United States v. Braxton, No. 13-4491 (4th Cir. 2015)
Annotate this CaseDefendant was charged with possession with intent to distribute one kilogram or more of heroin. If convicted, Defendant faced a mandatory minimum penalty of twenty years’ imprisonment. For several months, Defendant refused to plead guilty. The morning of his scheduled trial, however, Defendant accepted the government’s plea offer. Defendant subsequently filed a pro se motion to withdraw his guilty plea on the basis of ineffective assistance of counsel, arguing that his plea had been involuntary because he had been pressured to plead guilty by the district court. The Fourth Circuit vacated and remanded for further proceedings, holding that the district court committed plain error by impermissibly participating in the plea discussions. Remanded.
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