People of Michigan v. Renee Lee Bullock

CourtMichigan Court of Appeals
DecidedDecember 30, 2014
Docket317855
StatusUnpublished

This text of People of Michigan v. Renee Lee Bullock (People of Michigan v. Renee Lee Bullock) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Michigan Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
People of Michigan v. Renee Lee Bullock, (Mich. Ct. App. 2014).

Opinion

STATE OF MICHIGAN

COURT OF APPEALS

PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN, UNPUBLISHED December 30, 2014 Plaintiff-Appellee,

v No. 317855 Wayne Circuit Court RENEE LEE BULLOCK, LC No. 12-011495-FH

Defendant-Appellant.

Before: JANSEN, P.J., and TALBOT and SERVITTO, JJ.

PER CURIAM.

Defendant appeals as of right her jury trial conviction of one count of obtaining or using the money or property of a vulnerable adult through fraud, deceit, misrepresentation, coercion or unjust enrichment in an amount valued at $1,000 or more but less than $20,000, in violation of MCL 750.174a(4)(a). The vulnerable adult in the matter is Ronald Bullock (hereafter “Ronald”), defendant’s father. Defendant was placed on probation for a term of five years and ordered to pay $65,000 in restitution. We affirm defendant’s conviction, but remand the case to the trial court for a hearing on restitution.

Defendant raises four issues on appeal. First, defendant contends that she was denied due process when she was tried for a charge she was not, in fact, bound over on after preliminary examination. We disagree.

This Court reviews “unpreserved constitutional error for plain error affecting a defendant’s substantial rights. In order to avoid forfeiture under a plain-error analysis, defendant must establish (1) that an error occurred, (2) that the error was plain, and (3) that the plain error affected defendant’s substantial rights.” People v Kowalski, 489 Mich 488, 505; 803 NW2d 200 (2011) (footnotes omitted). Furthermore, “[r]eversal is warranted only when the plain, forfeited error resulted in the conviction of an actually innocent defendant or when an error seriously affect[ed] the fairness, integrity or public reputation of judicial proceedings independent of the defendant’s innocence.” Id. (citations omitted, alterations in original).

The criminal complaint in defendant’s case was issued on November 26, 2012, charging defendant with “EMBEZZLEMENT – PERSON IN RELATIONSHIP OF TRUST WITH VULNERABLE ADULT – $20,000 OR MORE, contrary to MCL 750.174a(5)(a).” At the conclusion of defendant’s December 6, 2012, preliminary examination, the magistrate found that there was no evidence that defendant committed “the felony of embezzlement over $20,000.” -1- The magistrate did find, however, that there was “at a minimum, a fact question regarding an amount between $1,000 and less than $20,000, so I’ll bind over on the reduced charge of MCL 750.1744(sic)(a).” Because MCL 750.1744(a) does not exist, and the people had moved to bind defendant over on a charge of embezzlement from a vulnerable adult, it is clear that the transcriptionist erred or the magistrate misspoke when referencing such a statute.

To complicate matters further, the bindover document issued after the magistrate’s decision to bind defendant over, provided that defendant was bound over on the amended charge of MCL 750.174(4)(a). That statute prohibits embezzlement by an agent, servant, or employee of another person, but does not involve a vulnerable adult. Again, however, it is clear from the magistrate’s words that it intended to bind defendant over on a “reduced charge”—reduced from the charge of embezzlement of over $20,000 from a vulnerable adult. On December 13, 2012, the prosecution submitted a new information, charging defendant with embezzlement from a vulnerable adult in an amount of $1,000 or more but less than $20,000 in violation of MCL 750.174a(4)(a). At trial, it was clear that defendant was charged under MCL 750.174a(4)(a), and when the trial court instructed the jury at the conclusion of the trial, the judge explained that defendant is charged with one count of “vulnerable adult prohibited contact.” The trial court then summarized all of the elements of MCL 750.174a(4)(a).

Defendant contends that she was denied her right to a fair trial because the complaint and information are fatally defective and cannot confer jurisdiction to the court. Defendant’s argument is entirely unfounded. This Court has held that “[t]he circuit court gains jurisdiction over a defendant charged with a criminal offense triable in circuit court upon the filing of a return by the examining magistrate showing that . . . a preliminary examination was had and the defendant was properly bound over for trial.” People v Farmilo, 137 Mich App 378, 380; 358 NW2d 350 (1984). A correct information was ultimately filed in this case. Thus, defendant’s argument on appeal is meritless.

Defendant next contends that she was denied effective assistance of counsel from her two attorneys, David Dunn, who represented defendant during the preliminary examination, and Terry Price, who represented her at trial. We disagree.

Defendant never moved for a Ginther1 hearing or a new trial. “Thus, review is limited to the existing record.” People v Snider, 239 Mich App 393, 423; 608 NW2d 502 (2000); People v Burton, 219 Mich App 278, 292; 556 NW2d 201 (1996).

“Whether a person has been denied effective assistance of counsel is a mixed question of fact and constitutional law.” People v Dendel, 481 Mich 114, 124; 748 NW2d 859 (2008), quoting People v LeBlanc, 465 Mich 575, 579; 640 NW2d 246 (2002). “A judge first must find the facts, and then must decide whether those facts constitute a violation of the defendant's constitutional right to effective assistance of counsel.” Id. “This Court reviews for clear error a trial court’s factual findings, while we review de novo constitutional determinations.” People v Johnson, 293 Mich App 79, 90; 808 NW2d 815 (2011).

1 People v Ginther, 390 Mich 436, 443; 212 NW2d 922 (1973).

-2- To establish a claim of ineffective assistance of counsel, “the defendant must show that counsel’s performance was deficient. This requires showing that counsel made errors so serious that counsel was not performing as the ‘counsel’ guaranteed by the Sixth Amendment.” People v Carbin, 463 Mich 590, 600; 623 NW2d 884 (2001), quoting Strickland v Washington, 466 US 668, 687; 104 S Ct 2052; 80 L Ed 2d 674 (1984). Furthermore, “whether . . . counsel’s performance was deficient is measured against an objective standard of reasonableness.” People v Payne, 285 Mich App 181, 188; 774 NW2d 714 (2009). Thus, to prevail, a defendant must show that “counsel’s representation fell below an objective standard of reasonableness,” Strickland, 466 US at 688, and he must show that he was prejudiced by counsel’s performance, which can be shown by proving that there is a “reasonable probability that, but for counsel’s unprofessional errors, the result of the proceeding would have been different.” Id. at 687, 694. This Court “will not substitute [its] judgment for that of counsel on matters of trial strategy, nor will [this Court] use the benefit of hindsight when assessing counsel’s competence.” People v Unger, 278 Mich App 210, 242-243; 749 NW2d 272 (2008). The defendant “bears the burden of demonstrating both deficient performance and prejudice[;] the defendant [also] necessarily bears the burden of establishing the factual predicate for his claim.” Carbin, 463 Mich at 600.

DUNN’S PERFORMANCE

Defendant contends that Dunn was ineffective for failing to object to the trial court’s misstatement of the offense that defendant was bound over for trial on and that Dunn was ineffective for representing defendant because of a conflict of interest. Each will be addressed in turn.

It is true that Dunn did not move to quash the information reflecting the wrong charge. However, as discussed in this Court’s analysis of defendant’s first issue, any objection or motion to quash the information would have been futile because a correct information was in fact filed. Additionally, “[i]t is well established that defense counsel is not ineffective for failing to pursue a futile motion.” People v Brown, 279 Mich App 116, 142; 755 NW2d 664 (2008).

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Related

Cuyler v. Sullivan
446 U.S. 335 (Supreme Court, 1980)
Strickland v. Washington
466 U.S. 668 (Supreme Court, 1984)
People v. Kowalski
803 N.W.2d 200 (Michigan Supreme Court, 2011)
People v. Dendel
748 N.W.2d 859 (Michigan Supreme Court, 2008)
People v. LeBlanc
640 N.W.2d 246 (Michigan Supreme Court, 2002)
People v. Carbin
623 N.W.2d 884 (Michigan Supreme Court, 2001)
People v. Burton
556 N.W.2d 201 (Michigan Court of Appeals, 1996)
People v. Farmilo
358 N.W.2d 350 (Michigan Court of Appeals, 1984)
People v. Davenport
760 N.W.2d 743 (Michigan Court of Appeals, 2008)
People v. Payne
774 N.W.2d 714 (Michigan Court of Appeals, 2009)
People v. Brown
755 N.W.2d 664 (Michigan Court of Appeals, 2008)
People v. Grant
565 N.W.2d 389 (Michigan Supreme Court, 1997)
People v. Snider
608 N.W.2d 502 (Michigan Court of Appeals, 2000)
People v. Smith
581 N.W.2d 654 (Michigan Supreme Court, 1998)
People v. Unger
749 N.W.2d 272 (Michigan Court of Appeals, 2008)
People v. Crawford
582 N.W.2d 785 (Michigan Supreme Court, 1998)
People v. Sabin
614 N.W.2d 888 (Michigan Supreme Court, 2000)
People v. Ginther
212 N.W.2d 922 (Michigan Supreme Court, 1973)
People v. Bell
741 N.W.2d 57 (Michigan Court of Appeals, 2007)
People v. Johnson
808 N.W.2d 815 (Michigan Court of Appeals, 2011)

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People of Michigan v. Renee Lee Bullock, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-of-michigan-v-renee-lee-bullock-michctapp-2014.