Sánchez v. United States

921 F. Supp. 56, 1996 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 5371, 1996 WL 189713
CourtDistrict Court, D. Puerto Rico
DecidedApril 15, 1996
DocketCiv. No. 94-2605 (JP); Crim. No. 88-335 (JP)
StatusPublished

This text of 921 F. Supp. 56 (Sánchez v. United States) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. Puerto Rico primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Sánchez v. United States, 921 F. Supp. 56, 1996 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 5371, 1996 WL 189713 (prd 1996).

Opinion

OPINION AND ORDER

PIERAS, District Judge.

The Court has before it petitioner’s motion, filed under 28 U.S.C. § 2255, attacking his sentence imposed by this Court in Criminal Case No. 88-335 (JP), respondent’s opposition, and petitioner’s supplemental motions (docket Nos. 1, 10, 11, and 14). Petitioner asserts that he was physically ill during his trial and during the sentencing phase. Thus petitioner argues, he was tried, convicted and sentenced, even though he was incompetent to stand trial, in violation of his Fifth Amendment right to a fair trial; and that his Sixth Amendment right to the effective assistance of counsel was violated because his counsel failed to move for a mistrial.

This petition constitutes an abuse of writ pursuant to Rule 9(b) of the Rules Governing Actions under Section 2255 which reads in pertinent part:

A second or successive motion may be dismissed if the judge finds that it fails to allege new or different grounds for relief and the prior determination was on the merits or, if new and different grounds are alleged the judge finds that the failure of the movant to assert those grounds consti[58]*58tuted an abuse of the procedure governed by these rules.

If there already has been one unsuccessful habeas petition, a second petition which fails to allege why the new issues were not raised previously could constitute an abuse of the writ such that automatic dismissal were required. McCleskey v. Zant, 499 U.S. 467, 111 S.Ct. 1454, 113 L.Ed.2d 517, reh’g denied, 501 U.S. 1224, 111 S.Ct. 2841, 115 L.Ed.2d 1010 (1991). The only way that a judge should not automatically dismiss the second petition is if petitioner comes forward with a reason stating the cause for his failure to raise the issue in the first petition, or if a fundamental miscarriage of justice would result from automatic dismissal. See Whittemore v. United States, 986 F.2d 575 (1st Cir.1993); Andiarena v. United States, 967 F.2d 715, 717 (1st Cir.1992).

Petitioner previously filed another petition for habeas corpus relief in Civil Case No. 92-1601 (JP). In the first motion, petitioner alleged that his sentence was constitutionally infirm because of improper application of the sentencing guidelines, lack of Court’s jurisdiction, ineffective assistance of counsel in violation of his Sixth Amendment right, and violation of his Fifth Amendment right to be free from compelled seh-incrimination. This motion was denied and his petition dismissed on April 19,1995, after this Court considered the merits of petitioner’s arguments. In this second motion for habeas corpus relief, petitioner does not assert any reason why the arguments raised in this motion were not raised in his first motion. Nonetheless, the Court finds that the record and motions filed in this case clearly demonstrate that the petitioner is not entitled to habeas corpus relief, and his petition is hereby DENIED on its merits without a hearing.

I. BACKGROUND

Petitioner’s first action for habeas corpus relief in Civil Case No. 92-1601, contains a complete recounting of the factual background of this case. Moreover, the First Circuit opinion contains a summary of the background of the criminal trial. United States v. Passos-Paternina, 918 F.2d 979 (1st Cir.1990). Therefore, only the pertinent facts are herein conveyed.

On September 3, 1988, around 7:30 p.m., the Coast Guard Cutter NINVAC noticed an unidentified vessel a few miles off the coast of the U.S. Virgin Islands behaving in a suspicious manner. After contacting members of the crew, members of the Coast Guard Cutter boarded the “SHEME”. The five members of the “SHEME” crew disregarded the Coast Guard’s order to present themselves on deck, and they were later discovered below deck wiping their arms, faces, and hands free from grease and changing their greasy clothing. A “sweep team” inspected the vessel and discovered a greasy steel plate near the water tanks of the vessel covering a compartment which contained 386.2 kilos of a substance which scientific tests later determined was ninety four percent (94%) pure cocaine. The Coast Guard arrested those individuals present on the vessel and transported them to San Juan, Puerto Rico.

On September 7, 1988, defendant, Orlando Espinosa Sánchez, and four other codefendants were indicted for possession with the intent to distribute a controlled substance in violation of Maritime Drug Law Enforcement Act, 46 U.S.C.App. § 1903 and conspiracy in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 2. On December 5, 1988, a jury found defendant Espinosa Sánchez guilty. The District Court sentenced defendant on April 3, 1989, pursuant to the Sentencing Guidelines to a term of 262 months, five years of supervised release and a $50.00 special monetary fine.

Petitioner currently argues that he was mentally incompetent to stand trial because of the severity of his physical condition. Therefore, he argues, the Court should have delayed trial, sent him to a doctor, and it was error for his counsel to have failed to move for a mistrial when the court denied counsel’s request for a continuation.

After giving careful consideration to petitioner’s claims, this Court concludes they are either meritless on their face, Machibroda v. United States, 368 U.S. 487, 495-96, 82 S.Ct. 510, 514-15, 7 L.Ed.2d 473 (1962) (a facially inadequate motion for 2255 habeas corpus may be summarily denied), or inadequately [59]*59supported by any factual allegations, Dziurgot v. Luther, 897 F.2d 1222, 1225 (1st Cir. 1990) (citations omitted) (cannot accept the allegations as true because ‘they are contradicted by the record, inherently incredible, or conclusions rather than statements of fact’).

II. DISCUSSION

A. Competency to Stand Trial

A criminal defendant has a right to a fair trial. This right encompasses the right to be competent during a proceeding which will determine an individual’s right to freedom. Therefore, conviction of a criminal defendant while he is legally incompetent violates due process. Pate v. Robinson, 383 U.S. 375, 378, 86 S.Ct. 836, 838, 15 L.Ed.2d 815 (1966).

The statutorily required procedures which a court shall follow in order to determine a defendant’s competency are set forth at 18 U.S.C. §§ 4241^47. Any time after commencement of prosecution and prior to sentencing for the offense, either attorney for defense or government may make motion, or the court may decide sua sponte

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921 F. Supp. 56, 1996 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 5371, 1996 WL 189713, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/sanchez-v-united-states-prd-1996.