Seventh Court Remands Case for Failure to Bring Defendant to Court for Plea

United States v. Bethea, Seventh Circuit, No. 17-3468, 2018 WL 1959638

Bethea was charged with using fraudulently obtained credit cards to purchase merchandise at retailers. He had a combined guilty plea and sentencing hearing. The judge was in his courtroom in Madison, WI. Bethea was in Milwaukee because of his health issues and limited mobility. The judge sentenced Bethea to 21 months imprisonment, which is at the bottom of his guideline range. Bethea appealed on the basis that his plea via video conference could not be taken.

The court noted that Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 43 governs that “the defendant must be present at ... the initial appearance, the initial arraignment, and the plea.” The court found while there are exceptions to this, none of them applied here. The court also found that while other circuit courts haven’t answered this question, four circuit courts have held that Rule 43 requires the judge and the defendant to be there. Further, they pointed out that several circuits have indicated that there were intangible benefits to the judge and defendant being physically in the courtroom including the Sixth, Fourth, Third, Seventh, and the Tenth Circuits, which hold that this is per se error, meaning that automatic reversal should be granted.

The Seventh Circuit Vacated the Judgment of the District Court and remanded the case. No. 17-3468, 2018 WL 1959638

The law firm of Jeremy Gordon has been practicing federal criminal appeals and post-conviction law since 2012. We have had successful outcomes in more than 60 cases in the past three years. Our entire staff is committed to providing excellent service to our clients and their families. We encourage you to contact our office today to visit with us on how we might be able to help you or your loved one get the representation they deserve.