Eubanks v. United States

11 F. Supp. 2d 455, 1998 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 12376, 1998 WL 476238
CourtDistrict Court, S.D. New York
DecidedAugust 11, 1998
Docket97 Civ. 3891 (PKL), 96 Civ. 9225 (PKL), 97 Civ. 2568 (PKL), 97 Civ. 2960 (PKL), 97 Civ. 3041 (PKL), 92 Cr. 392 (PKL)
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 11 F. Supp. 2d 455 (Eubanks v. United States) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, S.D. New York primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Eubanks v. United States, 11 F. Supp. 2d 455, 1998 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 12376, 1998 WL 476238 (S.D.N.Y. 1998).

Opinion

OPINION AND ORDER

LEISURE, District Judge.

Petitioners pro se John Eubanks (“Eu-banks”), John Bowman (“Bowman”), Benjamin Collier (“Collier”), and Kenneth Campbell (“Campbell”) are federal prisoners challenging their sentences pursuant to Title 28, United States Code (“U.S.C.”), Section 2255. Eubanks also brings a petition for reconsideration of a previously decided motion pursuant to Rule 33 of the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure. Petitioner pro se Tsoede Simpson (“Simpson”) is a federal prisoner bringing a petition for reconsideration of his previously decided § 2255 motion. All five individuals were charged with drug trafficking offenses in a multi-count indictment (the “Indictment”). After a four-week jury trial, the jury convicted Eubanks and Bowman of all counts in the Indictment. Simpson, Collier, and Campbell pleaded guilty before trial. The Court considers these petitions together for the sake of judicial economy. For the reasons stated below, the § 2255 petitions, Simpson’s petition for reconsideration of his § 2255 petition, and Eubanks’ petition for reconsideration of his Rule 33 motion are denied.

BACKGROUND

I. Procedural Background

On October 6, 1992, October 13, 1992, and October 22, 1992, respectively, the Court accepted Simpson’s, Collier’s, and Campbell’s guilty pleas in response to charges of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute cocaine base, commonly known as “crack,” in violation of 21 U.S.C. §§ 812, 841(a)(1), 841(b)(1)(A), and 846. Subsequently, the Court sentenced each of them to 168 months imprisonment and five years supervised release. Meanwhile, on December 11, 1992, a jury convicted Bowman of the single offense with which he was charged, distribution of and possession with intent to distribute crack and aiding and abetting the same, in violation of 21 U.S.C. §§ 812, 841(a)(1), 841(b)(1)(B) and 18 U.S.C. § 2. 1 On July 14, 1993, the Court sentenced Bowman to life imprisonment and ten years supervised release. The same jury convicted Eu-banks of the two charges on which he was indicted: (1) conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute crack, in violation of 21 U.S.C. §§ 812, 841(a)(1), 841(b)(1)(A), and 846; and (2) distribution of and possession with intent to distribute crack and aiding and abetting the same, in violation of 21 U.S.C. §§ 812, 841(a)(1), 841(b)(1)(B) *459 and 18 U.S.C. § 2. On February 1, 1994, the Court sentenced Eubanks to life imprisonment on the conspiracy count, with a concurrent forty-year term of imprisonment on the possession count.

In a Summary Order entered December 8, 1994, the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit affirmed the convictions of Eubanks, Bowman, and Simpson. On August 25, 1994, Campbell withdrew his appeal to the Second Circuit. At Collier’s request, on March 16, 1998, the Second Circuit dismissed his appeal pending determination of this motion. All five defendants currently are incarcerated. On July 15, 1997, this Court denied Eubanks’ and Bowman’s motions for new trials pursuant to Fed. R.Crim.P. 33 and Simpson’s motion to set aside his sentence and for a Fatico hearing pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 2255.

In the instant Petitions, Campbell, Collier, Eubanks, and Bowman seek to set aside their sentences for the various reasons described below. 2 Eubanks, also applies for reconsideration of his Rule 33 motion, and Simpson seeks reconsideration of his previous habeas corpus Petition. 3

II. Factual Background

The evidence presented at trial established that the defendants were members of a narcotics trafficking organization (the “Organization”) that sold crack, principally at two locations: one on 127th Street between Madison and Park Avenues (the “Manhattan spot”), and one on Clay Avenue between 173d and 174th Streets (the “Bronx spot”). Three cooperating witnesses — former members of the Organization — as well as six others testified.

The accomplice witnesses testified to Eu-banks’, Simpson’s and Bowman’s roles in the Organization. Eubanks oversaw the Bronx spot. Bowman was a supervisor, known as a “lieutenant”, at the same location, and later-at the Manhattan spot. Simpson was a seller, known as a “pitcher”, and later a lieutenant, at the Bronx spot, and also transported money and crack between the two locations. The testimony of the accomplice witnesses substantially corroborated one another’s, and the testimony of Delano Reid (“Reid”), an undercover agent of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms, (the “ATF”), and that of Steven Howard (“Howard”), a confidential informant (“Cl”), also corroborated the accomplice witnesses’ testimony. Both Reid and Howard engaged in numerous tape-recorded drug transactions with members of the Organization. The Government also presented testimony of ATF agents and New York City Housing Police officers who surv-eilled and videotaped both spots. In his plea agreement, Collier stipulated that he also was a manager of the criminal activity charged in the Indictment. Campbell stipulated in his plea agreement that he was a manager of the criminal activity charged in the Indictment and possessed' a firearm during commission of the criminal activity charged. Both Collier and Campbell acknowledged that they conspired to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute' 50 grams and more of crack.

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Related

Bowman v. United States
685 F. Supp. 2d 519 (S.D. New York, 2010)
Hom Sui Ching v. United States
298 F.3d 174 (Second Circuit, 2002)
Beatty v. United States
142 F. Supp. 2d 454 (S.D. New York, 2001)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
11 F. Supp. 2d 455, 1998 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 12376, 1998 WL 476238, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/eubanks-v-united-states-nysd-1998.