Can a defendant who has secured the benefits of a plea agreement, knowingly and voluntarily waived the right to appeal the sentence?

The law in this circuit is clear that "in no circumstance may a defendant, who has secured the benefits of a plea agreement and knowingly and voluntarily waived the right to appeal a certain sentence, then appeal the merits of a sentence conforming to the agreement." United States v. Pearson, 570 F.3d 480, 485 (2d Cir. 2009) (alterations and internal quotation marks omitted); see also United States v. Riggi, 649 F.3d 143, 147 (2d Cir. 2011) (holding that even "meaningful errors are insufficient to void an appeal waiver" where sentence neither is based on unconstitutional factors nor represents abdication of judicial

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