J-S25045-22
NON-PRECEDENTIAL DECISION - SEE SUPERIOR COURT I.O.P. 65.37
COMMONWEALTH OF PENNSYLVANIA : IN THE SUPERIOR COURT OF : PENNSYLVANIA Appellee : : v. : : JASON TROY BINGAMAN : : Appellant : No. 123 WDA 2022
Appeal from the PCRA Order Entered January 10, 2022 In the Court of Common Pleas of Jefferson County Criminal Division at No(s): CP-33-CR-0000236-2016
BEFORE: BENDER, P.J.E., DUBOW, J., and KING, J.
MEMORANDUM BY KING, J.: FILED: OCTOBER 21, 2022
Appellant, Jason Troy Bingaman, appeals pro se from the order entered
in the Jefferson County Court of Common Pleas, which dismissed his second
petition brought pursuant to the Post Conviction Relief Act (“PCRA”).1 We
affirm.
The relevant facts and procedural history of this appeal are as follows.
On June 8, 2016, the Commonwealth filed a criminal information charging
Appellant with multiple offenses stemming from his operation of a
methamphetamine lab. Appellant proceeded to trial, and a jury convicted him
of possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver, illegal dumping
of methamphetamine waste, and related offenses. On October 19, 2016, the
____________________________________________
1 42 Pa.C.S.A. §§ 9541-9546. J-S25045-22
court sentenced Appellant to an aggregate term of twenty-four (24) to eighty-
seven (87) years’ imprisonment. This Court affirmed the judgment of
sentence on August 14, 2018, and our Supreme Court denied Appellant’s
petition for allowance of appeal on December 26, 2018. See Commonwealth
v. Bingaman, 195 A.3d 996 (Pa.Super. 2018), appeal denied, 650 Pa. 254,
199 A.3d 862 (2018).
Appellant timely filed a pro se PCRA petition on September 6, 2019. The
court appointed counsel, who filed a motion requesting an evidentiary hearing
on December 18, 2019. The court conducted a PCRA hearing on March 17,
2020. On March 30, 2020, the court denied PCRA relief. This Court affirmed
the order on December 11, 2020, and our Supreme Court denied Appellant’s
petition for allowance of appeal on August 27, 2021. See Commonwealth
v. Bingaman, 245 A.3d 1059 (Pa.Super. 2020), appeal denied, ___ Pa. ___,
262 A.3d 453 (2021). PCRA counsel subsequently filed a motion to withdraw
his appearance, which the court granted on September 3, 2021.
On November 29, 2021, Appellant filed the current, pro se PCRA
petition, which he styled as a “supplement” to his first petition. In it, Appellant
raised three claims challenging PCRA counsel’s effectiveness. On December
6, 2021, the court issued Pa.R.Crim.P. 907 notice of its intent to dismiss
Appellant’s petition without a hearing. Appellant did not respond to the Rule
907 notice, and the court dismissed Appellant’s petition on January 10, 2022.
Appellant timely filed a pro se notice of appeal on January 20, 2022.
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That same day, the court ordered Appellant to file a Pa.R.A.P. 1925(b) concise
statement of errors complained of on appeal. Appellant timely filed a pro se
Rule 1925(b) statement on February 7, 2022.
Appellant now raises one issue for our review:
Whether [Appellant] has a United States Constitutional 14th Amendment Right and/or a Pennsylvania Constitutional Article 1, Section 9 right to challenge [PCRA counsel] as being ineffective … after [Appellant’s] PCRA appeal became final?
(Appellant’s Brief at 4).
On appeal, Appellant asserts that there is currently no way for a PCRA
petitioner to challenge the effectiveness of an attorney who represents that
petitioner “during his first PCRA proceedings and appeal[.]” (Id. at 8)
(emphasis added). Appellant insists that a petitioner is entitled to effective
assistance of counsel in conjunction with a first PCRA petition, and a due
process violation exists if a petitioner does not have a pathway to challenge
counsel’s effectiveness under the circumstances presented here. Appellant
acknowledges that our Supreme Court recently recognized this “dilemma” in
Commonwealth v. Bradley, ___ Pa. ___, 261 A.3d 381 (2021). Appellant
concludes that this Court “must intervene in this case by creating an exception
to the PCRA” timeliness requirements, which would allow Appellant to
challenge PCRA counsel’s effectiveness. (Appellant’s Brief at 9).
As a preliminary matter, the timeliness of a PCRA petition is a
jurisdictional requisite. Commonwealth v. Hackett, 598 Pa. 350, 956 A.2d
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978 (2008), cert. denied, 556 U.S. 1285, 129 S.Ct. 2772, 174 L.Ed.2d 277
(2009). Pennsylvania law makes clear that no court has jurisdiction to hear
an untimely PCRA petition. Commonwealth v. Robinson, 575 Pa. 500, 837
A.2d 1157 (2003). The PCRA requires a petition, including a second or
subsequent petition, to be filed within one year of the date the underlying
judgment of sentence becomes final. 42 Pa.C.S.A. § 9545(b)(1). A judgment
of sentence is final “at the conclusion of direct review, including discretionary
review in the Supreme Court of the United States and the Supreme Court of
Pennsylvania, or at the expiration of time for seeking review.” 42 Pa.C.S.A. §
9545(b)(3).
To obtain merits review of a PCRA petition filed more than one year after
the judgment of sentence became final, the petitioner must allege and prove
at least one of the three timeliness exceptions:
(i) the failure to raise the claim previously was the result of interference by government officials with the presentation of the claim in violation of the Constitution or laws of this Commonwealth or the Constitution or laws of the United States;
(ii) the facts upon which the claim is predicated were unknown to the petitioner and could not have been ascertained by the exercise of due diligence; or
(iii) the right asserted is a constitutional right that was recognized by the Supreme Court of the United States or the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania after the time period provided in this section and has been held by that court to apply retroactively.
42 Pa.C.S.A. § 9545(b)(1)(i)-(iii). Generally, “a claim of ineffective assistance
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of counsel does not provide an exception to the PCRA time bar.”
Commonwealth v. Sims, 251 A.3d 445, 448 (Pa.Super. 2021), appeal
denied, ___ Pa. ___, 265 A.3d 194 (2021).
On October 20, 2021, our Supreme Court issued its decision in Bradley,
expressly holding “that a PCRA petitioner may, after a PCRA court denies
relief, and after obtaining new counsel or acting pro se, raise claims of PCRA
counsel’s ineffectiveness at the first opportunity to do so, even if on appeal.”
Bradley, supra at ___, 261 A.3d at 401 (internal footnote omitted).
Nevertheless, Bradley involved ineffectiveness claims that the petitioner
raised on direct appeal following the dismissal of a timely, first PCRA petition.
The Bradley Court noted that “an approach favoring the consideration of
ineffectiveness claims of PCRA counsel on appeal (if the first opportunity to do
so) does not sanction extra-statutory serial petitions.” Id. at ___, 261 A.3d
at 403.
Moreover, in his concurrence, Justice Dougherty emphasized:
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J-S25045-22
NON-PRECEDENTIAL DECISION - SEE SUPERIOR COURT I.O.P. 65.37
COMMONWEALTH OF PENNSYLVANIA : IN THE SUPERIOR COURT OF : PENNSYLVANIA Appellee : : v. : : JASON TROY BINGAMAN : : Appellant : No. 123 WDA 2022
Appeal from the PCRA Order Entered January 10, 2022 In the Court of Common Pleas of Jefferson County Criminal Division at No(s): CP-33-CR-0000236-2016
BEFORE: BENDER, P.J.E., DUBOW, J., and KING, J.
MEMORANDUM BY KING, J.: FILED: OCTOBER 21, 2022
Appellant, Jason Troy Bingaman, appeals pro se from the order entered
in the Jefferson County Court of Common Pleas, which dismissed his second
petition brought pursuant to the Post Conviction Relief Act (“PCRA”).1 We
affirm.
The relevant facts and procedural history of this appeal are as follows.
On June 8, 2016, the Commonwealth filed a criminal information charging
Appellant with multiple offenses stemming from his operation of a
methamphetamine lab. Appellant proceeded to trial, and a jury convicted him
of possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver, illegal dumping
of methamphetamine waste, and related offenses. On October 19, 2016, the
____________________________________________
1 42 Pa.C.S.A. §§ 9541-9546. J-S25045-22
court sentenced Appellant to an aggregate term of twenty-four (24) to eighty-
seven (87) years’ imprisonment. This Court affirmed the judgment of
sentence on August 14, 2018, and our Supreme Court denied Appellant’s
petition for allowance of appeal on December 26, 2018. See Commonwealth
v. Bingaman, 195 A.3d 996 (Pa.Super. 2018), appeal denied, 650 Pa. 254,
199 A.3d 862 (2018).
Appellant timely filed a pro se PCRA petition on September 6, 2019. The
court appointed counsel, who filed a motion requesting an evidentiary hearing
on December 18, 2019. The court conducted a PCRA hearing on March 17,
2020. On March 30, 2020, the court denied PCRA relief. This Court affirmed
the order on December 11, 2020, and our Supreme Court denied Appellant’s
petition for allowance of appeal on August 27, 2021. See Commonwealth
v. Bingaman, 245 A.3d 1059 (Pa.Super. 2020), appeal denied, ___ Pa. ___,
262 A.3d 453 (2021). PCRA counsel subsequently filed a motion to withdraw
his appearance, which the court granted on September 3, 2021.
On November 29, 2021, Appellant filed the current, pro se PCRA
petition, which he styled as a “supplement” to his first petition. In it, Appellant
raised three claims challenging PCRA counsel’s effectiveness. On December
6, 2021, the court issued Pa.R.Crim.P. 907 notice of its intent to dismiss
Appellant’s petition without a hearing. Appellant did not respond to the Rule
907 notice, and the court dismissed Appellant’s petition on January 10, 2022.
Appellant timely filed a pro se notice of appeal on January 20, 2022.
-2- J-S25045-22
That same day, the court ordered Appellant to file a Pa.R.A.P. 1925(b) concise
statement of errors complained of on appeal. Appellant timely filed a pro se
Rule 1925(b) statement on February 7, 2022.
Appellant now raises one issue for our review:
Whether [Appellant] has a United States Constitutional 14th Amendment Right and/or a Pennsylvania Constitutional Article 1, Section 9 right to challenge [PCRA counsel] as being ineffective … after [Appellant’s] PCRA appeal became final?
(Appellant’s Brief at 4).
On appeal, Appellant asserts that there is currently no way for a PCRA
petitioner to challenge the effectiveness of an attorney who represents that
petitioner “during his first PCRA proceedings and appeal[.]” (Id. at 8)
(emphasis added). Appellant insists that a petitioner is entitled to effective
assistance of counsel in conjunction with a first PCRA petition, and a due
process violation exists if a petitioner does not have a pathway to challenge
counsel’s effectiveness under the circumstances presented here. Appellant
acknowledges that our Supreme Court recently recognized this “dilemma” in
Commonwealth v. Bradley, ___ Pa. ___, 261 A.3d 381 (2021). Appellant
concludes that this Court “must intervene in this case by creating an exception
to the PCRA” timeliness requirements, which would allow Appellant to
challenge PCRA counsel’s effectiveness. (Appellant’s Brief at 9).
As a preliminary matter, the timeliness of a PCRA petition is a
jurisdictional requisite. Commonwealth v. Hackett, 598 Pa. 350, 956 A.2d
-3- J-S25045-22
978 (2008), cert. denied, 556 U.S. 1285, 129 S.Ct. 2772, 174 L.Ed.2d 277
(2009). Pennsylvania law makes clear that no court has jurisdiction to hear
an untimely PCRA petition. Commonwealth v. Robinson, 575 Pa. 500, 837
A.2d 1157 (2003). The PCRA requires a petition, including a second or
subsequent petition, to be filed within one year of the date the underlying
judgment of sentence becomes final. 42 Pa.C.S.A. § 9545(b)(1). A judgment
of sentence is final “at the conclusion of direct review, including discretionary
review in the Supreme Court of the United States and the Supreme Court of
Pennsylvania, or at the expiration of time for seeking review.” 42 Pa.C.S.A. §
9545(b)(3).
To obtain merits review of a PCRA petition filed more than one year after
the judgment of sentence became final, the petitioner must allege and prove
at least one of the three timeliness exceptions:
(i) the failure to raise the claim previously was the result of interference by government officials with the presentation of the claim in violation of the Constitution or laws of this Commonwealth or the Constitution or laws of the United States;
(ii) the facts upon which the claim is predicated were unknown to the petitioner and could not have been ascertained by the exercise of due diligence; or
(iii) the right asserted is a constitutional right that was recognized by the Supreme Court of the United States or the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania after the time period provided in this section and has been held by that court to apply retroactively.
42 Pa.C.S.A. § 9545(b)(1)(i)-(iii). Generally, “a claim of ineffective assistance
-4- J-S25045-22
of counsel does not provide an exception to the PCRA time bar.”
Commonwealth v. Sims, 251 A.3d 445, 448 (Pa.Super. 2021), appeal
denied, ___ Pa. ___, 265 A.3d 194 (2021).
On October 20, 2021, our Supreme Court issued its decision in Bradley,
expressly holding “that a PCRA petitioner may, after a PCRA court denies
relief, and after obtaining new counsel or acting pro se, raise claims of PCRA
counsel’s ineffectiveness at the first opportunity to do so, even if on appeal.”
Bradley, supra at ___, 261 A.3d at 401 (internal footnote omitted).
Nevertheless, Bradley involved ineffectiveness claims that the petitioner
raised on direct appeal following the dismissal of a timely, first PCRA petition.
The Bradley Court noted that “an approach favoring the consideration of
ineffectiveness claims of PCRA counsel on appeal (if the first opportunity to do
so) does not sanction extra-statutory serial petitions.” Id. at ___, 261 A.3d
at 403.
Moreover, in his concurrence, Justice Dougherty emphasized:
Importantly, our decision today does not create an exception to the PCRA’s jurisdictional time-bar, such that a petitioner represented by the same counsel in the PCRA court and on PCRA appeal could file an untimely successive PCRA petition challenging initial PCRA counsel’s ineffectiveness because it was his “first opportunity to do so.”
Id. at ___, 261 A.3d at 406 (Justice Dougherty concurring). Consequently,
this Court has declined to extend the holding of Bradley to cases involving
untimely or serial petitions. See Commonwealth v. Mead, 277 A.3d 1111
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(Pa.Super. 2022) (unpublished memorandum), appeal denied, 2022 WL
4139124 (Pa. Sep. 13, 2022) (emphasizing that Bradley involved a timely
first PCRA petition and did not apply to appellant’s appeal from order denying
his untimely petition); Commonwealth v. Coto, 272 A.3d 461 (Pa.Super.
2022) (unpublished memorandum), appeal denied, 2022 WL 3754266 (Pa.
Aug. 30, 2022) (declining to remand case for further development of record
where appellant sought to challenge first PCRA counsel’s effectiveness on
appeal from order dismissing second PCRA petition; appellant did not raise
claims of PCRA counsel’s ineffectiveness at first possible opportunity).2
Instantly, our Supreme Court denied Appellant’s first petition for
allowance of appeal on December 26, 2018. Appellant’s judgment of sentence
became final ninety (90) days later, on or about March 26, 2019. See
U.S.Sup.Ct.R. 13 (stating appellant must file petition for writ of certiorari with
United States Supreme Court within 90 days after entry of judgment by state
court of last resort). Thus, Appellant had until March 26, 2020 to file a PCRA
petition. Appellant timely pursued a first PCRA petition on September 6, 2019,
which the court dismissed on March 30, 2020.
Appellant filed the current petition on November 29, 2021, which was
facially untimely. See 42 Pa.C.S.A. § 9545(b)(1). Appellant has failed to
plead or prove an exception to the PCRA timeliness requirements. Although
2 See Pa.R.A.P. 126(b) (stating this Court may cite to and rely on for persuasive value unpublished decisions of this Court filed after May 1, 2019).
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the current petition attempts to invoke Bradley, the PCRA court correctly
recognized that Bradley “does not create an avenue for [Appellant], who was
represented by the same [PCRA counsel] through his appeal, to now file
layered ineffectiveness claims as supplements to his original petition.” (Rule
907 Notice, filed 12/6/21, at 2) (unnumbered). Our review of the relevant
case law confirms the PCRA court’s conclusion. See Bradley, supra; Mead,
supra; Coto, supra. Accordingly, we affirm the order dismissing Appellant’s
current PCRA petition.
Order affirmed.
Judgment Entered.
Joseph D. Seletyn, Esq. Prothonotary
Date: 10/21/2022
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