United States v. William Peppers

Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 11 permits a defendant to withdraw a guilty plea prior to sentencing provided that the defendant has presented a “fair and just reason” for doing so. Because I believe that William Peppers has established such a reason, and that the district court abused its discretion in concluding otherwise, I must dissent.

This court reviews a district court’s denial of a motion to withdraw a guilty plea for an abuse of discretion. United States v. Dixon, 479 F.3d 431, 436 (6th Cir.2007). We have held that a district court abuses its discretion in denying a defendant the…