Com. v. Riley, L., Jr.

CourtSuperior Court of Pennsylvania
DecidedDecember 14, 2017
Docket1972 MDA 2016
StatusUnpublished

This text of Com. v. Riley, L., Jr. (Com. v. Riley, L., Jr.) 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. Riley, L., Jr., (Pa. Ct. App. 2017).

Opinion

J-S64042-17

NON-PRECEDENTIAL DECISION - SEE SUPERIOR COURT I.O.P. 65.37

COMMONWEALTH OF PENNSYLVANIA IN THE SUPERIOR COURT OF PENNSYLVANIA

v.

LEONARD O. RILEY, JR

Appellant No. 1972 MDA 2016

Appeal from the Judgment of Sentence January 12, 2016 In the Court of Common Pleas of Dauphin County Criminal Division at No(s): CP-22-CR-0005291-2014

BEFORE: PANELLA, J., SHOGAN, J., and FITZGERALD,* J.

MEMORANDUM BY FITZGERALD, J.: FILED DECEMBER 14, 2017

Appellant, Leonard O. Riley, Jr., appeals nunc pro tunc from the

judgment of sentence to serve an aggregate thirty-nine to seventy-eight

months’ imprisonment for delivery of a controlled substance1 and criminal use

of a communication facility.2 Appellant claims that the evidence was

insufficient to sustain the conviction for criminal use of a communication

facility, that the verdicts were against the weight of the evidence, and that

the sentence was manifestly excessive. We affirm.

The trial court summarized the evidence against Appellant as follows:

On May 6, 2014, Harrisburg City Police Detective Sean Cornick served as the lead detective in a drug investigation

* Former Justice specially assigned to the Superior Court. 1 35 P.S. § 780-113(a)(30).

2 18 Pa.C.S. § 7512(a). J-S64042-17

of a person known as “Mac”. In the investigation, Detective Cornick utilized a confidential informant (“CI”) who previously assisted in investigations which resulted in convictions.

On the afternoon of May 6, 2014, the CI placed a call to Mac in the presence of Detective Cornick. Detective Cornick heard a male voice on the other end of the conversation. The CI arranged to meet Mac at a customary meeting place, Woodbine and Logan Streets in Harrisburg. The CI ordered ten packs of heroin. After the phone call, Detective Cornick searched the CI’s person and vehicle to ensure that the CI did not possess drugs, drug paraphernalia or money. The CI possessed only a cell phone. Detective Cornick provided the CI with $70 in Dauphin County Drug Task Force buy money.

Harrisburg City Police Detective Nicholas Licata assisted with the investigation. Detective Licata and [Office of the Attorney General] Agent Henry Giammarco set up surveillance in an unmarked vehicle near Woodbine and Logan Streets.

Driving his own vehicle, the CI followed Detective Cornick to that location and parked south of Cornick’s vehicle. They remained in communication. The CI informed Detective Cornick that the target was en route to the location driving a black 300 Chrysler. The black Chrysler arrived at the area and parked north of Detective Cornick’s vehicle. An individual exited the Chrysler and walked south toward Woodbine Street. At trial, Detective Cornick identified the individual as [Appellant].

Detective Licata testified regarding his surveillance. Detective Licata saw a black male exit the front passenger seat of the Chrysler and toward the detectives’ vehicle. At trial, Detective Licata also identified that person as [Appellant].

Both detectives testified that as [Appellant] walked south on Woodbine Street, he observed Detective Cornick. Detective Cornick drove away in order to avoid further eye contact with [Appellant]. [Appellant] continuously watched as Detective Cornick drove away. [Appellant] returned to the

-2- J-S64042-17

black Chrysler and also drove away. Up to this point, no one had approached the CI’s vehicle and the CI did not exit his vehicle.

Within minutes, the black Chrysler returned and parked behind the CI’s vehicle. The CI left his vehicle and entered the rear passenger seat of the Chrysler.[3] . . . After the CI exited, [Appellant] reached for something in the back seat where the CI had been seated.

Detective Licata maintained constant surveillance of the CI after he returned to his vehicle.

Following the transaction, Detective Cornick instructed the CI to follow him to a pre-established secure meeting place. The CI followed. At the meeting place, Detective Cornick repeated the search as conducted before the transaction. The CI handed Detective Cornick ten green glassine bags. The CI did not possess any additional drugs or paraphernalia and did not have the $70 of Drug Task Force money. Pennsylvania State Police Laboratory crime lab testing determined that the bags contained a total of .28 grams of heroin. (N.T. pp. 23-24).

Several weeks later, Detective Licata arrested [Appellant] in connection with another investigation. In the course of that arrest, Detective Licata recovered a phone from [Appellant] which contained a series of text messages inquiring about the other person’s location at Logan Street and the prices for packages of heroin[]. The text message referred to [Appellant]’s street names of “Mac” or “Omizz”. The number of the phone seized from [Appellant] at that arrest contained messages which indicated they were from “Omizz” at his new number.

3 The trial court further stated that after the CI entered the car, “[Appellant] joined the CI in the rear passenger seat. The CI and [Appellant] remained there for 30-60 seconds.” Trial Ct. Op., 3/11/17 at 4. However, as discussed below that finding is not supported in the record. See N.T., 1/12/16, at 37 (indicating that Appellant exited the vehicle from the front passenger seat after the CI got out, and then went to the back seat and reached toward the area where the CI had been).

-3- J-S64042-17

Trial Ct. Op. at 2-4 (record citations omitted).

On January 12, 2016, Appellant proceeded to a nonjury trial at which

the trial court found him guilty of delivery of a controlled substance and

criminal use of a communication facility. Appellant waived the preparation of

a presentence investigation report, and the court immediately sentenced

Appellant to consecutive sentences of twenty-seven to fifty-four months’

imprisonment for the delivery and twelve to twenty-four months’ for the use

of communication facility. The trial court directed that the sentences run

consecutive to a previously imposed sentence.4 On January 21, 2016,

Appellant’s counsel filed a motion to withdraw from representation indicating

that Appellant intended to proceed pro se, which the trial court granted on

January 25, 2016. Meanwhile, Appellant filed several pro se post-sentence

motions. The trial court denied the pro se post-sentence motions on February

3, 2016. That same day, Appellant filed a pro se notice of appeal.

Appellant obtained new counsel, who subsequently discontinued

Appellant’s pro se appeal and filed a Post Conviction Relief Act, 42 Pa.C.S. §§

9541-9546, petition seeking reinstatement of his direct appeal rights. On

September 27, 2016, the PCRA court granted Appellant’s petition.

4 On the day before trial in the instant case, Appellant was convicted and sentenced in a separate case docketed in the trial court as “5649-2014.” Appellant’s Brief at 9 n.2. According to Appellant, he was sentenced to one and one-half to three years’ imprisonment, and he took a separate appeal at 294 MDA 2017. Id. The current record only contains passing reference to 5649-2014.

-4- J-S64042-17

On October 6, 2016, Appellant filed post-sentence motions nunc pro

tunc challenging the weight of the evidence and the discretionary aspects of

the sentence. The trial court denied the post-sentence motions on November

10, 2016. Appellant timely appealed and complied with the trial court’s order

to file and serve a Pa.R.A.P. 1925(b) statement. This appeal followed.

Appellant presents the following questions for review:

I. Was not the evidence insufficient to sustain a conviction for the offense defined at 18 Pa.C.S.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
Com. v. Riley, L., Jr., Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/com-v-riley-l-jr-pasuperct-2017.