Thrower v. United States

911 F. Supp. 1472, 1995 WL 775029
CourtDistrict Court, M.D. Florida
DecidedOctober 26, 1995
DocketNos. 94-1887-CIV-T-17, 90-209-CR-T-17
StatusPublished

This text of 911 F. Supp. 1472 (Thrower v. United States) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, M.D. Florida primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Thrower v. United States, 911 F. Supp. 1472, 1995 WL 775029 (M.D. Fla. 1995).

Opinion

ORDER

KOVACHEVICH, District Judge.

Petitioner, Jesse Allen Thrower, a pro se litigant, filed a writ of Habeas Corpus (Docket No. 124) pursuant to Title 28, United States Code § 2255 on November 25, 1994. Respondent filed a response (Docket No. 130), in which Respondent incorporates a request to dismiss the petition, on May 19, 1995.

PROCEDURAL HISTORY

A Superseding Indictment was returned on February 6, 1991 charging the Petitioner with one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine and amphetamine hydrochloride in violation of 21 U.S.C. § 846. A second count charged the Petitioner with possession with intent to distribute amphetamine hydrochloride in violation of 21 U.S.C. § 841(a)(1).

A plea agreement was filed on February 11, 1991. Petitioner pled guilty to Counts One and Two of the Superseding Indictment on February 11, 1991. On May 3, 1991, Petitioner was sentenced to 63 months imprisonment, followed by three years supervised release on each count, to run concurrently.

Petitioner did not file a direct appeal from the judgment of conviction but on November 25, 1994 after serving 42 months of his 63 month sentence, he filed a Motion to Vacate, Set Aside, or Correct Sentence Under 28 U.S.C. § 2255. Petitioner prays that this Court grant an evidentiary hearing in this matter and requests appointment of counsel to represent him. Petitioner further re[1475]*1475quests that this Court grant bond pending the resolution of his 2255 Motion, or in the alternative, redesignation of confinement.

Petitioner challenges his conviction on eight grounds, claiming ineffective assistance of his privately retained counsel:

(1) Counsel was ineffective where he failed to appreciate and advise Petitioner of the true significance of the statutory and guideline penalty provisions and to investigate potential defense so Petitioner could have made an informed decision to plead or not to plead;
(2) Counsel was ineffective by allowing Petitioner to plead guilty without knowledge of the consequences, thereby creating an involuntary guilty plea;
(3) Counsel was ineffective by allowing the Government to violate the plea agreement including its duty of good faith and fair dealings by failing to fully advise the Court of Petitioner’s substantial assistance, and failing to file a Rule 35(b) within a year;
(4) Counsel was ineffective where he failed to correctly argue for further reduction of sentence as a minor participant for 4 points;
(5) Counsel was ineffective where he failed to present himself without intimidation to the sentencing judge;
(6) Counsel was ineffective where he failed to argue relevant conduct;
(7) Counsel was ineffective where he failed to argue the use of methamphetamine instead of amphetamine, and argue the “generic” use of methamphetamine; and
(8) Counsel was ineffective where he failed to file an appeal.

DISCUSSION

In Strickland v. Washington, 466 U.S. 668, 698, 104 S.Ct. 2052, 80 L.Ed.2d 674 (1984), the Court stated that ineffective assistance of counsel claims fall into two categories. The first category involves claims that the government violated the defendant’s right to effective assistance of counsel by impermissibly interfering with counsel’s ability to make independent decisions about how to conduct the defense. Strickland, 466 U.S. at 686, 104 S.Ct. at 2063-64. In the second category are claims that the defendant was deprived of his right to the effective assistance of counsel because his counsel, whether retained or appointed, simply failed to provide adequate legal assistance. Claims in the second category are called “actual ineffectiveness claims.” Id.

The Supreme Court established a two-pronged test for evaluating “actual ineffectiveness” claims. Under the first prong, a reviewing court must determine whether counsel’s performance was so deficient that he was not functioning as the “counsel” guaranteed by the Sixth Amendment. Under the second prong, the court must determine whether counsel’s performance, if deficient, prejudiced the defense. Strickland, 466 U.S. at 687, 104 S.Ct. at 2064. In order to sustain an “actual ineffectiveness” claim, the defendant must prevail on both the performance and prejudice prongs.

Under Strickland guidelines for reviewing performance, the convicted defendant must identify the specific acts or omissions he alleges were not the result of reasonable professional judgment on the part of his counsel. The court then must decide whether, in light of all of the circumstances facing trial counsel, his conduct fell within the wide range of professionally competent assistance expected of an attorney. Id. at 690, 104 S.Ct. at 2066. Counsel “is strongly presumed to have rendered adequate assistance and to have made all significant decisions in the exercise of reasonable professional judgment.” Id. Therefore, Petitioner bears the burden of showing, first, that counsel’s performance was constitutionally deficient and, second, that the deficient performance was prejudicial.

The Sixth Amendment guarantees a criminal defendant the right to effective, not errorless, counsel. Young v. Zant, 677 F.2d 792, 798 (11th Cir.1982); Mylar v. Alabama, 671 F.2d 1299, 1300 (11th Cir.1982). It does, however, require that counsel’s conduct fall within the range of competency, generally demanded of attorneys in criminal eases. McMann v. Richardson, 397 U.S. 759, 771, 90 S.Ct. 1441, 1449, 25 L.Ed.2d 763 (1970); [1476]*1476accord, Beckham v. Wainwright, 639 F.2d 262, 267 (5th Cir.1981).

In order to apply the “Strickland standard,” the Court must inquire into the actual performance of defense counsel and determine whether representation was reasonably effective based on the totality of the circumstances in the entire record. Washington v. Watkins, 655 F.2d 1346, 1355 (5th Cir.1981); Goodwin v. Balkcom, 684 F.2d 794, 804 (11th Cir.1982) cert. denied, 460 U.S. 1098, 103 S.Ct. 1798, 76 L.Ed.2d 364 (1983).

Ground One

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

Related

McMann v. Richardson
397 U.S. 759 (Supreme Court, 1970)
Strickland v. Washington
466 U.S. 668 (Supreme Court, 1984)
Evitts v. Lucey
469 U.S. 387 (Supreme Court, 1985)
Tabor v. United States
203 F.2d 948 (Fourth Circuit, 1953)
Roy Lee Bray v. United States
370 F.2d 44 (Fifth Circuit, 1966)
Jerome Atilus v. United States
406 F.2d 694 (Fifth Circuit, 1969)
United States v. Anthony Carlo Cozzetti
469 F.2d 684 (Ninth Circuit, 1972)
Henry Reed v. United States
529 F.2d 1239 (Fifth Circuit, 1976)
United States v. Henry De William Jackson, Jr.
659 F.2d 73 (Fifth Circuit, 1981)
Terry Lee Goodwin v. Charles Balkcom, Warden
684 F.2d 794 (Eleventh Circuit, 1982)
Keith E. Lucey v. Paul Kavanaugh, Supt.
724 F.2d 560 (Sixth Circuit, 1984)
Sanders v. Southern Railway Co.
345 U.S. 1001 (Supreme Court, 1953)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
911 F. Supp. 1472, 1995 WL 775029, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/thrower-v-united-states-flmd-1995.