Rosello v. United States

CourtDistrict Court, S.D. Florida
DecidedOctober 1, 2021
Docket1:20-cv-21118
StatusUnknown

This text of Rosello v. United States (Rosello v. United States) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, S.D. Florida primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Rosello v. United States, (S.D. Fla. 2021).

Opinion

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF FLORIDA

CASE NO. 20-21118-CIV-MORENO/MATTHEWMAN 95-00114-CR-MORENO

ANTONIO ROSELLO,

Movant,

vs.

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,

Respondent. ___________________________________/

MAGISTRATE JUDGE’S REPORT AND RECOMMENDATION ON MOVANT=S MOTION TO VACATE PURSUANT TO 28 U.S.C. § 2255 [DE 6]

THIS CAUSE is before the Court upon the Movant, Antonio Rosello’s (“Movant”) Motion to Vacate Pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 2255 (“Motion”) [Cv-DE 6]1. This case has been referred to the undersigned for appropriate disposition or report and recommendation. See DE Cv-DE 20. In the Motion, Movant claims that he is actually innocent of the 18 U.S.C. §§ 924(o) and 924(c) convictions in Counts 4 and 5 in light of U.S. v. Davis, 139 S. Ct. 2319 (2019). [Cv-DE 6]. The Government has filed its Response to the Motion [Cv-DE 10], and Movant has filed a Reply [Cv- DE 11]. The Court has reviewed the Motion, the Government’s Response, Movant’s Reply, the additional related filings, and all pertinent portions of the underlying criminal file and related civil

1 Throughout this Report and Recommendation, docket entries labeled “Cv” will refer to 20-21118-CIV- Moreno/Matthewman, the case currently before the Court. Docket entries labeled “Cr” will refer to 95-00114-CR- Moreno, Movant’s original federal criminal case.

1 files. For the reasons explained below, this Court RECOMMENDS that the Motion be DENIED. I. BACKGROUND

On November 27, 1995, a grand jury returned a Second Superseding Indictment charging Movant with conspiracy to commit racketeering, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1962(d) (Count 1); conspiracy to commit Hobbs Act robbery, in violation of 18 U.S.C. §§ 1952 (Counts 2, 6, 12, and 15); Hobbs Act robbery/aiding and abetting Hobbs Act Robbery, in violation of 18 U.S.C. §§ 1951 and 2 (Counts 3, 7, 13, and 16); conspiracy to use and carry a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 924(o) (Count 4); using and carrying a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence/aiding and abetting using and carrying a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence, in violation of 18 U.S.C. §§ 924(c)(1) and 2 (Counts 5, 14, and 17); and money laundering/aiding and abetting that crime, in violation of 18 U.S.C. §§ 1956(a)(1)(B)(ii) and 2 (Counts 24 and 26) [Cr-DE 149]. On June 10, 1996, after a 21-day trial,

a jury found Movant guilty on Counts 2, 3, 4, 5, 24, and 26, but acquitted him on Counts 1, 6, 7, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, and 17. [Cr-DE 319]. The jury did not make a finding or otherwise specify the predicate offense(s) for the §§ 924(o) or 924(c) convictions. On August 23, 1996, Movant was sentenced to a total of 45 years in prison, comprised of consecutive 20-year sentences on Counts 2 and 3, concurrent 20-year sentences on Counts 4, 24, and 26, and a mandatory consecutive sentence of five years on Count 5. [Cr-DE 411]. He appealed his convictions and sentence to the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeal, but did not appeal the constitutionality of the residual clause in 18 U.S.C. §924(c) on direct appeal. The Eleventh Circuit

2 affirmed in an unpublished opinion, and the Supreme Court denied certiorari review on May 14, 2001. See Rosello v. U.S., 532 U.S. 1030 (2001). On May 17, 2002, the Court docketed Movant’s pro se 28 U.S.C. § 2255 motion to vacate sentence raising the following grounds for relief: (1) ineffective assistance of counsel for numerous

reasons, including counsel’s failure to object at sentencing to the consecutive 20-year sentences imposed as to Counts 2 and 3; and (2) violations of Apprendi v. New Jersey, 530 U.S. 466 (2000, for failing to plead and prove the enhancements beyond a reasonable doubt, and for failing to instruct the jury on the enhancements. [Case No. 02-Cv-21498, DEs 1, 3]. The Court denied the motion as well as a certificate of appealability. [Case No. 02-Cv-21498, DE 16]. The Eleventh Circuit denied a certificate of appealability and dismissed the appeal. [02-Cv-21498, DE 23; U.S. v. Rosello, 103 F. App'x 667 (11th Cir. 2004)]. Movant then filed a second pro se 28 U.S.C. § 2255 motion to vacate sentence in June 2016, raising a claim under the Supreme Court’s decision in Johnson v. U.S., 135 S. Ct. 2551 (2015). [Case No. 16-Cv-22831, DEs 1, 4]. He argued that Johnson applied to § 924(c)(3)(B)’s

residual clause, and that, as a result, his §§ 924(o) and 924(c) convictions were unconstitutional. Id. The Court dismissed Movant’s motion as an unauthorized second or successive motion. [Case No. 16-Cv-22831, DE 6]. Movant then sought leave from the Eleventh Circuit to file a second or successive § 2255 motion based upon Johnson, which the Eleventh Circuit denied. [Appeal Case No. 16-13529]. On March 12, 2020, the Eleventh Circuit granted Movant’s second application for authorization to file a second or successive § 2255 motion. [Case No. 20-Cv-21118, DE 1.] In his application, Movant sought to challenge his §§ 924(o) and 924(c) convictions based on U.S. v.

3 Davis, 139 S. Ct. 2319 (2019), which declared unconstitutionally vague the residual clause definition of “crime of violence” in § 924(c)(3)(B). Id. at 3. In its Order, the Eleventh Circuit explained that Movant had made the requisite prima facie showing that his §§ 924(o) and 924(c) convictions in Counts 4 and 5 were unconstitutional, thereby satisfying the criteria in 28 U.S.C.

§ 2255(h)(2). Id. at 6. Movant argues in his Motion that he is “actually innocent of the §§ 924(o) and 924(c) convictions in Counts 4 and 5 despite their multiple predicates, because one of those predicates— conspiracy to commit Hobbs Act robbery—is not a ‘crime of violence’ under § 924(c)(3)(A) or a drug trafficking crime, and that offense must be treated as the operative predicate offense.” [Cv- DE 6 at 6]. He also asserts that his claim is timely and cognizable on collateral review. Id. The Government argues in response that Movant “is barred from raising his §§ 924(c) and (o) claims in a § 2255 motion, because he procedurally defaulted those claims and cannot demonstrate cause, prejudice, or actual innocence to excuse his default.” [Cv-DE 10 at 11].

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Rosello v. United States, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/rosello-v-united-states-flsd-2021.