Hannigan v. United States

131 F. Supp. 3d 480, 2015 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 29732, 2015 WL 10464812
CourtDistrict Court, E.D. North Carolina
DecidedMarch 10, 2015
DocketNo. 7:09-CR-133-D, No. 7:14-CV-122-D
StatusPublished
Cited by7 cases

This text of 131 F. Supp. 3d 480 (Hannigan v. United States) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, E.D. North Carolina primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Hannigan v. United States, 131 F. Supp. 3d 480, 2015 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 29732, 2015 WL 10464812 (E.D.N.C. 2015).

Opinion

ORDER

JAMES C. DEVER III, Chief United States District Judge

On June 5, 2014, Christopher Matthew Hannigan (“Hannigan”) moved pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 2255 to vacate, set aside, or correct .his 336-month sentence. See [D.E. 33]. On July 22, 2014, the United States (“government”) • moved to dismiss Hannigan’s section 2255 motion' as untimely and filed a supporting memorandum. See [D.E. 37, 38]. On August 29, 2014, Hannigan responded in opposition. See [D.E. 43]. As explained below, the court grants the government’s motion to dismiss and dismisses Hannigan’s section 2255 motion as untimely.

I.

On October 14, 2009, a federal grand jury in the Eastern District of North Carolina indicted Hannigan and charged him with one count of manufacturing child pornography in violation of 18 U.S.C. §§ 2251(a) and (d) (count one), two counts of distributing child pornography in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 2252(a)(1) (counts two and three), twelve counts of receiving child pornography in violation of 18 U.S.C; § 2252(a)(2) (counts four through fifteen), one count of possessing child pornography in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 2252(a)(4)(B) (count sixteen), and one count of transporting obscene matters over the Internet in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1462 (count seventeen). See Indictment [D.E. 1]. On January 13, 2010, Hannigan pleaded guilty, pursuant to a written plea agreement [D.E. 22], to count one. Nee Rule 11 Tr. [D.E. 46] 4-21, 25-32.

On May 5, 2010, the court sentenced Hannigan to 336 months’ imprisonment and a lifetime of supervised release. See Sentencing Tr. [D.E. 47] 15. The sentence was within the advisory guideline range calculated at sentencing of 292 to 360 months’ imprisonment. See id. 5-6. The court entered judgment on May 13, 2010. See [D.E. 30], Hannigan did not appeal, and his judgment of conviction became final on May 13, 2010. See, e.g., United States v. Sanders, 247 F.3d 139, 142 (4th Cir.2001); cf. Clay v. United States, 537 U.S. 522, 532, 123 S.Ct. 1072, 155 L.Ed.2d 88 (2003) (“[F]or federal criminal defendants who do not file a petition for certiorari with [the Supreme] Court on direct review, - § 2255’s one-year limitation period starts to run when the time for seeking such review expires.”).1

[485]*485On June 5, 2014, over four years after his conviction became final, Hannigan filed his section 2255 motion. See [D.E. 33]. Hannigan states five grounds for relief. See id. 4-12. First, Hannigan contends that his defense counsel was constitutionally ineffective for failing to file a notice of appeal as directed. See id. 4-5. Second, Hannigan contends that the court’s application at sentencing of U.S.S.G. § 4B1.5 for engaging in a pattern of activity involving prohibited sexual conduct violated the Fifth and Sixth Amendments in light of Alleyne v. United States, — U.S. -, 133 S.Ct. 2151, 186 L.Ed.2d 314 (2013). See id. 5-6. Third, Hannigan contends that his defense counsel was constitutionally ineffective for failing to subject the case to adversarial testing, failing to investigate the case, and for recommending that Hannigan plead guilty. See id. 7-9. Fourth, Hannigan contends that, at the sentencing hearing, his defense counsel was constitutionally ineffective for failing to ask the court to permit Hannigan to withdraw his guilty plea when the government allegedly admitted during the sentencing hearing that the minor victim in count one initiated the video feed that prompted Hannigan to ask the minor to perform a sex act, which Hannigan then recorded. See id. .9-10. In Hannigan’s view, the minor’s initiation of the video feed absolves Hannigan of manufacturing child pornography. See id. Fifth, Hannigan contends that before he pleaded guilty, his defense counsel was constitutionally ineffective for failing to obtain a psychiatric examination of Hannigan, for miscalculating the advisory guideline range, and for erroneously advising Hannigan that he would receive a one-year reduction in his sentence if he successfully completed the Residential Drug Abuse Program. See id. 11-12.

In response, the government moved to dismiss Hannigan’s motion as: untimely, citing the one-year statute of limitations in 28 U.S.C. § 2255(f). See [D.E. 38]. In reply, Hannigan argues (1) that his section 2255 motion is timely under section 2255(f)(3) due to Alleyne and Whiteside v. United States, 748 F.3d 541 (4th Cir.), overruled. 775 F.3d 180 (4th Cir.2014) (en banc), (2) that his section 2255 motion is timely under section 2255(f)(4) because he acted with “due diligence,” and (3) that equitable tolling should apply under Maples v. Thomas, — U.S. -, 132 S.Ct. 912, 181 L.Ed.2d 807 (2012), because his defense counsel abandoned him. See [D.E. 43].

II.

A motion to dismiss under Rule 12(b)(6) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure for “failure to'state a claim upon which relief can be granted” tests whether the complaint is legally and factually sufficient. See Ashcroft v. Iqbal, 556 U.S. 662, 677-78, 129 S.Ct. 1937, 173 L.Ed.2d 868 (2009); Bell Atl. Corp. v. Twombly, 550 U.S. 544, 562-63, 570, 127 S.Ct. 1955, 167 L.Ed.2d 929 (2007); Coleman v. Md. Court of Appeals, 626 F.3d 187, 190 (4th Cir.2010), aff'd, — U.S. —, 132 S.Ct. 1327, 182 L.Ed.2d 296 (2012); Giarratano v. Johnson, 521 F.3d 298, 302 (4th Cir.2008); accord Erickson v. Pardus, 551 U.S. 89, 93-94, 127 S.Ct. 2197, 167 L.Ed.2d 1081 (2007) (per curiam). In considering a motion to dismiss, a court need not accept a complaint’s legal conclusions drawn from the facts. See, e.g., Iqbal, 556 U.S. at 678, 129 S.Ct. 1937, Similarly, a, court “need not accept as true unwarranted inferences, unreasonable conclusions, or arguments.” Giarratano, 521 F.3d at 302 (quotation omitted); see Iqbal, 556 U.S. at 677-79, 129 S.Ct. 1937. Moreover, a court may take judicial notice of public records without converting a motion to dismiss into a motion for summary judgment. See, e.g., Fed.R.Evid. 201; Tellabs, Inc. v. Makor Issues & Rights, Ltd., 551 U.S. 308, 322, 127 S.Ct. 2499, 168 L.Ed.2d 179 (2007); [486]*486Philips v. Pitt Cnty. Mem’l Hosp., 572

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Bluebook (online)
131 F. Supp. 3d 480, 2015 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 29732, 2015 WL 10464812, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/hannigan-v-united-states-nced-2015.