Alston v. United States

290 F. Supp. 3d 542
CourtDistrict Court, E.D. Virginia
DecidedNovember 14, 2017
DocketCRIMINAL NO. 2:14cr179; CIVIL NO. 2:16cv641
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 290 F. Supp. 3d 542 (Alston v. United States) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, E.D. Virginia primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Alston v. United States, 290 F. Supp. 3d 542 (E.D. Va. 2017).

Opinion

ROBERT G. DOUMAR, UNITED STATES DISTRICT JUDGE

This matter comes before the Court upon Clinton Martez Alston's ("Petitioner") Amended Motion to Vacate, Set Aside, or Correct Sentence Under 28 U.S.C. § 2255 ("Amended § 2255 Motion"). ECF No. 63. For the reasons stated herein, Petitioner's Amended § 2255 Motion is GRANTED , and Petitioner's sentence is hereby CORRECTED to include a prison term of TIME SERVED consistent with the directives of this Order.

I. PROCEDURAL AND FACTUAL BACKGROUND

On December 18, 2014, Petitioner was named in a three-count criminal indictment charging him with Possession with Intent to Distribute Heroin, in violation of 21 U.S.C. § 841(a)(1) and (b)(1)(C) ("Count One"); Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime, in violation of 18 U.S.C § 924(c)(1)(A) ("Count Two"); and Felon in Possession of a Firearm, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(1) ("Count Three"). ECF No. 1.

A. PETITIONER'S FIRST PLEA OF GUILTY

On January 21, 2015, pursuant to a written plea agreement with the United States ("Government"), Petitioner initially pled guilty to Count Two of the criminal indictment, which carried a mandatory minimum sentence of five years. ECF No. 19. However, on February 20, 2015, Petitioner, by counsel, moved to withdraw his guilty plea. ECF No. 23. In the motion, Petitioner advised the Court that defense counsel was under the mistaken impression that Petitioner's prior New York robbery conviction was a juvenile conviction. Id. According to defense counsel, he did not discover that the New York robbery was an "adult conviction" until a "week or so" after the plea was entered when he was reviewing Petitioner's criminal history. Id. ¶ 6. Due to this alleged "mistake," neither the Government nor defense counsel believed during *544plea negotiations that Petitioner would be subject to the Career Offender enhancement under the Guidelines. Id. ("If sentenced as a career offender, the defendant would face punishment which was neither bargained for nor anticipated by the parties.") Rather, the parties understood and tacitly agreed that Petitioner would receive a sentence at or near the mandatory minimum sentence of five years.1 Id. ¶ 3. By contrast, as a Career Offender, Petitioner would face an advisory range of more than twenty years under the Guidelines. Id. ¶ 6. Therefore, the Government did not oppose Petitioner's motion to withdraw his plea "out of fairness." See Resp., ECF No. 24, at 2 (admitting that both parties "anticipated that the defendant would be sentenced to the mandatory minimum sentence of [sixty] months" during plea negotiations). On March 4, 2015, the Court granted Defendant's motion and ordered his plea withdrawn. ECF No. 25.

B. PETITIONER'S SECOND PLEA OF GUILTY

On March 4, 2015, pursuant to a new plea agreement with the Government, Petitioner appeared before the Court and pled guilty to Counts One and Three of the criminal indictment. See ECF No. 26. On March 25, 2015, Petitioner sent a letter to the Court requesting a sentence of sixty months, arguing that the Government must honor what the parties originally agreed to in the first plea agreement. ECF No. 41. On April 16, 2015, the Court held a hearing on Petitioner's letter as well as Petitioner's Motion to Continue Sentencing. See ECF No. 37. At the hearing, the Court set aside Petitioner's second guilty plea finding that it was "fraudulently obtained." See id. At the same hearing, the Defendant also made an oral motion for new counsel, which the Court granted. Id. Defense counsel, Mr. Rodolfo Cejas, was relieved, and Mr. Julian Bouchard was appointed as new counsel. Id.

C. PETITIONER'S THIRD AND FINAL PLEA OF GUILTY

On June 16, 2015, the parties indicated to the Court that they had reached an agreement for a third guilty plea, and the Court set the matter for a hearing. See ECF No. 42. On June 30, 2015, Petitioner appeared before the Court with his counsel, Mr. Bouchard, and indicated his desire to enter a plea of guilty to Counts One and Three of the criminal indictment pursuant to a written plea agreement with the United States ("Government"). See ECF No. 44. Notably, this plea agreement contains the following provision: "Pursuant [to] Fed. R. Crim. P. 11(c)(1)(B) the defendant agrees not to contest the fact that he is subject to enhanced punishment pursuant to USSG § 4B1.1 as a Career Offender." Plea Agreement, ECF No. 45, ¶ 4. After the Court conducted proceedings in accordance with Rule 11 of the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure, the Court found that Petitioner's plea was knowing and voluntary; accepted Petitioner's plea of guilty to Counts One and Three of the indictment; and found Petitioner guilty of the offenses charged in those counts. See ECF No. 44.

D. SENTENCING

Petitioner's sentencing hearing was set for November 2, 2015. ECF No. 47.

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Bluebook (online)
290 F. Supp. 3d 542, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/alston-v-united-states-vaed-2017.