Berry v. United States

884 F. Supp. 2d 453, 2012 WL 3329622
CourtDistrict Court, E.D. Virginia
DecidedJuly 29, 2012
DocketCriminal No. 4:08cr43; Civil Action No. 4:11cv145
StatusPublished
Cited by12 cases

This text of 884 F. Supp. 2d 453 (Berry 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
Berry v. United States, 884 F. Supp. 2d 453, 2012 WL 3329622 (E.D. Va. 2012).

Opinion

ORDER

ROBERT G. DOUMAR, District Judge.

This matter is before the Court upon Petitioner Sharone Jermaine Berry’s (“Petitioner”) Motion to Vacate, Set Aside, or Correct Sentence By a Person in Federal Custody (“Motion to Vacate”), pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 2255.1 Petitioner seeks relief on four independent bases: (1) his counsel was ineffective for failing to object to this Court’s questioning of Petitioner during trial or to appeal this issue; (2) his counsel was ineffective at sentencing for failing to request a lesser-included instruction on simple possession; (3) his counsel was ineffective for failing to investigate and present to the Court Petitioner’s history of mental illness; and (4) his counsel was ineffective pursuant to the Supreme Court’s recent decision in Lafler v. Cooper, — U.S.-, 132 S.Ct. 1376, 182 L.Ed.2d 398 (2012). Based on these alleged violations of his ’ rights, Petitioner asks the Court to vacate the sentence imposed upon him on October 6, 2010. The matter has been fully briefed and is now ripe for decision. For the reasons stated herein, Petitioner’s Motion to Vacate is DENIED.

I. PROCEDURAL HISTORY

On April 16, 2008, a federal grand jury sitting in Newport News, Virginia, returned a four count indictment against Petitioner, charging him with possession with intent to distribute cocaine base (Count One), identification theft (Count Two), false representation of a social security number (Count Three), and aggravated identity theft (Count Four). Thereafter, on July 16, 2008, Petitioner was named in a superseding indictment, charging him with possession with intent to distribute cocaine base within 1000 feet of school property (Count One), identification theft (Counts Two and Five), false representation of a social security number (Counts Three and Six), and aggravated identity theft (Counts Four and Seven). At all times relevant to this motion, Petitioner was represented by Assistant Federal Public Defender Keith Kimball.

On June 20, 2008, Petitioner, through counsel, moved to suppress the crack cocaine recovered during Petitioner’s encounter with police on December 13, 2006. Petitioner also sought to suppress statements he made during this encounter. The Court held a hearing on the motion, at which Petitioner testified. Following the filing, at the Court’s request, of supplemental briefing on the issue of probable cause, the Court denied Petitioner’s motion to suppress. The case then proceeded to trial.

Following a three-day jury trial, on September 11, 2008, the jury returned a verdict of guilty on Counts One, Two, Three, Five, Six, and Seven. On September 24, 2008 Petitioner filed a motion for judgment of acquittal, which the Court denied on October 30, 2008. On March 17, 2009, the Court, taking into consideration Petitioner’s designation as a career offender under the United States Sentencing Guidelines, sentenced Petitioner to 262 months on [457]*457Count One, with concurrent sentences on Counts Two, Three, Five, and Six, and a consecutive term of 24 months on Count Seven. Petitioner timely filed an appeal with the Fourth Circuit.

In an unpublished opinion, the Fourth Circuit affirmed the judgment of this Court with respect to the motion to suppress and with respect to Petitioner’s sentence on Count One. However, the Court vacated Petitioner’s conviction on the aggravated identity theft charge, pursuant to Flores-Figueroa v. United States, 556 U.S. 646, 129 S.Ct. 1886, 173 L.Ed.2d 853 (2009), which was decided after Petitioner’s conviction and sentencing. On October 6, 2010, this Court resentenced Petitioner, and imposed a term of 262 months imprisonment on Count One, with concurrent sentences on the remaining counts. The Court vacated Petitioner’s 24 month sentence for aggravated identity theft.

On October 6, 2011, Petitioner filed the instant motion to vacate. On December 5, 2011, and January 9, 2011, Petitioner filed motions for enlargement of time to file supplemental briefs in support of his motion, which this Court granted. On February 27, 2012, Petitioner filed a supplemental brief in support of his motion to vacate. On May 3, 2012, Petitioner filed a second supplemental brief, raising a claim pursuant to the Supreme Court’s recent decision in Lafler v. Cooper, — U.S. -, 132 S.Ct. 1376, 182 L.Ed.2d 398 (2012).

II. LEGAL STANDARD

Collateral review created by 28 U.S.C. § 2255 allows a prisoner in federal custody to challenge the legality of a federal sentence on four grounds: (i) the sentence was imposed in violation of the Constitution or laws of the United States, (ii) the sentencing Court lacked jurisdiction, (iii) the sentence imposed was in excess of the maximum amount authorized by law, or (iv) the sentence is “otherwise subject to collateral attack.” 28 U.S.C. § 2255. The Supreme Court has held that § 2255 is the appropriate vehicle by which a federal prisoner may challenge both the fact of conviction itself and the terms of a post-conviction sentence. Davis v. United States, 417 U.S. 333, 343^4, 94 S.Ct. 2298, 41 L.Ed.2d 109 (1974). When seeking relief under § 2255, a petitioner “bears the burden of proving his grounds for collateral attack by a preponderance of the evidence.” Hall v. United States, 30 F.Supp.2d 883, 889 (E.D.Va.1998) (citing Vanater v. Boles, 377 F.2d 898, 900 (4th Cir.1967) and Miller v. United States, 261 F.2d 546, 547 (4th Cir.1958)).

Section 2255 provides that, “[u]n-less the motion and the files and the records of the case conclusively show that the prisoner is entitled to no relief, the court shall cause notice thereof to be served upon the United States attorney [and] grant a prompt hearing thereon.... ” 28 U.S.C. § 2255. Thus, as a corollary, a court may dismiss a § 2255 motion if it is clearly inadequate on its face and if the petitioner would not be entitled to relief assuming the facts alleged in the motion are true. Where the record refutes a petitioner’s factual allegations, dismissal is appropriate. Likewise, if the motion can be resolved exclusively on issues of law, and no questions of fact exist, then summary dismissal is appropriate without an evidentiary hearing. See Green v. United States, 65 F.3d 546, 548-49 (6th Cir.1995) (finding that an evidentiary hearing was unnecessary because all claims by petitioner alleged legal errors).

A pro se petitioner is entitled to have his petition and asserted issues construed liberally, and is held to less stringent standards than an attorney drafting such documents. Gordon v. Leeke, 574 F.2d 1147

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Bluebook (online)
884 F. Supp. 2d 453, 2012 WL 3329622, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/berry-v-united-states-vaed-2012.