U.S. v. Todd

• Decision Date: 04 April 2008
• Docket Number: No. 07-1592.,07-1592.
• Citation: 521 F.3d 891
• Parties: UNITED STATES of America, Appellee, v. Anterryo Jermaine TODD, Appellant.
• Court: U.S. Court of Appeals — Eighth Circuit

521 F.3d 891

UNITED STATES of America, Appellee, v. Anterryo Jermaine TODD, Appellant.

No. 07-1592.

United States Court of Appeals, Eighth Circuit.

Submitted: December 13, 2007.

Filed: April 4, 2008.

Bryon Dale West, argued, Monticello, AR, for appellant.

Edward O. Walker, AUSA, argued, Little Rock, AR, for appellee.

Before RILEY, COLLOTON, and BENTON, Circuit Judges.

COLLOTON, Circuit Judge.

Anterryo Jermaine Todd pled guilty to possessing a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking offense, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 924(c)(1)(A). The district court¹ sentenced Todd to 262 months' imprisonment. Todd now appeals, challenging the sufficiency of the indictment, the district court's compliance with Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 11 during the plea colloquy, and the reasonableness of his sentence. We affirm.

I.

On August 3, 2004, officers arrested Todd after finding a loaded 9 millimeter handgun, a loaded .380 caliber handgun, 160.1 grams of marijuana, and drug paraphernalia in Todd's vehicle. A grand jury charged Todd with possession of 160.1 grams of marijuana with the intent to distribute, in violation of 21 U.S.C. § 841(a)(1), "possession" of firearms "during and in relation to" a drug trafficking crime, in violation of to 18 U.S.C. § 924(c)(1)(A), and unlawful possession of a firearm as a previously convicted felon, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(1). Todd agreed to plead guilty to the second charge, and the government agreed to dismiss the remaining counts. Todd also agreed to cooperate with law enforcement. The government agreed to recommend the statutory minimum term of five years' imprisonment, and to consider the possibility of moving for a reduction in sentence pursuant to USSG § 5K1.1 and 18 U.S.C. § 3553(e).

The plea agreement between the parties stated that the "maximum penalty" for the violation of § 924(c)(1)(A) was "not less than 5 years imprisonment, $250,000 fine or both and not more than three years of supervised release." (Plea Agr. ¶ 3). At the plea hearing, counsel for the parties stated that although the statute provided for punishment of "not less than' 5 years imprisonment," the attorneys believed that the statute limited the punishment to a maximum of five years' imprisonment. (Plea Tr. 6). This was important because counsel knew that Todd was likely to qualify as a career offender under the advisory sentencing guidelines, USSG § 4B1.1, and that the recommended sentence under the guidelines was likely to be much more severe than five years' imprisonment. The statutory maximum punishment for a violation of § 924(c), however, included a possible term of life imprisonment. United States v. Davidson, 437 F.3d 737, 741 (8th Cir.2006).

The district court, recognizing that counsel apparently misunderstood the statutory penalties, advised Todd that if he were categorized as a career offender under the guidelines, then the court might have discretion to sentence him to serve "a harsher term than the five years" discussed by counsel. (Plea Tr. 7). After a recess, the court explained that the attorneys and the probation officer had reviewed the sentencing guidelines. The court advised Todd that he and the government had agreed that the government would recommend a sentence of five years' imprisonment, but that the court was not bound by the agreement. The court also made clear that "under the sentencing guidelines, if you do plead guilty to this offense, you will subject yourself to a possible sentencing range that is far in excess of five years." (Id. at 10). Todd said that he understood. Todd also averred that he understood the court's advice that he could get a sentence "greater than five years." (Id.). The district court did' not specify, however, the maximum term of imprisonment authorized by statute, and Todd never requested any clarification on that point. The court advised Todd that his sentence would include a term of supervised release following imprisonment, but the only maximum term specified during the colloquy was a three-year term listed by the prosecutor. The statutory maximum term of supervised release is actually five years. See 18 U.S.C. S§ 3559(a)(1), 3583(b)(1).

After the court accepted Todd's guilty plea, the presentence report recommended that Todd be adjudged a career offender under USSG § 4B1.1, and suggested an advisory guidelines range of 262 to 327 months' imprisonment. At one point, the presentence report described the maximum statutory penalty as "not less than five years" imprisonment. (PSR ¶ 49). Elsewhere, however, the report included a summary page entitled, "Sentencing Information," which recounted the "statutory provisions" regarding "custody" as "NLT 5 yrs., NMT Life" — that is, not less than five years' imprisonment, not more than life imprisonment. (PSR, p. 12). The PSR accurately reflected that the maximum term of supervised release was five years. (PSR ¶ 51, p. 12).

At sentencing, the government recommended that the court impose the minimum statutory penalty of five years' imprisonment. The district court, however, determined that a longer term was warranted and elected to sentence Todd in accordance with the advisory guidelines. The court ultimately imposed a term of 262 months' imprisonment, which was the low end of the advisory guidelines range, and included a five-year term of supervised release.

II.

Todd's first argument on appeal is that count seven of the indictment (the § 924(c) count to which Todd ultimately pled guilty) failed to state a federal offense, and this defect was not waived by his later guilty plea. The indictment charged that Todd "knowingly possessed firearms . . . during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime." The statute, however, applies to any person who "during and in relation to any . . . drug trafficking crime . . . uses or carries a firearm," or to any person who "in furtherance of any such crime, possesses a firearm." 18 U.S.C. § 924(c)(1)(A). See United States v. Gill, 513 F.3d 836, 850-51 (8th Cir.2008). The indictment thus conflated the two alternative offenses defined in § 924(c).

We conclude nevertheless that Todd waived his challenge to the indictment by pleading guilty. A guilty plea waives all defects except those that are "jurisdictional." Camp v. United States, 587 F.2d 397, 399 (8th Cir.1978). Although we previously characterized an indictment that fails to state an offense as a "jurisdictional defect," United States v. Fitzhugh, 78 F.3d 1326, 1330 (8th Cir. 1996), the Supreme Court clarified more recently that a defective indictment does not deprive a court of jurisdiction. United States v; Cotton, 535 U.S. 625, 632, 122 S.Ct. 1781, 152 L.Ed.2d 860 (2002). Therefore, Todd's challenge to the indictment does not raise a jurisdictional defect, and so long as his guilty plea was valid, his claim is waived.

Todd argues, however, that his guilty plea was not valid, because the district court failed to comply with Federal' Rule of Criminal Procedure 11. He first contends that the district court failed to inform him of "the nature of the charge" to which he was pleading guilty. Fed. R.Crim. Proc. 11(b)(1)(G). Todd asserts that the defective indictment did not set forth the "essential elements" of the offense, and that the court never informed him of the elements of the offense.

At the plea hearing, Todd was not advised of the elements of the offense as stated by the indictment. Rather, the prosecutor recited the elements consistent with language in Todd's plea agreement, which stated: "During and in relation to the commission of [a drug trafficking crime], the defendant knowingly carried and possessed a firearm in furtherance of that crime." This iteration lumped the two offenses of § 924(c)(1)(A) into one sentence. By pleading guilty to the offense described at the plea hearing, Todd admitted both that he carried a firearm during and in relation to the commission of a drug trafficking crime, and that he possessed a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. Accordingly, Todd was properly advised of the nature of the charge to which he pled guilty, and the district court did not fail to comply with Rule 11(b)(1)(G).

Todd argues that the district court committed a second, distinct violation of Rule 11 by failing to inform him of the maximum penalties for a violation of 18 U.S.C. § 924(c)(1)(A). See Fed.R.Crim.P. 11(b)(1)(H). On this point, we conclude that there was error. The statutory maximum sentence under 18 U.S.C. § 924(c) is life imprisonment. Davidson, 437 F.3d at 741. At the plea hearing, the attorneys first described to the maximum statutory penalty as "not less than five years' imprisonment," and suggested that the maximum penalty was five years. The district court recognized that the attorneys were incorrect, and told Todd that his term of imprisonment could be "far in excess of five years," but never advised the defendant that the maximum term of imprisonment was life. The district court also did not inform Todd that the maximum term of supervised release available for a violation of § 924(c) was five years. The prosecutor stated at the hearing that the maximum term was three years.²

Todd failed to object to these Rule 11 errors in the district court, so he must satisfy the plain-error rule to gain relief. United States v. Vonn, 535 U.S. 55, 58-59, 122 S.Ct. 1043, 152 L.Ed.2d 90 (2002). Before we may set aside a conviction based on a violation of Rule 11, the defendant must show not only a plain' error in following the provisions of the rule, but also that the errors affected his substantial rights, and that failure to correct them would seriously affect the fairness, integrity, or public reputation of judicial proceedings. United States v. Olano, 507 U.S. 725, 732, 113 S.Ct. 1770, 123 L.Ed.2d 508 (1993). An error in following the strictures of Rule 11 affects substantial rights only where the defendant shows a reasonable probability that but for the...