Drake v. United States

CourtUnited States Court of Federal Claims
DecidedApril 3, 2018
Docket17-581
StatusUnpublished

This text of Drake v. United States (Drake v. United States) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States Court of Federal Claims primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

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Drake v. United States, (uscfc 2018).

Opinion

]n tbe Wniteb ~tates Qeourt of jfeberal Qelaims No. 17-581C FILED Filed: April 3, 2018

**************************************** APR 0 3 2018 * U.S . COURT OF ERIC DRAKE, * FEDERAL CLAIMS * Plaintiff, prose, * * v. * * THE UNITED STATES, * * Defendant. * * **************************************** Eric Drake, Dallas, Texas, Plaintiff, prose.

Jeffrey M. Lowry, United States Department of Justice, Civil Division, Washington, D.C., Counsel for the Government.

MEMORANDUM OPINION AND FINAL ORDER GRANTING THE GOVERNMENT'S MOTION TO DISMISS BRADEN, ChiefJudge.

I. RELEVANT FACTUAL BACKGROUND. 1

In May 1990, Eric Drake "relocated to Virginia Beach, Virginia . .. to attend Regent University." 11/25/17 Am. Compl. ~ 17.

On May 30, 1990, after "ma[king] a deposit of eight thousand dollars at the Bank of Tidewater," bank employees contacted the United States Secret Service (the "Secret Service"), "because the bank apparently felt like [Mr. Drake] ... obtained the funds illegally." 11/25/ 17 Am. Comp!. ~ 18. Thereafter, Secret Service agents arrived at the bank and arrested Mr. Drake, who

1 The relevant facts discussed herein were derived from: the November 15, 2017 Amended Complaint ("11 /25/17 Am. Compl.") and attached exhibits ("11/25/ 17 Am. Comp!. Ex. A- K"); and a September 27, 2006 Complaint, filed with the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana in Drake v. United States, No. 06- 6264, 2007 WL 1182847 (E.D. La. Apr. 18, 2007). See Los Angeles Biomedical Research Inst. at Harbor-UCLA Med. Ctr. v. Eli Lilly & Co., 849 F.3d 1049, 1061 n.6 (Fed. Cir. 2017) ("We can properly take judicial notice of the records of related court proceedings."). they believed "reached for a gun in his vehicle." 11/25/17 Am. Comp!. 'if'if 18-19, 83. "After [Mr. Drake] was arrested ... , he was taken to the Virginia Beach Jail." 11/25/17 Am. Comp!. 'if 84.

On May 31, 1990, a Federal Magistrate ordered Mr. Drake 2 to "liquidate his gun collection or his automobile to pay the full cost of the court appointed [attorney's] fees[.]" 11/25/17 Am. Comp!. Ex. D. Mr. Drake was required to sell "[t]he automobile or gun collection ... within two (2) months," i.e., by July 31, 1990. 11/25/17 Am. Comp!. Ex. D (emphasis omitted).

On August 14, 1990, Mr. Drake pied guilty to a violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1028(a)(1)3 for "[p]roducing [f]alse ID cards." 11/25/17 Am. Comp!. 'if 15; 11/25/17 Am. Comp!. Ex. H, J.

On October 17, 1990, Mr. Drake was sentenced to "a term of one hundred and forty one (141) days of incarceration, which time had already been served.l4 J Consequently, [Mr. Drake] was released. A twenty four (24) month term of supervised release as well as a fine of $2570.00 were also imposed." 11/25/17 Am. Comp!. Ex. H.

On October 22, 1990, the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia received two letters from Mr. Drake, one dated August 21, 1990, and the other dated October 18, 1990. 11125/17 Am. Comp!. Ex. H; 11/25/17 Am. Comp!. 'if 98. "One of the letters was written to explain ... [Mr. Drake's] faith in God. The other letter informed [the court] that the federal agents involved in [Mr. Drake's] criminal case committed crimes against him, which forced him to plea[d] guilty to be released from jail." 11/25/17 Am. Comp!. 'if 98.

In 1994, Mr. Drake petitioned the Governor of Louisiana for a pardon. 11/25/17 Am. Comp!. 'if 16.

On September 27, 1995, the Governor of Louisiana granted Mr. Drake "a restoration of full rights of citizenship, including the right to own, possess, receive, ship and transport firearms, and remission of all forfeitures resulting from [Mr. Drake's October 17, 1990] conviction[.]" 11/25/17 Am. Comp!. Ex. J.

On September 6, 2005, Mr. Drake "filed a motion for expungement" in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia. 11/25/17 Am. Comp!. 'if 16. On December 19, 2005, Mr. Drake's "motion for expungement" was "denied." 11/25/17 Am. Comp!. 'if 16.

2 The Federal Magistrate referred to Mr. Drake as "David Wayne Rogers." 11/25/17 Am. Comp!. Ex. D; see also 11/25/17 Am. Comp!. Ex. H (referring to Plaintiff as "David Wayne Rogers," and listing "Eric von Drake," "Eric von Rogers," and "Mark Fuller" as aliases). 3 At the time of Mr. Drake's plea, 18 U.S.C. § 1028(a)(l) provided that "[w]hoever ... knowingly and without lawful authority produces an identification document or a false identification document ... or attempts to do so, shall be punished[.]" 18 U.S.C. § 1028(a)(l) (1990). 4 "[Plaintiff] was held in custody from the time of his arrest on May 30, 1990 until his sentencing hearing, on October 17, 1990." 11/25/17 Am. Comp!. Ex. H.

2 On September 27, 2006, Mr. Drake filed a Complaint in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana, alleging that

[t]he court in Virginia subjected [Mr. Drake] to 'Prisoner of War' type of conditions that w[ ere] meant to break [Mr. Drake] down to plea[ d] guilty. Federal agents filed false reports, [and] manufactured [a] false indictment and witnesses in order to induce [Mr. Drake] to plead guilty to a felony to take away a completely legal gun collection. [Mr. Drake pled] guilty to [18 U.S.C. §] 1028(a)(l).

Complaint, Drake v. United States, No. 06-6264, 2007 WL 1182847 (E.D. La. Apr. 18, 2007).

On April 18, 2007, the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana dismissed Mr. Drake's September 27, 2006 Complaint. Drake v. United States, No. 06-6264, 2007 WL 1182847, *3 (E.D. La. Apr. 18, 2007)( dismissing forlack of subject matter jurisdiction).

II. PROCEDURAL HISTORY.

On April 27, 2017, Mr. Drake ("Plaintiff') filed a Complaint in the United States Court of Federal Claims. ECF No. 1.

On June 26, 2017, the Government filed a Motion To Dismiss, pursuant to Rule of the United States Court of Federal Claims ("RCFC") 12(b)(l). ECF No. 7.

On July 5, 2017, Plaintiff filed a Motion For Default Or Default Judgment, pursuant to RCFC 55(a). ECF No. 8. On July 11, 2017, Plaintiff filed a Motion To Stay, requesting that the court stay this case until October 16, 2017. ECF No. 9.

On July 14, 2017, the court issued an Order granting Plaintiffs July 11, 2017 Motion To Stay, and directing Plaintiff "to file his response to the Government's June 26, 2017 Motion To Dismiss on October 16, 2017." ECF No. 10.

On September 28, 2017, Plaintiff filed a Motion To Amend the April 27, 2017 Complaint. ECFNo. 12.

On October 5, 2017, the court issued an Order granting Plaintiffs September 28, 2017 Motion to Amend, pursuant to RCFC 15(a), directing Plaintiff to "file his Amended Complaint on, or by, November 10, 2017," and 'lift[ing] the July 14, 2017 Stay[.]" ECF No. 14.

On October 10, 2017, the court issued an Order denying, as moot, the Government's June 26, 2017 Motion To Dismiss and Plaintiffs July 5, 2017 Motion For Default Or Default Judgment. ECFNo. 15.

On November 15, 2017, Plaintiff filed an Amended Complaint (ECF No. 18) ("11/15/17 Am. Comp!."), alleging: (1) breach of contract, based on "an implied and bilateral contract" with the Government, 11/15/17 Am. Comp!. ifif 71-81; (2) "unjust conviction," 11/15/17 Am. Comp!. ifif 82-105; (3) violations of 42 U.S.C.

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