United States v. Ki Chong Yoo

MEMORANDUM

Ki Chong Yoo, a native of South Korea, pled guilty to numerous charges stemming from a conspiracy to commit Travel in Interstate Commerce in Aid of Racketeering by traveling from California to Nevada to rob a family. In exchange for pleading guilty, Yoo received a ten-year prison sentence, and waived his right to appeal the sentence imposed. Yoo subsequently filed a motion to dismiss his counsel, which the court granted, and to withdraw his plea agreement, which the court denied. The court sentenced Yoo to ten years in prison. Yoo appeals, arguing that inaccurate translations and cultural differences rendered his guilty plea invalid, and deprived him of his constitutional right to counsel. We affirm.

The “circumstances surrounding the signing and entry of [Yoo’s] plea agreement” indicate that Yoo knowingly and voluntarily waived his right to appeal the denial of his motion withdrawing his guilty plea. United States v. Anglin, 215 F.3d 1064, 1066 (9th Cir.2000); United States v. Rahman, 642 F.3d 1257, 1259 (9th Cir.2011). Yoo’s statements made “during a guilty plea ■ hearing carry a strong presumption of veracity in subsequent proceedings attacking the plea.” United…