SELF-CONFESSED pharmacy bandit, Reginald Jujuan Howell, claims he was pressured by a lawyer to confess to a string of pharmacy heists in the US.
Howell has requested approval to withdraw his guilty plea to charges of conspiracy to possess drugs with the intent to distribute, robbery and branding a firearm while committing a violent crime.
Howell's new lawyer, Tim Fleming, told a federal court that his previous attorney had coerced him into entering a written plea agreement in Jul 2021, which detailed four pharmacies he either burglarised or robbed.
However, a few days later, Howell filed a notice of appeal to withdraw his plea, which prompted his former lawyer to question his mental competency.
Fleming said Howell had initially been misinformed about the possible penalty he faced if he pleaded guilty to the federal crimes.
Prior to entering the guilty plea Howell had been told that the penalty of brandishing a weapon during a drug trafficking crime was seven years on top of any other prison sentence issued in relation to the other charges.
However, Fleming noted the penalty was seven years to life in prison without parole.
"This constitutes a critical error of constitutional proportions," Fleming said.
Howell's appeal will be heard on 09 Jun, and if it fails he will be sentenced that day.
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