United States v. Carlos Ofarrit-Figueroa

533 F. App'x 239
CourtCourt of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit
DecidedJuly 17, 2013
Docket12-6831
StatusUnpublished

This text of 533 F. App'x 239 (United States v. Carlos Ofarrit-Figueroa) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
United States v. Carlos Ofarrit-Figueroa, 533 F. App'x 239 (4th Cir. 2013).

Opinion

Affirmed by unpublished PER CURIAM opinion.

Unpublished opinions are not binding precedent in this circuit.

PER CURIAM:

Carlos Ofarrit-Figueroa (“Ofarrit-Fi-gueroa”) appeals his civil commitment as a sexually dangerous person under the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act of 2006 (“the Act”). 18 U.S.C. § 4248. Following an evidentiary hearing, the district court found that Ofarrit-Figueroa had previously engaged, or attempted to engage, in sexually violent conduct; that he suffered from paraphilia not otherwise specified with exhibitionist features, a serious mental illness, abnormality or disorder; and that Ofarrib-Figueroa would have serious difficulty in refraining from engaging in sexually violent conduct as a result of a serious mental illness, abnormality or disorder. The district court committed Ofarrit-Figueroa to the custody of the Attorney General under 18 U.S.C. § 4248.

On appeal, Ofarrit-Figueroa challenges his commitment contending that the district court clearly erred in two of the requisite findings under the Act. He contends that the district court diagnosed him with a mental disorder unsupported by the expert opinions offered at the hearing. He also maintains that the district court failed to connect its finding of substantial difficulty in refraining from sexually violent conduct to its finding of a serious mental disorder. 1

The Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act of 2006, 18 U.S.C. § 4247-48 provides for the civil commitment of a sexually dangerous person following the expiration of their federal prison sentence. 18 U.S.C. § 4248(a). A person is deemed to be sexually dangerous under the Act if he or she has “engaged or attempted to engage in sexually violent conduct or child molestation and who is sexually dangerous to others.” 18 U.S.C. § 4247(a)(5). A person is considered “sexually dangerous to others” if “the person suffers from a serious mental illness, abnormality, or disorder as a result of which he would have serious difficulty in refraining from sexually violent conduct or child molestation if released.” 18 U.S.C. § 4247(a)(6). Commitment under the Act requires these findings by clear and convincing evidence. 18 U.S.C. § 4248(d).

Ofarrit-Figueroa is presently 55 years old. He was born in Havana, Cuba in 1957 and migrated to the United States as part of the Mariel boat flotilla. (J.A. 260-61.) Prior to his arrival in the United States, Ofarrit-Figueroa was serving a ten year sentence for robbery in Cuba. (J.A. 74-75.) Ofarrit-Figueroa denied sexually deviant *241 behavior, i.e., masturbating openly, during his confinement in Cuba, because he had two girlfriends and was allowed conjugal visits every 30 days. (J.A. 91-92.)

Soon after his arrival in Florida, Ofar-rit-Figueroa was taken into custody by the Immigration and Naturalization Service and confined in various facilities, including the United States Penitentiary (“USP”) in Atlanta, Georgia. In 1981, he was released on parole and relocated to New Jersey.

In 1982, while residing in New Jersey, Ofarrit-Figueroa sexually assaulted a woman at knifepoint and stole her purse. As a result of this incident, he was later charged with and convicted of robbery in the first degree, aggravated sexual assault in the first degree, possession of a weapon and possession of a weapon for unlawful purpose. (J.A. 79-80, 330, 359-60, 365-66, 407.)

However, prior to his conviction for rape and robbery in New Jersey, Ofarrit-Fi-gueroa was found guilty in the State of Texas of armed robbery and was sentenced to five years imprisonment. (J.A. 80-82, 330.) Upon completion of this sentence, he was returned to the State of New Jersey to stand trial for the 1982 robbery, aggravated sexual assault and weapons charges. Ofarrit-Figueroa was convicted on all four counts and sentenced to a total of 18 years imprisonment. While housed in the New Jersey correctional system, Ofarrit-Figueroa routinely masturbated in front of female correctional officers. At the evidentiary hearing in the immediate civil commitment proceeding, Ofarrit-Fi-gueroa testified that he did this because he wanted the female officers to fall in love with him. (J.A. 81-82.)

In 1994, he was paroled into the custody of the Immigration and Naturalization Service. After being housed in a number of local facilities, he was transferred to the Federal Correctional Center (“FCC”) in Terre Haute, Indiana, where he was assigned to work in the food service area. On March 22, 2000, Ofarrit-Figueroa struck, bit, kissed and sexually assaulted his female supervisor at that institution. When she attempted to summon help, Ofarrit-Figueroa knocked her radio from her hand. (J.A. 82-86, 330-31.)

As a result of the incident at FCC Terre Haute, Ofarrit-Figueroa was convicted of sexually assaulting and inflicting bodily injury on an employee of the Federal Bureau of Prisons (“BOP”). He was sentenced to ten years imprisonment and designated to the USP in Marion, Illinois. (J.A. 330-31, 358.) At USP Marion, he continued to expose himself and openly masturbate in the presence of female staff, often as an expression of his anger. (J.A. 87, 89, 100.) In 2005, at his request, he was placed in the Sex Offender Management Program. However, because of his continuous sexual misbehavior, he was placed in a more secure special housing unit. (J.A. 343.) This was largely a result of his continued aggressive masturbation in the presence of female correctional officers he found attractive.

In the opinion of a staff psychologist at USP Marion, Ofarrit-Figueroa was deemed inappropriate for participation in a more intensive hypersexuality management program. The psychologist concluded that Ofarrit-Figueroa failed to accept responsibility for his actions, lacked motivation to change and had a defiant attitude toward disciplinary sanctions. 2 (J.A. 106.)

*242 Ofarrih-Figueroa was eventually transferred to the BOP’s most secure facility, the FCC in Florence, Colorado. He remained at that institution from 2006 to February 2010. 3 After a precertification evaluation for commitment as a seriously dangerous person under 18 U.S.C. § 4248, he was placed in a secure section of the Federal Correctional Institute (“FCI”) in Butner, North Carolina (J.A. 337, 345.) At FCI Butner, Ofarrit-Figueroa was evaluated by a certification review board, composed of a number of mental health professionals.

During intake processing at FCI But-ner, Ofarrit-Figueroa was initially evaluated by Dr.

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Bluebook (online)
533 F. App'x 239, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-carlos-ofarrit-figueroa-ca4-2013.