United States v. Mainer

• Decision Date: 07 September 1967
• Docket Number: No. 15971.,15971.
• Citation: 383 F.2d 444
• Parties: UNITED STATES of America v. Philip J. MAINER, Appellant.
• Court: U.S. Court of Appeals — Third Circuit

383 F.2d 444 (1967)

UNITED STATES of America v. Philip J. MAINER, Appellant.

No. 15971.

United States Court of Appeals Third Circuit.

Submitted November 29, 1966.

Decided September 7, 1967.

Philip J. Mainer, pro se.

David M. Satz, Jr., U. S. Atty., Newark, N. J. (Jonathan Kohn, Asst. U. S. Atty., on the brief), for appellee.

Before SMITH, FREEDMAN and SEITZ, Circuit Judges.

OPINION OF THE COURT

FREEDMAN, Circuit Judge.

Appellant attacks the denial by the district court of his motion for leave to withdraw his plea of guilty. His claim is that he should be permitted to withdraw his plea of guilty because he was induced to enter it by his court-appointed counsel, who failed to prepare his defense and assured him of the promise of the Assistant United States Attorney that if he entered the plea he would receive a two year sentence to run concurrently with a longer sentence imposed in New York, which he was serving at the time.

Appellant carries a heavy burden, for after sentence has been pronounced a plea of guilty may be withdrawn only "to correct manifest injustice."¹ Appellant has the burden of proving that he would suffer manifest injustice if his plea of guilty is not withdrawn and the determination of this question by the district court lies within its sound discretion, which will not be interfered with on appeal unless it appears that there was an abuse of discretion.²

Appellant was brought to trial on February 21, 1966, on a two count indictment for unlawful possession and sale of counterfeit currency, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 472. That afternoon a jury was impaneled and the case was recessed to February 23, 1966, the intervening day being a legal holiday. Shortly after the court reconvened on February 23, appellant was given permission to retract his plea of not guilty and to enter a plea of guilty to the first count, charging unlawful possession. On March 11, 1966, the court sentenced him to imprisonment for a term of five years to run concurrently with the New York sentence. Action on count 2, charging unlawful sale, was postponed at the time; the count was later dismissed by the court on motion by the government. When sentence was passed a contention immediately arose whether appellant would be required to serve any imprisonment under it if the New York sentence should expire earlier. This involved consideration of the period of time appellant had already served under the New York sentence and what credit he would be given for the period of imprisonment prior to sentence. The district judge refused to express his view on any of these considerations but, apparently having in mind Rule 35, assured appellant's counsel that he would have sixty day³ in which to study the effect of the sentence and if he had misunderstood its effect, to seek to obtain its reduction, or to seek the withdrawal of the plea of guilty. Appellant himself interjected that he wished to withdraw his plea of guilty, but the court denied his request "at this time."

On March 14, 1966, by letter application and shortly afterward by a formal motion, appellant applied to the district court for leave to withdraw his plea of guilty to count 1. He alleged his innocence of the charges against him, the inadequacy of his court-appointed counsel, and the inducement to change his plea to guilty by the misrepresentations of his counsel and the Assistant United States Attorney, who had promised him that if he pleaded guilty he would receive a two year sentence which would run concurrently with the sentence imposed in New York.

On April 22, 1966 a proceeding was held in the district court which the district court referred to as an "argument". Appellant was present and waived counsel after the court's assurance that it would appoint counsel for him if he desired. The court after summarizing the background of the proceedings said that it would "now hear what proofs Mr. Mainer has to offer in support of his application to withdraw his guilty plea."⁴ When appellant began to narrate his version of what occurred, the court interrupted him and said that it would permit him to "argue this way" and would also give him "the privilege of taking the witness stand" if he wished. Appellant proceeded with his narration, in which he set out at length his claim of an inducing promise made to him by the Assistant United States Attorney and his counsel. At the conclusion of appellant's narrative the court asked if he had anything further to add, or if he wished "to tell his * * * story from the witness stand" and indicated that the court would accept his narrative as already made. Appellant had nothing further to add and the court then heard informally from the Assistant United States Attorney and appellant's counsel, who before giving his version was relieved from the attorney-client relationship. Both lawyers denied appellant's claim.

The district judge recalled to appellant the detailed inquiry which he had made before permitting him to withdraw his plea of not guilty and enter the plea of guilty to count 1. The court had...