United States v. Ballard

855 F. Supp. 2d 406, 2012 WL 1242314, 2012 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 52465
District Court, E.D. Pennsylvania·Decided April 13, 2012·No. Criminal Action No. 03-810-01·Published·Cited by 1 cases

Opinion

MEMORANDUM

DuBOIS, District Judge.

I. INTRODUCTION

In this case, defendant Richard Ballard pled guilty to possession with intent to distribute cocaine and possession of a firearm and ammunition by a convicted felon. He was sentenced on March 22, 2006, to 180 months’ imprisonment and is presently incarcerated at Low Security Correctional Institution — Allenwood. Presently before the Court is defendant’s pro se Motion Pursuant to Rule 60(b)(6) and Request for Equitable Tolling or in the Alternative Allow Petitioner to Proceed Under [409] F.R.Crim. P. 32(c)(3)(D) (“Defendant’s Rule 60(b)(6) Motion”). In that motion, defendant argues that the Court should amend his Presentence Investigation Report (“PSR”) because it contains untrue information that is negatively affecting his conditions of incarceration.1 For the reasons set forth below, the Court denies Defendant’s Rule 60(b)(6) Motion.

II. BACKGROUND

A detailed factual and procedural history of this case is included in the prior opinions of this Court and the Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. See United States v. Ballard, 245 Fed.Appx. 137 (3d Cir.2007); United States v. Ballard, Cr. no. 03-810, 2009 WL 637384 (E.D.Pa. Mar. 11, 2009); United States v. Ballard, Cr. no. 03-810, 2005 WL 1690826 (E.D.Pa. July 18, 2005). This Memorandum sets forth only the facts essential to resolving Defendant’s Rule 60(b)(6) Motion.

The prosecution of defendant arose from the Philadelphia Police Department’s investigation of a report of a robbery and attempted shooting that took place on June 1, 2003. The Philadelphia Police Department received a complaint that defendant was among a group of five men who stole a necklace from the complainant and tried to shoot him. The complainant, Richard Felder, identified defendant as having fired several shots at him. After further investigation, officers secured an arrest warrant for defendant and a search warrant for his residence, which they executed on July 9, 2003. The officers arrested defendant at his home and recovered a handgun, a shotgun, narcotics, narcotics paraphernalia, and body armor.

Defendant was charged in the Municipal Court of Philadelphia County with, inter alia, robbery, aggravated assault, and various weapons and narcotics offenses. Docket nos. MC-51-CR-0751131-2003, MC-51-CR-0751531-2003 (Phi-la.Cnty.Mun.Ct.). The United States Attorney’s Office adopted the prosecution, and, on December 9, 2003, a federal grand jury indicted defendant on six counts: (1) possession with intent to distribute cocaine, in violation of 21 U.S.C. §§ -841(a)(1), 841(b)(1)(C) (Count I); (2) possession of cocaine base (“crack”) in violation of 21 U.S.C. § 844(a)(1) (Count II); (3) possession of heroin, in violation of 21 U.S.C. § 841(a) (Count III); (4) possession of a firearm and ammunition after having been convicted in state court of a crime punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding one year, in violation of 18 U.S.C. §§ 922(g)(1), 924(e) (Count IV); (5) possession of body armor after having been convicted of a crime of violence, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 931 (Count V); and (6) possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 924(c)(1) (Count VI). Thereafter, the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office withdrew all of the state charges, including those related to the alleged robbery and attempted shooting of Mr. Felder.

Defendant entered into a plea agreement with the government. On August 30, 2004, the Court held a plea hearing and accepted defendant’s guilty plea to Counts I, IV, and VI of the Indictment. During the plea hearing, defendant acknowledged reading the agreement, discussing it with his attorney, and understanding it. Under the plea agreement, defendant expressly waived his rights to appeal or collaterally attack his conviction and sentence unless (1) the government appealed from defendant’s sentence, (2) defendant’s sentence [410] exceeded the statutory maximum, or (3) the Court erroneously departed upward from the otherwise applicable guideline range. (Plea Agr., Docket no. 37-2, ¶ 9.) The Court later permitted defendant to withdraw his plea as to Count VI, concluding that defendant did not understand the nature of that count but that his plea was knowing and voluntary in all other respects. Ballard, 2005 WL 1690826, at *4-6.

Before defendant’s sentencing hearing, the United States Probation Office prepared defendant’s PSR and provided copies to defendant and his counsel. Paragraphs ten through fourteen of the PSR, which defendant challenges in his Rule 60(b)(6) Motion,2 summarize the events leading to the Philadelphia Police Department’s investigation of defendant in connection with the alleged robbery and attempted shooting of Mr. Felder. The relevant portion of the PSR states that Mr. Felder reported the incident by telephone but grew hostile while officers were transporting him to a police station to take a formal statement. Although Mr. Felder initially declined to enter the police station and left without giving a statement, he later returned and entered the station on his own. Before he returned, police ran a background check on Mr. Felder and learned that there was an active warrant for his arrest in connection with another crime. Accordingly, when Mr. Felder returned to the police station, they arrested him. While he was in custody, Mr. Felder gave a statement regarding the June 1, 2003, alleged robbery and shooting, stating that defendant had brandished a weapon and fired several shots. In summarizing these events, the PSR made clear that its recounting was “[a]ccording to incident reports” and that the Philadelphia Police Department never recovered bullet casings or other physical evidence in support of Mr. Felder’s account. (PSR ¶¶ 11-12.)

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United States v. Ballard, 855 F. Supp. 2d 406, 2012 WL 1242314, 2012 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 52465 (E.D. Pa. 2012).

855 F. Supp. 2d 406 (United States v. Ballard) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

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