Jonathon Beck v. United States

── Jonathon Beck v. United States ── Case No.: 24-12543 Court: Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit Date: April 07, 2026 Category: NEW USCA11 Case: 24-12543 Document: 49-1 Date Filed: 04/07/2026 Page: 1 of 10 NOT FOR PUBLICATION In the United States Court of Appeals For the Eleventh Circuit ____________________ No. 24-12543 Non-Argument Calendar ____________________ JONATHON HOWARD BECK, Petitioner-Appellant, versus UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, Respondent-Appellee. ____________________ Appeal from the United States District Court for the Southern District of Alabama D.C. Docket No. 1:24-cv-00016-CG-B ____________________ Before JILL PRYOR, BRANCH, and LAGOA, Circuit Judges. PER CURIAM: Jonathon Beck, a pro se federal prisoner, appeals the district court’s denial of his 28 U.S.C. § 2255 motion to vacate. Because the record conclusively shows that Beck was not denied the effective USCA11 Case: 24-12543 Document: 49-1 Date Filed: 04/07/2026 Page: 2 of 10 2 Opinion of the Court 24-12543 assistance of counsel, no evidentiary hearing on his § 2255 motion was necessary. Accordingly, we affirm the district court’s denial of Beck’s motion. I. FACTUAL AND PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND In October 2020, a grand jury returned a five count indict- ment charging Beck with possession with intent to distribute ap- proximately 50 grams of methamphetamine, in violation of 21 U.S.C. §§ 841(a)(1), (b)(1)(B), and 18 U.S.C. § 2 (Count 1); posses- sion with intent to distribute approximately 140 grams of metham- phetamine, in violation of 21 U.S.C. §§ 841(a)(1), (b)(1)(A), and 18 U.S.C. § 2 (Count 2); using, carrying, possessing a firearm in con- nection with a drug felony, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 924(c)(1)(A) (Counts 3 and 5); and possession with intent to distribute approxi- mately 10 Grams of methamphetamine, in violation of 21 U.S.C. §§ 841(a)(1), (b)(1)(B), and 18 U.S.C. § 2 (Count 4). A federal public defender was appointed to represent Beck. In March 2021, Beck entered a guilty plea as to Counts 2 and 5 pursuant to a written plea agreement. The plea agreement stated that Beck faced a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years for the drug offense in Count 2 and a mandatory minimum consecutive sentence of 5 years from the gun offense in Count 5. It allowed for a possible reduction if Beck cooperated. Beck and his attorney also signed a factual resume that described the circumstances of his of- fenses. USCA11 Case: 24-12543 Document: 49-1 Date Filed: 04/07/2026 Page: 3 of 10 24-12543 Opinion of the Court 3 At the change of plea hearing, Beck acknowledged that he had reviewed the plea agreement with his attorney, and that he was pleading guilty of his own free will and was not coerced or threatened. He also acknowledged that he understood the charges against him and that he faced a 10-year mandatory minimum sen- tence as to Count 2 and a 5-year consecutive mandatory minimum sentence as to Count 5. The district court warned Beck that his sentence might differ from any estimate he received from his attor- ney or anyone else. Beck initially asked the court to repeat this warning but then acknowledged that