United States v. Glover

174 F. Supp. 3d 431, 2016 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 43260, 2016 WL 1273171
CourtDistrict Court, District of Columbia
DecidedMarch 31, 2016
DocketCriminal No. 2007-0152
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 174 F. Supp. 3d 431 (United States v. Glover) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, District of Columbia primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
United States v. Glover, 174 F. Supp. 3d 431, 2016 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 43260, 2016 WL 1273171 (D.D.C. 2016).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM OPINION

ELLEN SEGAL HUVELLE, United States District Judge

Filing motions pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 2255, Ernest Glover and Helery Price now seek to vacate their convictions for conspiracy to distribute phencyclidine (“PCP”) on the basis that they have been deprived of their Sixth Amendment right to the effective assistance of counsel at trial and on appeal. (See Glover’s Mot. Under § 2255 to Vacate, Set Aside, or Correct Sentence by a Person in Federal Custody, Oct. 28, 2013 [ECF No. 325] (“Glover Mot.”); Price’s Mot. Under § 2255 to Vacate, Set Aside, or Correct Sentence by a Person in Federal Custody, Oct. 25, 2013 [ECF No. 329] (“Price Mot.”). The government opposes any relief. For the reasons stated herein, both motions will be denied. 1

BACKGROUND

After a jury trial, Glover and Price were each convicted of one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and to distribute one kilogram or more of PCP, in violation of 21 U.S.C. §§ 841(a)(1), (b)(l)(A)(iv) & 846. (See Judgment (Glover), Aug. 11, 2008 [ECF No. 283]; Judgment (Price), Aug. 11, 2008 [ECF No. 277]). Both were sentenced to imprisonment for life pursuant to the applicable statutory mandatory minimum, 2 and their convictions were affirmed on appeal. See United States v. Glover, 681 F.3d 411 (D.C.Cir.2012). A co-defendant, Anthony Suggs, was also tried and convicted by the same jury, and the Court has previously denied his § 2255 motion. See United States v. Suggs, 146 F.Supp.3d 151, 168-69, No. 07-cr-0152, 2015 WL 7566658, at *12 (D.D.C. Nov. 24, 2015) (“Suggs § 2255 Opinion ”), appeal filed, United States v. Suggs, No. 15-3092 (D.C.Cir.Dec. 30, 2015). That opinion included an extensive background section, see Suggs § 2255 Opinion at 154-58, 2015 WL 7566658 at *1-3, which the Court will not repeat here, but will proceed directly to the specific claims raised by Glover and Price.

In their § 2255 motions, Glover and Price raise multiple claims of ineffective *436 assistance of counsel. Those claims pertain to the following events: (1) Glover’s counsel’s alleged failure to investigate and learn of ■ his. drug addiction; (2) Price’s .counsel’s one-day absence from the courtroom during trial due to illness; (3) the admission into evidence of items seized during the June 19, 2007 search of Glover’s residence; (4) the admission into evidence of five conversations recorded by the bug installed in alleged co-conspirator Lonnell Glover’s 3 truck and related testimony about those conversations (the “truck bug” evidence); (5) the admission into evidence of FBI Agent Bevington’s lay opinion testimony explaining conversations recorded by the, truck bug and by the wiretap on Suggs’ cell phone; (6) the jury’s exposure to, the. “overwhelming” odor of POP; and (7) the Court’s response to a jury note. In addition, both Glover and Price claim that even if no claim succeeds individually, the cumulative impact of counsel’s mistakes entitles them to relief.

Of these claims, two — the claim based on the response to the jury note and the claim based the jury’s exposure to the odor of POP — were also raised by Suggs and were denied for reasons that are equally applicable here. See Suggs § 2255 Opinion, 146 F.Supp.3d at 164-68, 2015 WL 7566658, at *9-11. The Court will not repeat that analysis here, but rather incorporates by reference the analysis and conclusions set forth in its earlier decision. The remaining claims, including any additional facts necessary for an understanding and analysis of each claim, are addressed below. 4

ANALYSIS

I. LEGAL STANDARDS

A. Section 2255

Section 2255 provides that “[a] prisoner in custody under sentence of a court established by Act of Congress claiming the right to be: released upon the ground that the sentence was imposed in violation of the Constitution or laws of the United States ... or is otherwise subject to collateral attack, may move the court which imposed the sentence to vacate, set aside or correct the sentence.” 28 U.S.C. § 2255(a). In general, “claims not raised on direct appeal may not be raised on collateral review unless the petitioner shows cause and prejudice,” but “an ineffective-aSsistance-of-counsel claim may be brought in a collateral proceeding under § 2255, whether or not the petitioner could have raised the claim on direct appeal.” Massaro v. United States, 538 U.S. 500, *437 504, 123 S.Ct. 1690, 155 L.Ed.2d 714 (2003).

B. Ineffective Assistance of Counsel

The Sixth Amendment guarantees a criminal defendant the right to the effective assistance of counsel at trial and on appeal. Strickland v. Washington, 466 U.S. 668, 104 S.Ct. 2052, 80 L.Ed.2d 674 (1984). In order to establish ineffective assistance of counsel, a defendant “must show that counsel’s performance was deficient” and “that the deficient performance prejudiced the defense.” Id. at 687, 104 S.Ct. 2052. “An error by counsel, even if professionally unreasonable, does not warrant setting aside the judgment of a criminal proceeding, if the error had no effect on the judgment.” Id. at 691, 104 S.Ct. 2052. Thus, “[f]ailure to make the required showing of either deficient performance or sufficient prejudice defeats the ineffectiveness claim.” Id. at 700, 104 S.Ct. 2052. A counsel’s performance is deficient if it “fell below an objective standard of reasonableness” under “prevailing professional norms.” Id. at 688, 104 S.Ct. 2052. “A fair assessment of attorney performance requires that every effort be made to, eliminate the distorting effects of hindsight, to reconstruct the circumstances of counsel’s challenged conduct, and to evaluate the conduct from counsel’s perspective at the time.” Id. at 689, 104 S.Ct. 2052. As for establishing prejudice, “[t]he defendant must show that there is a reasonable probability that, but for counsel’s unprofessional errors, the result of the proceeding would have been different.” Id. at 694, 104 S.Ct. 2052. “When a defendant challenges a conviction, the question is whether there is a reasonable probability that, absent the errors, the factfinder would have had a reasonable doubt respecting guilt.” Id. at 695, 104 S.Ct. 2052. “A reasonable probability is a probability sufficient to undermine confidence in the outcome.” Id.-, see also Harrington v. Richter, 562 U.S. 86, 112, 131 S.Ct.

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Bluebook (online)
174 F. Supp. 3d 431, 2016 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 43260, 2016 WL 1273171, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-glover-dcd-2016.