People v. Hamed

221 Cal. App. 4th 928, 164 Cal. Rptr. 3d 829, 2013 WL 6180861, 2013 Cal. App. LEXIS 958
CourtCalifornia Court of Appeal
DecidedNovember 26, 2013
DocketH039223
StatusPublished
Cited by87 cases

This text of 221 Cal. App. 4th 928 (People v. Hamed) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering California Court of Appeal primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
People v. Hamed, 221 Cal. App. 4th 928, 164 Cal. Rptr. 3d 829, 2013 WL 6180861, 2013 Cal. App. LEXIS 958 (Cal. Ct. App. 2013).

Opinion

Opinion

MÁRQUEZ, J.

Defendant Naheed Mohmoud Hamed was convicted by jury of one count of possessing child pornography (Pen. Code, § 311.11). 1 He *930 admitted enhancement allegations that he had served a prior prison term (§ 667.5, subd. (b)) and was sentenced to prison for a term of four years eight months. At sentencing, the court imposed fines and fees, including a $1,230 sex offender fine (§ 290.3). On appeal, defendant challenges that fine, arguing that section 290.3 does not authorize a $1,230 fine, that the correct amount of the fine is $300, and that the abstract of judgment does not identify the statutory basis for any additional assessments.

We hold that the court erred in both the manner in which it imposed the sex offender fine and in determining the amount of the penalty assessments attached thereto. We will therefore modify the judgment to impose a sex offender fine of $300, plus penalty assessments of $900, a net difference of $30. We will also direct the trial court clerk to prepare an amended abstract of judgment that sets forth the amounts and statutory bases of the sex offender fine and each of the penalty assessments imposed.

Facts & Procedural History

On March 5, 2012, about 11:30 p.m., Monterey Police Officer Chad Ventimiglia pulled over the BMW defendant was driving for a speeding violation (traveling 80 miles per hour on a freeway). As Officer Ventimiglia spoke to defendant, he smelled marijuana. The officer asked defendant if he had any drugs in the car; defendant admitted that he had marijuana. Officer Ventimiglia requested defendant’s identification, determined that he was on active parole, did a parole search of the car, and found marijuana residue in the passenger compartment. Officer Ventimiglia and another officer, Amy Carrizosa, then searched the trunk of the BMW. In a duffel bag inside the trunk, they found about 100 photographs depicting naked male and female children of various ages, ranging from infants to teens, engaged in sexual acts, often with adults. The photos had been printed from a variety of Internet Web sites. Defendant was arrested at the scene.

While being transported to jail, defendant told Officer Carrizosa the photos were not his; he said he found them in the car, which belonged to the auto dealership where he worked. But when Officer Ventimiglia interviewed defendant at the police station, he told two different stories. Initially, he said he got the photos from a friend’s computer; later, he said he printed them at work. When Officer Ventimiglia confronted defendant with these discrepancies, defendant said he lied to Officer Carrizosa because he “didn’t want to get his friend in trouble.”

*931 Case No. SS120428A—Possession of Child Pornography

Defendant was charged by information with one count of possession of child pornography (§311.11, subd. (a)). The information also alleged that defendant had served a prior prison term (§ 667.5, subd. (b)). Defendant pleaded not guilty and denied the prison prior.

Defendant filed a motion to suppress the pornographic photographs obtained from the search of his trunk. At the hearing on that motion, defendant testified that he could not have been driving 80 miles per hour because a “governor” had been installed on the BMW, which limited its speed to 72 miles per hour. He submitted an exhibit that purported to be an invoice prepared by the company that manufactured the governor (hereafter Exhibit A). The court denied the motion, stating that it found Exhibit A “quite concerning” because the font in the entry describing the “speed limiter program” was different from the font used in the rest of the invoice. The court also found Officer Ventimiglia’s testimony credible.

The case went to trial before a jury. After the jury found defendant guilty on the possession of child pornography count, defendant waived a jury trial on the prison prior allegation and admitted that allegation.

Case No. SSI22230A—Perjury and False Evidence

Prior to sentencing in the possession of child pornography case, the prosecution filed a new complaint, charging defendant with three offenses arising out of his conduct at the hearing on the motion to suppress. The complaint charged defendant with one felony count of perjury under oath (§ 118, subd. (a)), one felony count of offering false evidence (§ 132), and one felony count of preparing false evidence (§ 134). An amended complaint added enhancement allegations that defendant had served a prior prison term (§ 667.5, subd. (b)) and that he committed the new offenses while on bail and out of custody in his other case (§ 12022.1; case No. SS120428A).

In January 2013, pursuant to a negotiated disposition, defendant pleaded no contest to offering false evidence (§ 132) in exchange for a stipulated sentence of eight months in prison (one-third the lower term) consecutive to the sentence to be imposed in the possession of child pornography case and an agreement to dismiss the remaining counts and enhancements in the perjury and false statements case.

*932 Sentencing in Both Cases

The court sentenced defendant in both cases on January 11, 2013. In case No. SS120428A, the court imposed the upper term of three years for possession of child pornography, plus one year for the prison prior. In case No. SS122230A, pursuant to the negotiated plea, the court sentenced defendant to eight months for offering false evidence, consecutive to the sentence in the child pornography case. The total term was four years eight months. The court also imposed various fines and fees, including a $1,230 sex offender fine pursuant to section 290.3 in the child pornography case.

Discussion

The sole issue on appeal is defendant’s challenge to the $1,230 sex offender fine imposed pursuant to section 290.3.

Section 290.3 provides in relevant part: “(a) Every person who is convicted of any offense specified in subdivision (c) of Section 290 shall, in addition to any imprisonment or fine, or both, imposed for commission of the underlying offense, be punished by a fine of three hundred dollars ($300) upon the first conviction or a fine of five hundred dollars ($500) upon the second and each subsequent conviction, unless the court determines that the defendant does not have the ability to pay the fine.”

Contentions

Defendant concedes that possession of child pornography (§ 311.11) is one of the crimes specified in section 290, subdivision (c) and that he is therefore subject to the section 290.3 sex offender fine. We accept that concession. Citing the probation report, defendant contends that this is his first conviction for a crime listed in subdivision (c) of section 290.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

People v. Torres CA6
California Court of Appeal, 2025
People v. Demacedo
California Court of Appeal, 2025
People v. Parrish CA2/6
California Court of Appeal, 2025
People v. Rackley CA3
California Court of Appeal, 2025
People v. Alamillo CA2/6
California Court of Appeal, 2025
People v. Thornberry CA4/1
California Court of Appeal, 2025
People v. Smith CA4/1
California Court of Appeal, 2025
People v. Davila CA4/1
California Court of Appeal, 2023
People v. Villegas
California Court of Appeal, 2023
People v. Washabaugh CA3
California Court of Appeal, 2023
People v. Candelaria CA5
California Court of Appeal, 2023
People v. Butler CA4/1
California Court of Appeal, 2023
People v. Terrell CA3
California Court of Appeal, 2023
People v. Luna CA5
California Court of Appeal, 2023
People v. Macovichuk CA4/1
California Court of Appeal, 2023
People v. Betancourt CA3
California Court of Appeal, 2023
People v. Lopez CA5
California Court of Appeal, 2023
People v. Salazar CA2/3
California Court of Appeal, 2023
People v. Jimenez CA2/1
California Court of Appeal, 2022
People v. Cadenas CA6
California Court of Appeal, 2022

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
221 Cal. App. 4th 928, 164 Cal. Rptr. 3d 829, 2013 WL 6180861, 2013 Cal. App. LEXIS 958, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-v-hamed-calctapp-2013.