Henderson v. Grondolsky

370 F. Supp. 3d 186
CourtDistrict Court, District of Columbia
DecidedMarch 28, 2019
DocketCIVIL ACTION NO. 17-10451-JGD
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 370 F. Supp. 3d 186 (Henderson v. Grondolsky) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, District of Columbia primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Henderson v. Grondolsky, 370 F. Supp. 3d 186 (D.D.C. 2019).

Opinion

Judith Gail Dein United States Magistrate Judge

I. INTRODUCTION

On January 9, 2007, the Petitioner, Valentino Henderson, was convicted by a jury *189sitting in the United States District Court, Middle District of Pennsylvania, of one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute two kilograms and more of cocaine hydrochloride in violation of 21 U.S.C. § 846, and one count of distribution and possession with intent to distribute two kilograms and more of cocaine hydrochloride in violation of 21 U.S.C. § 841(a). United States District Court, Middle District of Pennsylvania (Harrisburg) Cr. No. 1:06cr234.1 He was sentenced as a career offender under U.S. Sentencing Guidelines Manual ("U.S.S.G." or "Sentencing Guidelines") §§ 4B1.1 and 4B1.2 to 160 months, concurrently on each count. His career offender status was based upon prior Pennsylvania state law convictions for aggravated assault and possession with intent to deliver cocaine.

Henderson's conviction was affirmed on appeal. He subsequently filed a petition pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 2255 with the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, arguing ineffective assistance of counsel. His petition was denied. Subsequently, Henderson sought leave from the Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit to file a successive § 2255 habeas petition with the Pennsylvania Middle District Court challenging his sentence as a career offender on the grounds that his prior Pennsylvania state conviction of aggravated assault did not qualify as a crime of violence under Johnson v. United States, --- U.S. ----, 135 S.Ct. 2551, 192 L.Ed.2d 569 (2015). These challenges ultimately proved unsuccessful.

Henderson is currently incarcerated at the Federal Medical Center, Devens, in Ayer, Massachusetts. He has filed the instant habeas petition pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 2241, alleging that his prior Pennsylvania state court convictions are not qualifying crimes of violence or controlled substance offenses under Descamps v. United States, 570 U.S. 254, 133 S.Ct. 2276, 186 L.Ed.2d 438 (2013), Johnson v. United States, --- U.S. ----, 135 S.Ct. 2551, 192 L.Ed.2d 569 (2015), and Mathis v. United States, --- U.S. ----, 136 S.Ct. 2243, 195 L.Ed.2d 604 (2016). He is seeking to be resentenced as a non-career offender. The Government has moved to dismiss Henderson's petition for lack of jurisdiction, or, in the alternative, requests that the petition be denied on substantive grounds. Docket No. 11.

For the reasons detailed herein, this court finds that it lacks jurisdiction over the instant petition, and that, in the alternative, there was no error in sentencing. Therefore, the Government's motion to dismiss or deny the habeas petition is ALLOWED.

II. STATEMENT OF FACTS 2

The Original Sentence

On January 9, 2007, Henderson was convicted of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute two kilograms and more of cocaine hydrochloride in violation of 21 U.S.C. § 846, and distribution and possession with intent to distribute two kilograms and more of cocaine hydrochloride in violation of 21 U.S.C. § 841(a)(1). PA Dkt. No. 43; Ex. 1. The Presentence Report (App. B) ("PSR") calculated the total offense level to be 34.

*190PSR ¶¶ 16, 24. While Henderson's criminal history was originally calculated at IV, it was increased to VI upon the conclusion that he was a career offender. PSR ¶¶ 23, 31. His career offender status was based on the fact that he was at least 18 years old at the time of the offense, the offense was a controlled substance offense, and, as discussed more fully below, he had at least two prior felony convictions for crimes of violence and controlled substance offenses. Id. The change in the criminal history calculation from IV to VI increased the applicable Guideline range from 210 to 262 months to 262 to 327 months of incarceration. PSR ¶ 50; see U.S.S.G. Chapter 5, Sentencing Table.

The sentencing judge rejected the Government's calculation of the amount of drugs involved and concluded that Henderson's base offense level would have been 28 absent his career offender status, not the 34 calculated by the Government. Nevertheless, the base level was increased to 34 due to Henderson's status as a career offender. Sentencing Transcript (Ex. 3) at 10. The sentencing judge also found that "the defendant's career offender designation substantially overrepresents the seriousness of his criminal history and the likelihood that he will commit other crimes." Id. at 24. Consequently, the court allowed a downward departure to a criminal history category of V and an offense level of 30.

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Bluebook (online)
370 F. Supp. 3d 186, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/henderson-v-grondolsky-dcd-2019.