Carpio v. United States

218 F. Supp. 3d 1182, 2016 WL 6395192, 2016 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 149953
CourtDistrict Court, W.D. Washington
DecidedOctober 28, 2016
DocketCASE NO. C16-0647JLR
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 218 F. Supp. 3d 1182 (Carpio v. United States) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, W.D. Washington primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Carpio v. United States, 218 F. Supp. 3d 1182, 2016 WL 6395192, 2016 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 149953 (W.D. Wash. 2016).

Opinion

ORDER GRANTING PETITION

JAMES L. ROBART, United States District Judge

I. INTRODUCTION

Before the court is Petitioner Rogelio Carpio’s petition under 28 U.S.C. § 2255 to vacate, set aside, or correct his 70-month prison sentence in the wake of the Su-[1186]*1186prerae Court’s decision in Johnson v. United States, — U.S. —, 135 S.Ct. 2551, 192 L.Ed.2d 569 (2015). (Pet. (Dkt. # 1).) The court has considered Mr. Carpio’s petition, the United States of America’s (“the Government”) answer to Mr. Carpio’s petition (Answer (Dkt. # 10)), Mr. Carpio’s reply in support of his petition (Reply (Dkt. # 12)), the relevant portions of the record, and the applicable law. Considering itself fully advised,1 the court GRANTS Mr. Carpio’s Section 2255 habeas petition and DIRECTS the Clerk to schedule a resentencing for Mr. Carpió as set forth below.

II. BACKGROUND

A. Legal Background

In Johnson, the Supreme Court concluded that the Armed Career Criminal Act’s (“ACCA”) residual clause, which defines a “violent felony” to include any felony that “involves conduct that presents a serious potential risk of physical injury to another,” 18 U.S.C. § 924(e)(2)(B), is unconstitutionally vague.2 135 S.Ct. at 2557. The Supreme Court held that “the indeterminacy of the wide-ranging inquiry required by the residual clause both denies fair notice and invites arbitrary enforcement by judges,” id. and “[ijncreasing a defendant’s sentence under the clause denies due process of law,” id. at 2563. The Supreme Court subsequently announced that the rule in Johnson was “a new substantive rule that has retroactive effect in cases on collateral review.” Welch, 136 S.Ct. at 1268.

Under the United States Sentencing Guidelines (“the Guidelines”), a defendant’s base offense level is enhanced if the defendant has “at least two felony convictions of either a crime of violence or a controlled substance offense.” U.S.S.G. § 2K2.1(a)(2). At the time of Mr. Carpio’s sentencing, the Guidelines defined a “crime of violence” as “any offense under federal, state, or local law punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding one year, that—(1) has as an element the use, attempted use, or threatened use of physical force against the person or another, or (2) is burglary of a dwelling, arson, or extortion, involves use of explosives, or otherwise involves conduct that presents a serious potential risk of physical injury to another.”3 U.S.S.G. § 4B1.2(a). The “crime of violence” definition was comprised of three parts: (1) the elements clause, (2) the enumerated offenses clause, and (3) the residual clause. See United States v. Ladwig, 192 F.Supp.3d 1153, 1157-58, 2016 WL 3619640, at *2 (E.D. Wash. June 28, 2016) (describing identical language in the ACCA as the elements clause, the enumerated offenses clause, and the residual clause).

The Guidelines’ former residual clause is at issue in Mr. Carpio’s petition. (See generally Pet.) The residual clause [1187]*1187allowed a court to enhance a person’s sentence if the person has at least two prior convictions for. a felony that “otherwise involves conduct that presents a serious potential risk of physical injury to another.” U.S.S.G. § 4B1.2(a)(2). The Guidelines’ residual clause was identical to the ACCA’s unconstitutional residual clause.4 Compare 18 U.S.C. § 924(e)(2)(B), with U.S.S.G. § 4B1.2(a)(2); see Johnson, 135 S.Ct. at 2557.

B. Factual Background

On February 8, 2012, Mr. Carpió pled guilty to one count of felon in possession of a firearm, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(1). United States v. Carpio, No. CR11-0405MJP, Dkt. ## 17 (Change of Plea Hearing), 19 (Plea Agreement). Mr. Carpió, the Government, and the United States Probation Office (“Probation”) agreed that Mr. Carpió had two prior crimes of violence under the Guidelines. Id. Dkt. ## 19 (Plea Agreement), 22 (Gov’t Sentencing Memo.), 23 (Carpió Sentencing Memo.). Accordingly, all of the parties agreed that Mr. Carpio’s total offense level was 25 and corresponded to a Guidelines range of 70 to 87 months. Id. Dkt. ## 19 (Plea Agreement), 22 (Gov’t Sentencing Memo.). On May 4, 2012, the court sentenced Mr. Carpió to 70 months’ imprisonment. (Pet. at 32 (Sentencing Tr. at 14:8-13).) The court adopted the finding in the presentence report that Mr. Car-pio’s prior convictions for Washington second-degree robbery and California Rape by Drugs were “crimes of violence” under the Guidelines. (Id. at 32 (Sentencing Tr. at 14:4-7).) The court made no finding on the record, however, as to-which part of the Guidelines’ definition of crime of violence the court relied on in imposing Mr. Carpio’s sentence. (See id. at 19-40 (Sentencing Tr.).) The plea agreement stated that Mr. Carpió waived his right to directly appeal and collaterally attack his sentence. (Answer at 6.)

On May 5, 2016, Mr. Carpió filed a petition under 28 U.S.C. § 2255 to vacate, set aside, or correct this sentence. (See Pet.) He contends that the residual clause in the Guidelines suffers the same constitutional flaw as the identically worded clause at issue in Johnson and is likewise void for vagueness. (Pet. at 4.) Mr. Carpió further argues that his two previous convictions, upon which his 70-month sen[1188]*1188tence is based, were “crimes of violence” at the time of his sentencing only under the residual clause. (Id.) Accordingly, he argues that “[t]his unconstitutional conclusion subjected him to a Guidelines range of 70 to 87 months, nearly four years higher than his true Guidelines range of 24 to 30 months.” (Id. at 2.) Mr. Carpió argues that if he had not been unconstitutionally sentenced under the Guidelines’ residual clause, “he would have been released from prison more than a year ago.” (Id.)

III. ANALYSIS

A. Legal Standard

A prisoner in federal custody may collaterally challenge his sentence under 28 U.S.C. § 2255 on “the ground that the sentence was imposed in violation of the Constitution or laws of the United States, or that the court was without jurisdiction to impose such sentence, or that the sentence was in excess of the maximum authorized by law ....” 28 U.S.C. § 2255(a). A prisoner seeking such relief must generally bring his Section 2255 petition within one year of “the date on which the judgment of conviction becomes final.” 28 U.S.C. § 2255(f)(1).

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
218 F. Supp. 3d 1182, 2016 WL 6395192, 2016 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 149953, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/carpio-v-united-states-wawd-2016.