.S.C. § 841(a)(1), and carrying a firearm during a drug trafficking crime, 18 U.S.C. § 924(c)(1). Banda was sentenced to 87 months’ imprisonment for distributing cocaine and 60 months’ imprisonment for carrying a firearm, the terms to run consecutively, followed by 5 years’ supervised release. Banda seeks to appeal, but his appointed counsel has moved to withdraw under Anders v. California, 386 U.S. 738, 87 S.Ct. 1396, 18 L.Ed.2d 493 (1967), claiming that any issue which could be raised on appeal would be frivolous. Banda submitted a response to counsel’s motion under Circuit Rule 51(b), arguing that there was insufficient evidence to support his plea of guilty to carrying a firearm, and that he received ineffective assistance of counsel in connection with his guilty plea. Counsel’s brief is facially adequate, and thus we limit our review of the record to those potential issues counsel and Banda discuss. See United States v. Tabb, 125 F.3d 583, 584 (7th Cir.1997) (per curiam). Because we agree that there are no nonfrivolous issues for appeal, we grant counsel’s request to withdraw and dismiss the appeal.

Counsel first considers whether Banda could argue that his plea colloquy did not satisfy Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 11. Banda did not move to withdraw his plea, so we would review the plea colloquy only for plain error, see United States v. Driver, 242 F.3d 767, 769 (7th Cir.), petition for cert. filed, (May 16, 2001) (No. 00-10033), employing a “totality of the circumstances” analysis to determine whether any Rule 11 violations would have been likely to affect Banda’s willingness to plead guilty, see United States v. Fernandez, 205 F.3d 1020, 1024 (7th Cir.2000). Counsel highlights three possible violations: (1) that the court advised Banda only of his right to “assist [his attorney] in [his] defense at trial” and not of his right to appointed counsel at every stage of the proceeding, see Fed.R.Crim.P. 11(c)(2); (2) that the court failed to advise Banda of his right to persist in a plea of not guilty, see Fed.R.Crim.P. 11(c)(3); and (3) that the court failed to ask Banda whether his willingness to plead guilty resulted from prior discussions between the government and defense counsel, see Fed.R.Crim.P. 11(d).

Arguments based upon any of the proposed Rule 11 violations would be frivolous. The court was not required to advise Banda of his right to counsel because he was represented by counsel. See Fed.R.Crim.P. 11(c)(2); see also United States v. Lovett, 844 F.2d 487, 491 (7th Cir.1988); United States v. Frazier, 705 F.2d 903, 908 n. 6 (7th Cir.1983). As for the court’s violations of Rule 11(c)(3) and (d), the plea agreement provides that Banda understands his waiver of the right to persist in a not guilty plea, and that nothing other than the plea agreement affected his decision to plead guilty. Further, the district court ensured that Banda had discussed the indictment and the plea agreement with counsel, he understood the charges, his plea was voluntary, and the government’s summary of the evidence was correct. See United States v. Akinsola, 105 F.3d 331, 333-34 (7th Cir.1997) (where plea colloquy substantially covered all aspects of rule governing pleas, and [439]*439written plea agreement touched every base of plea, district court’s Rule 11(c)(3) and (d) violations did not affect defendant’s willingness to plead guilty).

Counsel next considers whether Banda could challenge his conviction based on the ground that the indictment is insufficient because it did not include a citation to the applicable provision of § 841(b)(1). Although Banda could raise the issue for the first time on appeal, United States v. Smith, 223 F.3d 554, 571 (7th Cir.2000), petitions for cert. filed, (Nov. 14, Nov. 15, Jan. 16, 2001) (Nos.00-7070, 00-7021, 00-7085, 00-8082), such a challenge would be frivolous. An error in citing the statute charged in an indictment is not a ground for reversal unless the error misled the defendant to the defendant’s prejudice. United States v. Brumley, 217 F.3d 905, 913 (7th Cir.2000). Banda’s statements at the plea colloquy that he understood the charges against him and the consequences of pleading guilty demonstrate that he was not misled. See United States v. Standiford, 148 F.3d 864, 868 (7th Cir.1998) (“The record that is created at the Rule 11 hearing is accorded a presumption of verity.”) (internal quotation and citation omitted). Counsel also correctly observes that when Banda entered his guilty plea he waived all non-jurisdietional defects occurring before the plea. See United States v. Cain, 155 F.3d 840, 842 (7th Cir.1998).

Counsel next assesses whether Banda might raise a claim of ineffective assistance of counsel. Indeed, Banda contends in his Rule 51(b) response that he received ineffective assistance because his counsel failed to advise him whether his conduct satisfied the elements of a § 924(c)(1) offense. We agree with counsel that an ineffective assistance claim would be frivolous. Again, Banda’s underlying premise that he did not understand the charge against him, rendering his plea involuntary, is belied by his acknowledgment during the plea colloquy that he understood the charges against him and was pleading guilty voluntarily. In addition, ineffective assistance claims typically are inappropriate on direct appeal because determination of the matter requires evidence that is outside of the trial record. United States v. Brooks, 125 F.3d 484, 495 (7th Cir.1997); United States v. Woolley, 123 F.3d 627, 634 (7th Cir.1997). Banda concedes in his Rule 51(b) response that the record does not contain all of the evidence that supports his claim, namely, his discussions with his counsel. He thus would be better served by bringing this claim under 28 U.S.C.

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Related

Anders v. California
386 U.S. 738 (Supreme Court, 1967)
Apprendi v. New Jersey
530 U.S. 466 (Supreme Court, 2000)
United States v. Ralph E. Lovett, Jr.
844 F.2d 487 (Seventh Circuit, 1988)
United States v. Nikolaos B. Baker
78 F.3d 1241 (Seventh Circuit, 1996)
United States v. Isa Akinsola
105 F.3d 331 (Seventh Circuit, 1997)
United States v. Marcia G. Woolley
123 F.3d 627 (Seventh Circuit, 1997)
United States v. Brian A. Standiford
148 F.3d 864 (Seventh Circuit, 1998)
United States v. Larry Cain
155 F.3d 840 (Seventh Circuit, 1998)
United States v. Guillermo Fernandez
205 F.3d 1020 (Seventh Circuit, 2000)
United States v. Marcus C. Durham
211 F.3d 437 (Seventh Circuit, 2000)
United States v. Bob Brumley
217 F.3d 905 (Seventh Circuit, 2000)
United States v. Jerry Crickon
240 F.3d 652 (Seventh Circuit, 2001)
United States v. Richard E. Driver
242 F.3d 767 (Seventh Circuit, 2001)
United States v. Leander Rodgers
245 F.3d 961 (Seventh Circuit, 2001)

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Bluebook (online)
25 F. App'x 437, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-banda-ca7-2001.