Joseph v. People of California

District Court, N.D. California·Decided August 21, 2023·No. 3:21-cv-06745·Unknown

Opinion

JAMES JOSEPH, Case No. 21-cv-06745-WHO (PR)

Petitioner, ORDER DENYING PETITION FOR v.

RICK HILL, Re: Dkt. No. 20 Respondent.

Petitioner James Joseph seeks federal habeas relief from his California state convictions for human trafficking, rape, sodomy and other crimes. None of his claims for habeas relief has merit. His conviction for conspiracy to commit human trafficking did not violate the Ex Post Facto Clause because the conspiracy straddled the effective date of the statute; the trial court’s denial of his motion to dismiss was valid because Contra Costa County was a proper venue; trial counsel was not ineffective in not filing the motion to dismiss before trial; and certain charges were not barred by the statute of limitations. His petition for habeas relief is DENIED. And his motion to stay proceedings and for an order directing New York and California courts to produce voluminous court records is also In 2017, Joseph was convicted by a Contra Costa County Superior Court jury of conspiracy to commit human trafficking, human trafficking with the intent to pimp or pander, fourteen counts of rape, two counts of sodomy, and forcible oral copulation. (Ans., State Appellate Opinion, Dkt. No. 15-21 at 3, 7.)1 The jury also found true an allegation he committed forcible sex acts against multiple victims. (Id.) A sentence of 159 years, plus fifteen years to life, in state prison was imposed. (Id. at 7.) On appeal, the state appellate court reversed five of the rape convictions for lack of territorial jurisdiction, ordered that the judgment be modified to reflect a sentence of 119 years plus fifteen years to life, and otherwise affirmed the trial court judgment. (Id. at 21.) Joseph’s other attempts to overturn his state convictions in state court were unsuccessful. This federal habeas petition followed. The state appellate court summarized the facts as follows:

Overview of Prosecution Evidence 1. Jane Doe 1 (Counts 1 and 5-11) In March 2001, a woman approached Doe 1 at a shopping mall in Monterey and asked whether Doe 1 would be interested in traveling and doing makeup. Doe 1 took the woman’s business card. Later, Doe 1 interviewed for the position and ‘got the job.’ She met the woman at a restaurant to fill out employment paperwork. At the meeting, Doe 1 ‘felt like something was wrong,’ so she left.

As Doe 1 approached her car, Joseph drove up next to her. Another man ‘forcefully’ pulled Doe 1 into the car. Joseph drove to a house in Livermore, where he and his companion carried Doe 1 inside and took off her clothes. Then Joseph held Doe 1 down, and raped and sodomized her. Joseph locked Doe 1 in a bedroom.

A short time later, Joseph introduced Doe 1 to Lavassani, his most senior prostitute. Lavassani told Doe 1 she would be having sex with men for money, and that Joseph would be her pimp. Then Joseph took Doe to her first appointment. On the way there, Joseph forced Doe to orally copulate him. After the appointment, Doe 1 gave the money to Joseph and begged to go home. He refused. Doe 1 lived in the Livermore house with several other prostitutes.2

1 People v. Joseph, 63 Cal. App. 5th 1058, 1062 (Cal. Ct. App. May 3, 2021).

2 “Additional prostitutes lived at Joseph’s houses in Tracy and Manteca. Joseph lived in Joseph forced Doe 1 to prostitute herself throughout the Bay Area. Doe 1 had prostitution appointments in Walnut Creek, and she was driven through Walnut Creek on her way to other appointments. Doe 1 also traveled to other states for the purpose of prostitution. Joseph assaulted Doe 1 and raped her at least 10 times. He controlled every aspect of Doe 1’s life through a regime of violence and fear until March 2002, when Doe 1 was taken into police custody. 2. Jane Doe 2 (Counts 1 and 12-14)

In late 2001, Doe 2 met with Joseph at a nightclub in San Francisco, where he promised her a ‘modeling contract’ and a ‘great life.’ Then Joseph took Doe 2 to a hotel in the East Bay to discuss ‘modeling.’ Doe 2 asked to leave, but Joseph refused. He made Doe 2 undress and forced her to orally copulate him. Joseph also raped Doe 2. Shortly thereafter, Doe 2 moved into Joseph’s house in Tracy, where he raped her several times. Later, Doe 2 moved to Joseph’s house in Livermore.

Joseph forced Doe 2 to prostitute herself. Like Doe 1, Doe 2 was taken to prostitution appointments all over the Bay Area. Later, Joseph forced Doe 2 to prostitute herself in New York, Washington D.C., and Miami. In 2002, Doe 2 was taken into police custody in New York.

3. Jane Does 3 and 4 (Counts 1 and 15-16)

In late 2001 or early 2002, Joseph approached Doe 3 at a mall in Pleasanton and offered to provide her with modeling opportunities where she would travel and make money. It sounded exciting, so Doe 3 agreed. Shortly thereafter, Doe 3 moved into Joseph’s house in Manteca or Tracy, where at least one of Joseph’s prostitutes lived. Later, the plan ‘changed,’ and Joseph told Doe 3 she would move to Georgia to model and ‘go on dates’ with men. As Joseph drove Doe 3 from California to Georgia, they got into an argument. Joseph pulled the car over and raped Doe 3 ‘on the hood of the car.’ When Joseph and Doe 3 arrived in Atlanta, they checked into a hotel where Joseph sodomized Doe 3. With Doe 3’s encouragement, Doe 4 moved to Atlanta. Joseph raped Does 3 and 4 in Atlanta. Joseph prepared Doe 3 and Doe 4 to prostitute themselves but Doe 3 escaped and returned to California before she had to go on a prostitution appointment.

4. Jane Doe 5 (Counts 1, 2, and 17-21) In 2013, Joseph approached Jane Doe 5 at a restaurant in Alabama and asked hotel, where he told Doe 5 that she would start her modeling career by ‘sleeping with men’ for money. Joseph acknowledged what Doe 5 would be doing was illegal, but assured her she would be ‘safe.’ He also claimed his prostitution operation was like a ‘family.’ Doe 5 quit her job and put her belongings in storage.

Joseph drove Doe 5 to North Carolina. In North Carolina, Joseph raped Doe 5 several times. Doe 5 started working as a prostitute in June 2014. She worked in North Carolina and New York. Doe visited California a ‘couple times on holidays.’ In February 2015, she obtained a California driver’s license. Three months later, Doe 5 traveled to San Francisco for breast augmentation surgery. Doe had the surgery to improve her chances of landing a modeling contract. Doe 5 spent two weeks in California recovering from the surgery. Then she returned to New York, where she was later taken into police custody. 5. Police Investigation

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Joseph v. People of California, (N.D. Cal. 2023).

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