Com. v. Maitre, R.

CourtSuperior Court of Pennsylvania
DecidedAugust 13, 2020
Docket120 EDA 2020
StatusUnpublished

This text of Com. v. Maitre, R. (Com. v. Maitre, R.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Superior Court of Pennsylvania primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Com. v. Maitre, R., (Pa. Ct. App. 2020).

Opinion

J-S27018-20

NON-PRECEDENTIAL DECISION - SEE SUPERIOR COURT I.O.P. 65.37

COMMONWEALTH OF PENNSYLVANIA : IN THE SUPERIOR COURT OF : PENNSYLVANIA : v. : : : RICHARD ALLAN MAITRE, II : : Appellant : No. 120 EDA 2020

Appeal from the Judgment of Sentence Entered August 22, 2019 In the Court of Common Pleas of Chester County Criminal Division at No(s): CP-15-CR-0000516-2017

BEFORE: SHOGAN, J., McCAFFERY, J., and STEVENS, P.J.E.*

MEMORANDUM BY McCAFFERY, J.: Filed: August 13, 2020

Richard Allan Maitre, II, (Appellant) appeals from the judgment of

sentence1 entered in the Chester County Court of Common Pleas following his

open guilty pleas to five counts of possession with intent to deliver a controlled

substance (PWID),2 one count of conspiracy to commit the same,3 and one

____________________________________________

* Former Justice specially assigned to the Superior Court.

1 Appellant initially sought to appeal from the November 27, 2019, order denying his post-sentence motion. However, the appeal lies properly from his judgment of sentence entered August 22, 2019. See Commonwealth v. Borovichka, 18 A.3d 1242, 1245 n.1 (Pa. Super. 2010). Accordingly, we have amended the caption.

2 35 P.S. § 780-113(a)(30).

3 18 Pa.C.S. § 903. J-S27018-20

count of criminal use of a communication facility.4 Appellant challenges the

discretionary aspects of his sentence. For the reasons below, we affirm.

Appellant was charged with 578 offenses related to his participation in

the sale of methamphetamine throughout Chester County, Pennsylvania, from

January 2016 to January 2017. See N.T. Guilty Plea, 9/26/28, at 16-25. The

trial court described Appellant’s involvement as follows:

[Appellant] was the primary force behind, and the leader of, a large and sophisticated drug trafficking organization[,] “a master manipulator who influenced others to commit crimes for him to insulate him from law enforcement’s reach.” . . . [T]hroughout the Commonwealth’s investigation, this criminal enterprise was referred to as the “Maitre Drug Trafficking Organization” or “Maitre DTO.”

Order, 11/27/19, at n.1.

As part of a plea agreement, Appellant was only required to enter a

guilty plea to seven of the 578 counts in the criminal information. See

Appellant’s Written Guilty Plea Colloquy, 9/26/18, at 1-3. On September 26,

2018, Appellant entered an open guilty plea to five counts of PWID, and one

count each of conspiracy and criminal use of a communication facility. On

August 22, 2019, Appellant was sentenced to an aggregate term of 20 to 40

years of incarceration. Id. In addition, the Commonwealth agreed to waive

opposition to Appellant’s eligibility for the Recidivism Risk Reduction Incentive

(RRRI) program, which allows for a potential reduction of his sentence to a

minimum of 16 2/3 years. See N.T., Sentencing H’rg, 8/22/19, at 5-6, 57.

4 18 Pa.C.S. § 7512(a).

-2- J-S27018-20

On August 28, 2019, Appellant filed a timely motion to reconsider

sentence, and the trial court conducted a hearing on September 30, 2019. On

November 27, 2019, the trial court denied the motion. Order, 11/27/19.

Appellant filed a timely notice of appeal. On December 19, 2019, the court

directed Appellant to file a Pa.R.A.P. 1925(b) concise statement of errors

complained of on appeal. Appellant timely provided a Pa.R.A.P. 1925(b)

statement on January 7, 2019, and the trial court filed an opinion on January

10, 2019.

Appellant raises one issue on appeal:

Did the trial court commit an abuse of discretion when [it] imposed the sentence it did on Appellant?

Appellant’s Brief at 2.

Appellant’s sole claim on appeal challenges the discretionary aspects of

his sentence. Such a claim is not appealable as of right, but “must be

considered a petition for permission to appeal.” Commonwealth v. Best,

120 A.3d 329, 348 (Pa. Super. 2015) (citation omitted). This Court must first

determine:

(1) whether the appeal is timely; (2) whether Appellant preserved [the] issue; (3) whether Appellant’s brief includes a concise statement of the reasons relied upon for allowance of appeal with respect to the discretionary aspects of sentence; and (4) whether the concise statement raises a substantial question that the sentence is appropriate under the sentencing code.

Commonwealth v. Edwards, 71 A.3d 323, 329-30 (Pa. Super. 2013)

Appellant filed a timely notice of appeal, and preserved his claim in a

timely-filed post-sentence motion. See Appellant’s Motion to Reconsider

-3- J-S27018-20

Sentence, 8/28/19. In addition, Appellant included in his brief the requisite

statement of reasons relied upon for appeal pursuant to Pa.R.A.P. 2119(f).

See Appellant’s Brief at 5-11. Accordingly, we must now consider whether

Appellant’s claim raises a substantial question.

This Court has explained:

A substantial question exists where an appellant “advances a colorable argument that the trial court’s actions were inconsistent with a specific provision of the sentencing code, or contrary to the fundamental norms underlying the sentencing process.” In determining whether a substantial question exists, “[o]ur inquiry must focus on the reasons for which the appeal is sought in contrast to the facts underlying the appeal, which are necessary only to decide the appeal on the merits.” Additionally, we cannot look beyond the statement of questions presented and the prefatory 2119(f) statement to determine whether a substantial question exists.

Commonwealth v. Provenzano, 50 A.3d 148, 154 (Pa. Super. 2012)

(citations omitted).

Appellant contends that the “aggregate sentence imposed upon him

violated the letter and/or spirit of the Sentencing Code.” Appellant’s Brief at

9. Specifically, he argues the court “focused only on the seriousness of the

case and the need to protect the public without considering the facts of the

case and [his] rehabilitative needs.” Id. at 10. Further, Appellant avers that

the consecutive nature of the sentences imposed created a maximum

sentence that essentially amounted to a life sentence for non-violent crimes.5 ____________________________________________

5 Appellant also asserts, in his summary of the argument, that the “trial court failed to give adequate reasons to justify the excessive sentence it imposed .

-4- J-S27018-20

Id. This Court has found that “an excessive sentence claim, in conjunction

with an assertion that the court did not consider mitigating factors, raised a

substantial question.” See Commonwealth v. Dodge, 77 A.3d 1263, 1272

(Pa. Super. 2013). Moreover, a claim that the trial court focused solely on

the seriousness of the offense without considering a defendant’s rehabilitative

needs also raises a substantial question. See Commonwealth v. Blount,

207 A.3d 925, 936 (Pa. Super. 2019). Accordingly, we proceed to review the

specific issue on appeal.6

Preliminarily, we note:

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Com. v. Maitre, R., Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/com-v-maitre-r-pasuperct-2020.