UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS

TENTH CIRCUIT

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

Plaintiff-Appellee,

No. 02-3399
v.	(D. Kansas)
ESAK WILLIAM HADLEY,

Defendant-Appellant.	(D.C. No. 02-CR-20028-KHV)

ORDER AND JUDGMENT*

Before EBEL, HENRY, and HARTZ, Circuit Judges.

Esak William Hadley pleaded guilty to one count of theft of firearms from the business inventory of federally licensed firearms dealers, a violation of 18 U.S.C. § 922(u). The district court sentenced him to 46 months' imprisonment.

Mr. Hadley now seeks to appeal his sentence, arguing that the district court erred in applying section 2K2.1(b)(4) of the United States Sentencing Guidelines to arrive at a two-level increase in the offense level. However, as the government notes, the plea agreement signed by Mr. Hadley, Mr. Hadley's counsel, and the government contains a provision stating that "[t]he defendant also agrees to waive his right to appeal any sentenced imposed within the applicable guideline range as determined by the Court; the defendant does reserve the right to appeal an upward departure or an illegal sentence apart from the sentencing guidelines." Rec. doc. 21, attach., at 4. (Plea Agreement, dated Aug. 5, 2002, attached to Petition to Enter Plea of Guilty and Order Entering Plea, filed Aug. 5, 2002).

"A defendant's knowing and voluntary waiver of the statutory right to appeal his sentence is generally enforceable." United States v. Hernandez, 134 F.3d 1435, 1437 (10th Cir. 1998). There are exceptions to this general rule. For example, in spite of a waiver provision, a defendant may still appeal his sentence if the district court relied on an impermissible factor such as race, if ineffective assistance of counsel in connection with the negotiation of the waiver rendered the waiver invalid, if the sentence exceeds the statutory maximum, or if the waiver is otherwise unlawful. See United States v. Cockerham, 237 F.3d 1179, 1182 (10th Cir. 2001).

None of those exceptions applies here. Mr. Hadley does not argue that his sentence was based on consideration of an impermissible factor, that he received ineffective assistance of counsel in the negotiation of the plea agreement, or that his sentence was otherwise unlawful. Moreover, Mr. Hadley's argument does not involve a challenge to an upward departure, the other ground for appeal preserved in the plea agreement.1 Finally, Mr. Hadley has not disputed that he entered into the plea agreement knowingly and voluntarily. Thus, Mr. Hadley has waived his right to appeal.2

Accordingly, for the reasons set forth above, we DISMISS this appeal.

Entered for the Court,

Robert H. Henry

Circuit Judge