United States v. Hamilton

235 F. Supp. 3d 1229, 2017 WL 368512, 2017 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 10257
CourtDistrict Court, N.D. Oklahoma
DecidedJanuary 25, 2017
DocketCase No. 06-CR-188-TCK
StatusPublished
Cited by7 cases

This text of 235 F. Supp. 3d 1229 (United States v. Hamilton) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, N.D. Oklahoma primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
United States v. Hamilton, 235 F. Supp. 3d 1229, 2017 WL 368512, 2017 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 10257 (N.D. Okla. 2017).

Opinion

OPINION AND ORDER

TERENCE KERN, United States District Judge

Before, the Court is Defendant’s pro se Motion to Vacate, Set Aside,' or Correct Sentence pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 2255 (“2255 Motion”) (Doc. 28).

I. Factual Background

In 2005, Defendant ■ Raymond Mark Hamilton pled guilty to possession of a firearm and ammunition after a felony conviction, which would typically carry a ten-year maximum sentence. Based on facts set forth in the Presentence Investigation Report (“PSR”), the Court found Defendant had seven prior convictions for violent felonies under 18 U.S.C. § 924(e) and classified Defendant as an Armed Career Criminal (“ACC”) under the Armed Career Criminal Act (“ACCA”). These seven convictions consisted of (1) simple burglary under Louisiana law; (2) -second- degree burglary under Oklahoma law; (3) second degree burglary under Oklahoma law; (4) robbery with,. firearms under Oklahoma law; (5) assault with a deadly weapon and felony DUI under California law; (6) felony DUI under California law; and ,(7) sec[1232]*1232ond degree burglary under Oklahoma law. As a result of application of the ACCA, the Court sentenced Defendant to 190 months imprisonment to run concurrently with an undischarged fifteen-year state sentence. Defendant did not appeal his conviction or sentence.

II. ACCA’s Definition of Violent Felony and Supreme Court’s Ruling in Johnson

The ACCA defines violent felony as “any crime punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding one year” that meets one of three requirements: (1) “has as an element the use, attempted use, or threatened use of physical force against the person of another” (the “elements clause”); (2) is burglary, arson, or extortion, or involves use of explosives” (the “enumerated offense clause”); or (3) “otherwise involves conduct that presents a serious potential risk of physical injury to another” (the “residual clause”). 18 U.S.C. § 924(e)(2)(B). In Johnson v. United States, — U.S. -, 135 S.Ct. 2551, 2557, 192 L.Ed.2d 569 (2015), the Supreme Court declared the residual clause unconstitutionally vague. In Welch v. United States, — U.S. -, 136 S.Ct. 1257, 1268, 194 L.Ed.2d 387 (2016), the Court held that Johnson announced a substantive rule that has retroactive effect in cases on collateral review.

III. 2255 Motion

In his 2255 motion, Defendant argues he no longer qualifies as an ACC in light of Johnson’s invalidation of the residual clause. (See Doc. 45.) The Court ordered the United States to respond. The United States argues that, notwithstanding the Supreme Court’s decision in Johnson, Defendant is not entitled to any sentence modification because he has five convictions that qualify as ACCA violent felonies under other valid clauses in § 924(e)(2)(B). In essence, the United States makes a “harmless error” argument, meaning any Johnson error that occurred was harmless because the sentence would have remained the same. See Johnson v. United States, No. 3:16-CV-00215 (MPS), 2016 WL 7362764, at *5 (D. Conn. Dec. 19, 2016) (describing similar argument by United States as a “harmless error” argument).

The Court assumes without deciding that Defendant’s convictions for the California crime of assault with a deadly weapon and the Oklahoma crime of robbery with firearms qualify as violent felonies under the elements clause, as argued by the United States. One additional violent felony is needed for ACC status, and the United States concedes that the DUI convictions do not qualify. This leaves the three Oklahoma second degree burglary convictions and the Louisiana burglary conviction as remaining possible predicate convictions. The dispute presented by the 2255 motion is whether any of these four burglary convictions qualify as a violent felony under the elements clause of the ACCA, such that any Johnson error was harmless.

IV.§ 2255 Standard

A federal prisoner may only obtain relief under § 2255 if his sentence (1) was imposed in violation of the Constitution or federal laws, (2) was imposed by a court without jurisdiction to do so, (3) was in excess of the maximum permitted by the law, or (4) is otherwise subject to attack. 28 U.S.C, § 2255. In order to obtain relief under § 2255 on the basis of constitutional error, the' petitioner must establish “an error of constitutional magnitude which had a substantial and injurious effect or influence on the verdict.” Brecht v. Abrahamson, 507 U.S. 619, 637—38, 113 S.Ct. 1710, 123 L.Ed.2d 353 (1993); United [1233]*1233States v. Dago, 441 F.3d 1238, 1245-46 (10th Cir. 2006). In cases involving a jury verdict, the standard is satisfied if the judge “thinks that the error substantially influenced the jury’s decision.” O’Neal v. McAninch, 513 U.S. 432, 436, 115 S.Ct. 992, 130 L.Ed.2d 947 (1995). “[Wjhere the record is so evenly balanced that a conscientious judge is in grave doubt as to the harmlessness of an error,” the petitioner must win. Id.

This standard extends to sentencing errors, and Defendant must therefore establish that the Johnson error had a “substantial and injurious effect” on his sentence. See Johnson v. United States, No. 3:16-CV-215(MPS), 2016 WL 7362764, at *5 (D. Conn. Dec. 19, 2016) (although defendant had shown that his 1994 rioting conviction could no longer serve as an ACCA predicate, defendant was also required to show error “resulted in actual prejudice”). If the Court is in “grave doubt” as to whether the residual clause error was indeed harmless, Defendant has satisfied his burden of showing a substantial and 'injurious effect on his sentence. See id. (court expressed “grave doubt” as to whether sentencing judge would have found two prior convictions were committed on different occasions and therefore found 1991 conviction could not be considered an ACCA predicate).

V. Threshold Issues Raised by Unpublished Tenth Circuit Decision

In December of 2016, in an unpublished decision, the Tenth Circuit denied a certificate of appealability to a petitioner seeking relief based on a residual-clause error. See United States v. Taylor, No. 16-6223, 672 Fed.Appx. 860, 2016 WL 7093905 (10th Cir. Dec. 6. 2016). But for Taylor, the Court would have (1) proceeded directly to the question of whether the burglary convictions alternatively qualify as predicate convictions under the enumerated offense clause, and (2) applied current law to this issue, including Mathis v. United States, — U.S. -, 136 S.Ct. 2243, 195 L.Ed.2d 604 (2016). Certain reasoning in Taylor, discussed below, causes the Court to address two threshold questions although they were not briefed by the parties.

A.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
235 F. Supp. 3d 1229, 2017 WL 368512, 2017 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 10257, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-hamilton-oknd-2017.