United States v. Timothy Keyes ( 2023 )

NOT PRECEDENTIAL
UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS
FOR THE THIRD CIRCUIT
_____________
No. 21-2816
______________
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
v.
TIMOTHY KEYES,
Appellant
Appeal from the United States District Court
for the District of Delaware
(District Court No. 1-18-cr-00017-001)
District Judge: Honorable Leonard P. Stark
Submitted Under Third Circuit LAR 34.1(a)
on January 20, 2023
Before: AMBRO, PORTER, and FREEMAN, Circuit Judges
(Opinion Filed: February 7, 2023)
OPINION*
*
This disposition is not an opinion of the full Court and under I.O.P. 5.7 does not constitute
binding precedent.
AMBRO, Circuit Judge.
On March 5, 2018, Timothy Keyes was charged in a two-count information
alleging possession of firearm by a prohibited person in violation of 18 U.S.C.
§§ 922(g)(1) and 924(a)(2) and possession of heroin with intent to distribute in violation
of 21 U.S.C. §§ 841(a)(1) and (b)(1)(c).
In April 2018, the District Court held a plea hearing that did not go smoothly.
After Keyes admitted he was receiving treatment for oxycodone and heroin abuse, he
testified that he had taken neither substance in the past 48 hours. When the Court asked
him whether he understood what was happening at the hearing, Keyes replied in the
affirmative but the Court noted he “look[s] a little unsure.” The hearing continued after
Keyes’s assurances.
But when the Court asked whether Keyes was familiar with the information to
which he was pleading guilty, he admitted he was not and asked for time to review it with
his lawyer. The hearing recessed for 30 minutes. After the hearing resumed, Keyes
affirmed his intention to enter a guilty plea. The Government’s counsel then summarized
the plea agreement. But when Keyes had an opportunity to respond, he stated:
It’s just a lot of stuff there that was read that I didn’t, didn’t read. So I mean
even with the recess that we just had, it’s just a lot of the forfeitures, and I
expect this and I expect that. I don’t, I really don’t understand it. I’ll be
honest with you. I mean we meet in the hallway and we talked and he went
over a few things with me, but there is just a lot of things in here that I just
don’t understand, your Honor. A130–31.
2
The Court then explained the plea agreement to Keyes, who objected to admitting
the elements of the offense. After a 20-minute recess, during which Keyes conferred
with his counsel, he withdrew his objection and entered a guilty plea.
Keyes’s plea agreement contained the following provision:
The defendant knows that he has, and voluntarily and expressly waives, the
right to file any appeal, any collateral attack, or any other writ or motion after
sentencing – including, but not limited to, an appeal under 18 U.S.C. § 3742or 28 U.S.C. § 1291, or a motion under 28 U.S.C. § 2255. Notwithstanding
the foregoing, the defendant reserves his right (1) to file an appeal or other
collateral motion on the grounds that he received ineffective assistance of
counsel; and (2) to appeal his sentence if: (a) the government appeals from
the sentence, (b) the defendant’s sentence exceeds the statutory maximum
for the offense set forth in the United States Code, or (c) the sentence
unreasonably exceeds the Sentencing Guidelines range determined by the
District Court in applying the United States Sentencing Guidelines. A26.
Keyes sought to withdraw his guilty plea one month later. The Court denied that
motion after finding Keyes failed to make a credible showing that he is innocent of either
count, did not present strong reasons for withdrawing his plea, and that his plea was made
knowingly, intelligently, and voluntarily. Keyes appealed to us.1
II
We will affirm because it is not a miscarriage of justice to hold Keyes to an
appellate provision waiver he knowingly and voluntarily accepted. See United States v.
Wilson, 429 F.3d 455, 460 (3d Cir. 2005) (declining to review merits of appeal barred by
plea-waiver provision because enforcing the waiver will not result in a miscarriage of
1
The District Court had jurisdiction under 18 U.S.C. § 3231 and we have
jurisdiction under § 1291.
3
justice). Even if we were to overlook this waiver, we would hold that the District Court
did not abuse its discretion in denying Keyes’s motion to withdraw his guilty plea.
We are satisfied that Keyes knowingly and voluntarily entered his guilty plea
because his decision was made deliberately.2 Every time Keyes had an issue at the plea
hearing, he conferred with counsel. And after doing so, he represented that he was
satisfied and ultimately decided to enter a guilty plea. “Solemn declarations in open
court carry a strong presumption of verity,” and Keyes has not overcome that
presumption. Blackledge v. Allison, 431 U.S. 63, 74 (1977). We are also unpersuaded
that he was under the influence of narcotics at the hearing. He therefore must be held to
the terms of his plea agreement.
The plain text of Keyes’s plea agreement provides that he waived the right to file
this appeal, and we reject his contention that his appeal falls outside the appellate waiver
provision because the District Court’s colloquy altered its terms.3 We recognize that “a
statement made by the [] court during the colloquy can create ambiguity where none
exists in the plain text of the plea agreement.” See United States v. Saferstein, 673 F.3d
237, 243 (3d Cir. 2012). But we find no such ambiguity here. The Court read the
appellate waiver provision to Keyes and then emphasized that it limited his ability to
appeal his sentence. The Court’s emphasis on one aspect of the appellate waiver did not
2
We review the validity of a waiver of appellate rights de novo. See United States
v. Khattak, 273 F.3d 557, 560 (3d Cir. 2001).
3
“We exercise plenary review in deciding whether an issue raised by a defendant
falls within the scope of an appellate waiver in his plea agreement.” United States v.
Goodson, 544 F.3d 529, 537 n.6 (3d Cir. 2008).
4
render the provision ambiguous or limit its scope. See United States v. Castro, 704 F.3d
125, 137 (3d Cir. 2013) (rejecting appellant’s argument that “a district court’s emphases
and omissions during a plea colloquy may [] alter the defendant’s understanding of the
plain terms of the plea agreement.”).
We will therefore enforce the agreement unless doing so would result in a
miscarriage of justice. See United States v. Price, 558 F.3d 270, 283 (3d Cir. 2009). We
know of no compelling circumstances that suggest it would be a miscarriage of justice to
enforce an agreement Keyes knowingly and voluntarily entered. We therefore will affirm
because the plea agreement bars this appeal.
Our disposition would remain the same even if we were to consider the merits of
Keyes’s appeal. To withdraw his guilty plea, he was required to show “a fair and just
reason for requesting the withdrawal.” Fed. R. Crim. P. 11(d)(2)(B). The District Court
denied his motion after considering three factors: “(1) whether the defendant asserts his
innocence; (2) the strength of the defendant’s reasons for withdrawing the plea; and (3)
whether the government would be prejudiced by the withdrawal.” United States. v.
Jones, 336 F.3d 245, 252 (3d Cir. 2003).4 We agree with the District Court that Keyes
did not provide a sufficient reason for the withdrawal because his assertion of innocence
is not credible, see id. at 252 (requiring that assertions of innocence be “buttressed by
facts in the record that support a claimed defense”), and we have already rejected his
proffered reason for withdrawing the guilty plea (that it was not entered knowingly or
4
We review the decision to deny Keyes’s motion for withdrawal of a guilty plea for
abuse of discretion. See United States v. Wilson, 429 F.3d 455, 458 (3d Cir. 2005).
5
voluntarily). We therefore hold the District Court did not abuse its discretion in denying
Keyes’s motion.
6