United States v. Heid, No. 10-3230 (8th Cir. 2011)
Annotate this CaseDefendant pled guilty to the charge of conspiracy to launder money but later moved to withdraw her plea, arguing that no factual basis supported her guilty plea. The district court denied her motion to withdraw and sentenced her to 18 months imprisonment. The court held that defendant had shown a "fair and just reason" for withdrawing her plea, particularly as the district court deferred a final determination of factual basis until after the conclusion of her co-defendants' trial and essentially invited defendant to challenge the factual basis for her plea in a motion to withdraw. The government did not meaningfully argue that defendant's plea should stand in the absence of a factual basis in the record. Accordingly, the court vacated defendant's guilty plea and remanded for further proceedings.
Court Description: Criminal case - Criminal law. A factual basis did not exist for defendant's plea of guilty to a charge of conspiring to launder money, and the district court erred in denying her motion to withdraw the plea; guilty plea vacated, and the case remanded for further proceedings.
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