Weed v. United States

Decision Date10 May 1966
Docket NumberNo. 22877.,22877.
PartiesJack Aaron WEED, Appellant, v. UNITED STATES of America, Appellee.
CourtU.S. Court of Appeals — Fifth Circuit

Jack Aaron Weed, pro se.

Andrew L. Jefferson, Jr., Asst. U.S. Atty., San Antonio, Texas, for appellee.

Before RIVES and BELL, Circuit Judges, and FULTON, District Judge.

PER CURIAM:

On July 3, 1963, appellant Weed waived venue and pleaded guilty to two counts of an indictment charging mail theft in violation of 18 U.S.C.A. § 1708. On the same day, he waived indictment, waived venue, and pleaded guilty to one count of an information charging forgery of the endorsement of the name of the payee on a check drawn on the Treasurer of the United States in violation of 18 U.S.C.A. § 495. The district court on July 10, 1963 sentenced Weed to concurrent terms of five years on each count of the indictment and to ten years on the information to run concurrently with the other sentences. At the time Weed pleaded guilty, he was represented by court-appointed counsel who then retired from the case.

Subsequently the court appointed new counsel for Weed and a motion for reduction of sentence was filed and denied. Several months after his motion to reduce sentence was denied, Weed, pro se, filed a motion to vacate his sentence under 28 U.S.C.A. § 2255. He alleged that his guilty plea was not voluntary, having been induced by threats from State and Federal authorities. The district court denied Weed's motion without a hearing and this Court reversed. Weed v. United States, 5 Cir. 1965, 342 F.2d 971.

This Court noted that although "the movant is entitled to a hearing * * * the district court in its discretion may find that the motion can be heard and disposed of without requiring the prisoner to be present at the hearing." The district court, however, chose to hold a full hearing with Weed present. After the hearing the court entered its findings of fact and conclusions of law denying Weed's motion to vacate his sentence. Weed now appeals to this Court. The district court's conclusions are clearly supported by the record and we, therefore, affirm.

The record developed in this case during the habeas hearing amply justifies Judge Thornberry's determination that Weed intended to plead guilty because he actually was guilty. There is no showing of coercion. What is shown is that Weed believed that he had received a more severe sentence than did a similarly situated prisoner. If any "deal" as to dropping a State ...

To continue reading

Request your trial
6 cases
  • Simon v. United States
    • United States
    • U.S. District Court — Eastern District of Louisiana
    • May 24, 1967
    ...at the arraignment can be supplied at hearing on motion under Section 2255. Brokaw v. United States, supra; Weed v. United States, 360 F.2d 568 (5th Cir., 1966); Laughner v. United States, 373 F.2d 326 (5th Cir., 1967); Arnold v. United States, 359 F.2d 425 (3rd Cir., 1966); Townes v. Unite......
  • General American Life Insurance Co. v. Yarbrough
    • United States
    • U.S. Court of Appeals — Eighth Circuit
    • May 13, 1966
    ... ... GENERAL AMERICAN LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY, Appellee ... Nos. 18171, 18172 ... United States Court of Appeals Eighth Circuit ... May 13, 1966.360 F.2d 563         James L ... ...
  • United States v. Robison
    • United States
    • U.S. District Court — Northern District of California
    • April 29, 1968
    ...F.2d 425; Brokaw v. United States, 4 Cir., 368 F.2d 508 at 510; United States v. Kincaid, 4 Cir., 362 F. 2d 939 at 941; Weed v. United States, 5 Cir., 360 F.2d 568; Fleming v. United States, 5 Cir., 367 F.2d 555; and Stephens v. United States, 10 Cir., 376 F.2d 23 at Of course I am aware th......
  • Brokaw v. United States, 10643.
    • United States
    • U.S. Court of Appeals — Fourth Circuit
    • October 26, 1966
    ...States, supra; Aiken v. United States, supra. Other circuits follow this rule, notwithstanding announcement of Heiden. Weed v. United States, 360 F.2d 568 (5 Cir. 1966); Arnold v. United States, 359 F.2d 425 (3 Cir. 1966); France v. United States, 358 F.2d 946 (10 Cir. 1966); McDonald v. Un......
  • Request a trial to view additional results

VLEX uses login cookies to provide you with a better browsing experience. If you click on 'Accept' or continue browsing this site we consider that you accept our cookie policy. ACCEPT