US v. Christopher Johnson
Filing
920081021
Opinion
UNPUBLISHED UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE FOURTH CIRCUIT
No. 07-4454
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, Plaintiff - Appellee, v. CHRISTOPHER RAESEAN JOHNSON, a/k/a C-Murder, Defendant Appellant.
Appeal from the United States District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina, at New Bern. Louise W. Flanagan, Chief District Judge. (5:05-cr-00209-FL)
Submitted:
September 30, 2008
Decided:
October 21, 2008
Before MOTZ, GREGORY, and SHEDD, Circuit Judges.
Affirmed by unpublished per curiam opinion.
Robert J. McAfee, MCAFEE LAW, P.A., New Bern, North Carolina, for Appellant. Anne Margaret Hayes, Assistant United States Attorney, Raleigh, North Carolina, for Appellee.
Unpublished opinions are not binding precedent in this circuit.
PER CURIAM: Christopher Raesean Johnson appeals his convictions
and 292-month sentence after he pled guilty to possession with intent to distribute more than five grams of crack cocaine
(Count 1), in violation of 21 U.S.C. § 841(a)(1) (2000), and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime (Count 2), in violation of 18 U.S.C.A. § 924(c)(1) (West 2000 & Supp. 2008). Johnson's counsel has filed a brief
pursuant to Anders v. California, 386 U.S. 738 (1967), stating that there are no meritorious issues for appeal but questioning whether the district court erred by denying Johnson's motion to withdraw his guilty plea and whether the sentence is reasonable. Johnson has filed a pro se supplemental brief. reversible error, we affirm. Counsel first challenges the district court's denial of Johnson's motion to withdraw his guilty plea. a guilty plea is not a matter of right. Withdrawal of States v. Finding no
United
Ubakanma, 215 F.3d 421, 424 (4th Cir. 2000).
The defendant
bears the burden of showing a "fair and just reason" for the withdrawal of his guilty plea. "[A] `fair and just' reason Fed. R. Crim. P. 11(d)(2)(B). . . . is one that essentially
We have reviewed the claims raised in Johnson's supplemental informal brief and find them to be without merit.
2
challenges . . . the fairness of the Rule 11 proceeding . . . ." United States v. Lambey, 974 F.2d 1389, 1394 (4th Cir. 1992) (en banc). An appropriately conducted Rule 11 proceeding, however, a strong presumption that the plea is final and
"raise[s] binding."
Id. at 1394. Here, the district court applied the factors courts
must consider in determining whether to permit withdrawal of a guilty plea. See Ubakanma, 215 F.3d at 424. Our review of the
record convinces us that the district court did not abuse its discretion in denying Johnson's motion to withdraw. States v. Dyess, 478 F.3d 224, 237 (4th Cir. See United (stating
2007)
standard of review). Counsel
We therefore affirm Johnson's convictions. questions whether Johnson's 292-month
also
career offender sentence is reasonable.
This court reviews the
sentence imposed by the district court for abuse of discretion. Gall v. United States, 128 S. Ct. 586, 597 (2007). appellate court concludes that the sentence is If the
"procedurally
sound," the court then considers the substantive reasonableness of the sentence. imposed within the Id. This court presumes that a sentence calculated Guidelines range is
properly
reasonable. 2008); (2007) see
United States v. Go, 517 F.3d 216, 218 (4th Cir. Rita v. United States, of 127 S. Ct. 2456, for 2462-69 within--
(upholding
presumption
reasonableness
Guidelines sentence). 3
In light of Gall, we find that Johnson's sentence is reasonable. error, First, the district court committed no procedural treating the Guidelines as advisory and
appropriately
considering the Guidelines range and the factors in 18 U.S.C.A. § 3553(a) (West 2000 & Supp. 2008) before imposing a 292-month prison term, a sentence at the bottom of the guidelines range. Applying Johnson the has presumption failed to of reasonableness the and finding that we
rebut
presumption
on
appeal,
conclude that his 292-month sentence is reasonable. F.3d at 218; see also Rita, 127 S. Ct. at 2462-69.
See Go, 517
In accordance with Anders, we have reviewed the record for any meritorious issues for appeal and have found none.
Thus, we affirm the district court's judgment and deny counsel's motion to withdraw. This court requires that counsel inform his
client, in writing, of his right to petition the Supreme Court of the United States for further review. that a petition be filed, but counsel If the client requests believes that such a
petition would be frivolous, then counsel may move in this court for leave to withdraw from representation. Counsel's motion We
must state that a copy thereof was served on the client. dispense with oral argument because the facts and
legal
contentions are adequately presented in the materials before the court and argument would not aid the decisional process. AFFIRMED 4
Disclaimer: Justia Dockets & Filings provides public litigation records from the federal appellate and district courts. These filings and docket sheets should not be considered findings of fact or liability, nor do they necessarily reflect the view of Justia.
Why Is My Information Online?