On the second day of his jury trial, without a written plea agreement, Justin Joseph Halter pleaded guilty to distributing cocaine, in violation of 21 U.S.C. § 841(a)(1), possessing a firearm during and in relation to drug trafficking, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 924(c), and being a felon in possession of a firearm, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(1). During the ehange-of-plea colloquy, the district court 1 asked Halter whether, in reaching his decision to plead guilty, he was satisfied with his lawyer’s assistance. Halter responded, “Yes, I am.” (Trial Tr. at 215.)
Halter later sent a letter to the district court complaining about his lawyer. The district court held a hearing and inquired whether Halter wished to withdraw his guilty plea. Halter expressly declined to withdraw his plea, but he complained that his lawyer had failed to respond to phone calls and letters, had prepared inadequately for trial, had failed to file pretrial motions, and had failed to negotiate a plea agreement. The district court then appointed new counsel for Halter, primarily because Halter had filed an ethics complaint against his original lawyer. (Hr’g Tr. at 4-14.)
At sentencing, the district court adopted the presentence report (PSR) and calculated a Guidelines imprisonment range of 84-105 months for the cocaine and felon-in-possession convictions. The conviction for possessing a firearm during and in relation to drug trafficking carried a mandatory consecutive sentence of 60 months in prison. The district court sentenced Halter to a total of 144 months in prison, structured as two concurrent 84-month prison terms for the cocaine and felon-inpossession convictions, and a consecutive 60-month prison term for the conviction for possessing a firearm during and in relation to drug trafficking. Halter appeals.
First, citing
Blakely v. Washington,
Regarding drug quantity, Halter admitted that he was responsible for 102 grams of marijuana and 14.08 grams of cocaine. (PSR Attach.) This admitted drug quantity is sufficient to support the base offense level of 12 he received. Regarding the firearm, Halter did not dispute that it was stolen, but only claimed that he had been unaware that it was stolen. (PSR Attach.) The relevant enhancement “applies whether or not the defendant knew or had reason to believe that the firearm was stolen.” U.S. Sentencing Guidelines Manual § 2K2.1, comment, (n.19) (2003). By not objecting to the PSR’s statement that the firearm was stolen, Halter admitted that it was stolen, so the two-level enhancement he received on the basis of the stolen nature of the firearm did not violate his Sixth Amendment rights.
See United States v. McCully,
Second, Halter argues that his original trial counsel was ineffective for failing to assert a violation of the Speedy Trial Act. In a direct appeal, we generally do not consider a claim of ineffective assistance of counsel unless a miscarriage of justice would result or a full record on the issues in controversy has already been developed.
See United States v. Lee,
Accordingly, we affirm the judgment of the district court.
Notes
. The Honorable James E. Gritzner, United States District Judge for the Southern District of Iowa.
