United States v. Cordero

405 F. Supp. 583, 1975 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 16413
CourtDistrict Court, D. Puerto Rico
DecidedAugust 28, 1975
DocketCrim. No. 75-60
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 405 F. Supp. 583 (United States v. Cordero) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. Puerto Rico primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
United States v. Cordero, 405 F. Supp. 583, 1975 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 16413 (prd 1975).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM OPINION AND ORDER

PESQUERA, District Judge.

Defendant, Héctor Bienvenido Núñez Cordero, was initially charged with a violation of 21 U.S.C. § 841(a)(1) and 846 for alleged possession with intent to distribute cocaine, a Schedule II Controlled Substance. As a result of the preliminary hearing held before the U. S. Magistrate on March 11, 1975, said charges were dismissed. Defendant was then indicted by the Grand Jury with conspiring to import cocaine into the United States from the Dominican Republic in violation of 21 U.S.C. §§ 952(a) and 963. On May 9, 1975 he entered a plea of guilty to this charge.

Before sentencing, the preparation of a presentence report was ordered and the Court met with his attorney in chambers to review said presentence report and the various sentencing alternatives. On appearing in Court, defendant moved to withdraw his guilty plea. When asked to give his reasons, he advanced that “I pleaded guilty that day, [585]*585counting on a probation because I am a working man. I have three children . ” He added that his attorney had read to him the transcript of the preliminary hearing held when he stood charged with a violation of 21 U.S.C. §§ 841(a)(1) and 846 (possession with intent to distribute) and that his attorney was of the opinion, after having read said transcript, that he was not guilty, that they should go to trial and that he should withdraw his guilty plea. His attorney interjected that the sentencing day had been advanced, that it was not until the day before that he had received the transcript of the preliminary hearing and that he was convinced he had made a mistake when advising defendant to plead guilty (see Transcript of Proceedings May 23, 1975).

In his motion to withdraw defendant’s guilty plea, filed at the moment the case was called for sentencing, defendant’s attorney added that “ . . the defendant was advised that if he was sentence (sic) to jail for more than one year he would be deported to Santo Domingo. This he did not know at the time be (sic) pleaded guilty”. In an affidavit filed in support of his motion, defendant states that “I did not know at the time I pleaded guilty that I could be deported if the sentence is for more than one year. I was not aware of the consequences of pleading guilty”.

The Court granted defendant’s counsel the opportunity to file a brief in support of his motion. In said brief, defendant puts forth the theory that he cannot be found guilty of the offense charged since he was not a part to the alleged transaction carried out in the Dominican Republic, that he only acted as an agent for the purported buyer and not for the seller, as shown by the fact that he would not benefit from said transaction. Counsel further charged, only to withdraw later by motion filed on July 18, 1975, that there had been a plea bargain to which the government had defaulted.

On July 21, 1975, another attorney substituted defendant’s counsel and he promptly filed an additional memorandum in support of defendant’s motion. The main thrust of this additional memorandum is that since defendant’s motion was made before sentencing, “it should be allowed liberally and almost as a matter of course” since the test is not whether such motion should be granted to correct a manifest injustice, but rather whether there exists any fair or just reason to permit the withdrawal of the guilty plea.

In support of the fair and just reason test which is advanced, counsel charges that defendant was not fully aware of the charges against him and of the consequences of his plea. Defendant further alleges he had been advised by his previous attorney that he had been promised that he would be left on probation. Finally, the additional memorandum dwells on the alleged improbability of defendant being found guilty by a juiy-

ll] Withdrawal of a plea of guilty is permitted under Rule 32(d) of the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure but it is not an absolute right. U. S. v. McCoy, 5 Cir., 477 F.2d 550. Such a motion is addressed to the sound discretion of the Court. The transcript of the proceedings held on May 9, 1975, when defendant entered his plea of guilty, reveals that defendant’s plea was intelligently and voluntarily made with assistance of counsel and the admission in open court of all the essential elements of the imputed offense.

The requirements of Rule 11 of the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure that a plea must be voluntary with understanding of the nature of the charge and the consequences of the plea, are met when as in this case, the Court is satisfied that the defendant understands the direct consequences of his plea. As stated in U. S. v. Sambro, 147 U.S.App.D.C. 75, 454 F.2d 918 at 920, “The trial court is not required later on motion to withdraw the plea to consider possible ancillary or consequential results which are peculiar to the individual and which may flow from a conviction on a plea of guilty, although of course such [586]*586consequences, if known, might be evaluated by the trial judge in assessing punishment”.

Defendant’s claim that he was not fully aware of the charges against him is belied by the history of the case, the transcript of the proceedings held on May 9, 1975 and by manifestations of his own counsel. Defendant certainly must have become aware of the charges made against him when after hearing the testimony of the government’s witness during the preliminary hearing with reference to the initial charges brought against him, the same were dismissed and he was then indicted for the offense to which he pleaded guilty. Furthermore, prior to permitting him to change his plea and enter one of guilty, the Court thoroughly examined him as to whether his new plea was a free and voluntary act, whether he understood the nature of the crime with which he was charged, and whether he was guilty of such charge. His own counsel admits that in this specific case, the judge “fully and extensively” advised defendant.

We are well aware that Rule 32(d) imposes no limitations upon the withdrawal of a guilty plea before sentence is imposed and that such leave is to be allowed if any reason for the granting of such privilege is fair and just (Kadwell v. U. S., 9 Cir., 315 F.2d 667); and further that when a defendant seeks to withdraw his plea of guilty on the ground that he has a defense to the charge, the trial judge should not consider the merits of the alleged defense (Gearhart v. U. S., 106 U.S.App.D.C. 270, 272 F.2d 499).

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Related

Hector Bienvenido Nunez Cordero v. United States
533 F.2d 723 (First Circuit, 1976)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
405 F. Supp. 583, 1975 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 16413, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-cordero-prd-1975.