People v. Edwards CA4/1

California Court of Appeal·Decided January 15, 2015·No. D064483·Unpublished

Opinion

Filed 1/15/15 P. v. Edwards CA4/1

NOT TO BE PUBLISHED IN OFFICIAL REPORTS California Rules of Court, rule 8.1115(a), prohibits courts and parties from citing or relying on opinions not certified for publication or ordered published, except as specified by rule 8.1115(b). This opinion has not been certified for publication or ordered published for purposes of rule 8.1115.

COURT OF APPEAL, FOURTH APPELLATE DISTRICT

DIVISION ONE

STATE OF CALIFORNIA

THE PEOPLE, D064483

Plaintiff and Respondent,

v. (Super. Ct. No. FSB802052)

HOWARD JEROME EDWARDS,

Defendant and Appellant.

APPEAL from a judgment of the Superior Court of San Bernardino, Kyle S.

Brodie, Judge. Affirmed in part, reversed in part and remanded with instructions.

Stephen M. Lathrop, under appointment by the Court of Appeal, for Defendant

and Appellant.

Kamala D. Harris, Attorney General, Julie L. Garland, Assistant Attorney General,

Charles Ragland, Melissa Mandel and Laura Baggett, Deputy Attorneys General, for

Plaintiff and Respondent. Howard Jerome Edwards appeals from the judgment entered after resentencing on

remand pursuant to this court's opinion in People v. Foster (Dec. 19, 2012, D060669)

[nonpub. opn.] (Foster II). Specifically, Edwards asserts: (1) the trial court erred in

ordering restitution under Penal Code section 1202.4;1 (2) the trial court erred in

calculating his presentence custody credits under a former version of section 2900.5;2

(3) the trial court erred in calculating his presentence conduct credits under a former

version of section 4019;3 and (4) the abstract of judgment should be corrected to reflect

the dispositions in our opinions in People v. Foster (Apr. 29, 2011, D056830) [nonpub.

opn.] (Foster I) and Foster II, and two additional clerical errors. We will affirm in part,

reverse in part and remand with instructions.

I.

FACTUAL AND PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND

This is the third appeal following Edwards's conviction on multiple counts of

grand theft of personal property, conspiracy to commit grand theft, multiple counts of

1 All further undesignated statutory references are to the Penal Code.

2 As explained at part II.B.1., post, because of the People's concession, the actual language of the statute is not at issue. In any event, the version of former section 2900.5 that was in effect at the time of the sentencing can be found at Statutes 2011, chapter 15, section 466, operative October 1, 2011 (former section 2900.5).

3 People v. Brown (2012) 54 Cal.4th 314 instructs that a defendant is to receive section 4019 presentence custody credit based on the law in effect when the defendant served the time that is to be credited. (Brown, at p. 322.) Because Edwards's time served at issue here occurred during September 2008, in this opinion we look at the version of section 4019 in effect in 2008 — Statutes 1982, chapter 1234, section 7 (former § 4019).

2 forgery, identity theft, and offering a forged instrument for filing. In the first appeal, we

reversed the convictions on four counts based on instructional error and remanded with

directions that the trial court determine presentence credits under former section 4019 and

the abstract of judgment be corrected in certain respects. (Foster I, supra, D056830.) In

the second appeal, we reversed the sentencing order (on the basis the trial court had

prejudicially denied Edwards's request to continue the sentencing hearing in order for

him to retain private counsel) and remanded with instructions that the matter be set for a

new sentencing hearing and the abstract of judgment again be corrected. (Foster II,

supra, D060669.)4

Following the remand in Foster II, supra, D060669, the court conducted a

sentencing hearing at which Edwards received a lengthy prison term, and the court

imposed various statutory fees and fines and awarded restitution and certain credits.

Edwards timely appealed from the trial court's judgment in the remanded proceedings.

As introduced ante, Edwards raises specific contentions regarding restitution, presentence

custody credits and the need for corrections to the abstract of judgment. We will address

his arguments in turn, after setting forth additional facts relevant to each issue.

4 On our own motion, we take judicial notice of the opinions in Foster I, supra, D056830, Foster II, supra, D060669, and the clerk's transcript in Foster I. (Evid. Code, §§ 452, subd. (d)(1), 459, subd. (a); Cuccia v. Superior Court (2007) 153 Cal.App.4th 347, 350, fn. 2.)

3 II.

DISCUSSION

A. Restitution

1. Background

In three separate series of transactions, Edwards and his codefendant borrowed

large sums of money in other people's names in order to buy and sell real estate and

automobiles. (Foster I, supra, D056830.) Following the remand in Foster I, as relevant

to the issue of restitution, the court ordered Edwards to pay $560,000 to Countrywide

Home Loans and $675,000 to LandSafe Title Company. (§ 1202.4.) After the reversal of

the judgment following sentencing and the remand in Foster II, supra, D060669, the

court held a series of hearings in July 2013 related to the required resentencing.

At the July 10, 2013 hearing, Edwards's attorney asked the court to reconsider the

amount of restitution previously ordered on the basis that certain real property involved

in one of the three series of transactions had been sold and significant funds had been

paid by the new buyer, arguably resulting in less financial loss for the victim and an

offset to the previously ordered restitution. The court ruled that because no evidence had

been presented (merely argument of counsel), the court would "reserve jurisdiction over

the issue of victim restitution under . . . section 1202.46,"5 telling counsel the court

5 Section 1202.46 provides in relevant part: "[W]hen the economic losses of a victim cannot be ascertained at the time of sentencing pursuant to subdivision (f) of Section 1202.4, the court shall retain jurisdiction over a person subject to a restitution order for purposes of imposing or modifying restitution until such time as the losses may be determined." (Italics added.) 4 would revisit the issue in the event counsel submitted "specific documentary support" and

requested a hearing on the issue. Following discussions on other sentencing issues, the

court continued the hearing, asking the parties to submit memoranda on one of these

other issues.6

The People's sentencing memorandum discussed only the requested issue.

Edwards's sentencing memorandum discussed the requested issue and briefly mentioned

restitution.7 In addition, Edwards attached to his memorandum two exhibits that he

contended supported his argument that he was entitled to an offset to the prior restitution

award because one of the victims had received cash following the sale of certain real

property.

The sentencing hearing proceeded on July 26, 2013. As an introduction to the

issue of restitution, the court stated: "There were previous estimates of the l[oss]

submitted by the victims in the appeals, the two appeals, that have been heard. There's

been no challenge to that particular part of Mr. Edwards' sentencing." The court and both

counsel then discussed the exhibits attached to Edwards's sentencing memorandum. In

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