UNPUBLISHED
UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS
FOR THE FOURTH CIRCUIT
No. 06-4248
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,
Plaintiff - Appellee,
versus
BILLY RAY CRAWFORD, JR.,
Defendant - Appellant.
Appeal from the United States District Court for the District of
South Carolina, at Florence. Terry L. Wooten, District Judge.
(4:05-cr-470-TLW)
Submitted: February 22, 2007 Decided: February 28, 2007
Before WILLIAMS, MOTZ, and SHEDD, Circuit Judges.
Affirmed by unpublished per curiam opinion.
David G. Pagliarini, HINCHEY MURRAY & PAGLIARINI, LLC, Charleston,
South Carolina, for Appellant. Arthur Bradley Parham, OFFICE OF THE
UNITED STATES ATTORNEY, Florence, South Carolina, for Appellee.
Unpublished opinions are not binding precedent in this circuit.
PER CURIAM:
Billy Ray Crawford pled guilty to conspiracy to possess
with intent to distribute fifty grams or more of cocaine base
(crack) and 500 grams or more of cocaine, in violation of 21
U.S.C.A. §§ 846, 841(a), (b)(1)(A) (West 1999 & Supp. 2006). The
district court imposed a sentence of 360 months imprisonment and
ten years of supervised release. Crawford’s attorney has filed a
brief pursuant to Anders v. California, 386 U.S. 738 (1967),
raising two issues but stating that, in his view, there are no
meritorious issues for appeal. Crawford has filed a pro se motion
requesting substitute counsel or an order directing his attorney to
perfect the appeal. We deny the motion, and affirm the district
court’s judgment.
In the Anders brief, counsel argues that Crawford’s
sentence violates the Sixth Amendment because it includes an
enhancement for possession of a firearm during the offense, even
though Crawford did not admit that he possessed a weapon. The
record reveals that several cooperating witnesses told
investigators that Crawford carried a gun during his drug
activities, that Crawford withdrew his objection to the enhancement
at the sentencing hearing, and that he was sentenced under an
advisory guideline scheme. Because the sentence did not exceed the
statutory maximum sentence that applied based on Crawford’s guilty
plea, no Sixth Amendment error occurred. United States v. Morris,
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429 F.3d 65, 72 (4th Cir. 2006). Moreover, the court did not
plainly err in making the weapon enhancement.
Crawford also asserts that he was entitled to a downward
departure for substantial assistance, and that the government
failed to comply with the terms of the plea agreement when it did
not move for a departure. However, the agreement provided that the
government would move for a departure only if it deemed Crawford’s
cooperation to be substantial.
Pursuant to Anders, we have examined the entire record
and find no meritorious issues for appeal. Accordingly, we affirm
the conviction and sentence. We deny Crawford’s motion for new
counsel or, alternatively, for an order directing his attorney to
file a non-Anders brief. This court requires that counsel inform
his client, in writing of his right to petition the Supreme Court
of the United States for further review. If the client requests
that such a petition be filed, but counsel believes that such a
petition would be frivolous, then counsel may move in this court
for leave to withdraw from representation. Counsel’s motion must
state that a copy thereof was served on the client. We dispense
with oral argument because the facts and legal contentions are
adequately presented in the materials before the court and argument
would not aid the decisional process.
AFFIRMED
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