United States v. Ladwig

192 F. Supp. 3d 1153, 2016 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 92740, 2016 WL 3619640
CourtDistrict Court, E.D. Washington
DecidedJune 28, 2016
DocketCase No. 2:03-CR-00232-RHW
StatusPublished
Cited by13 cases

This text of 192 F. Supp. 3d 1153 (United States v. Ladwig) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, E.D. Washington primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
United States v. Ladwig, 192 F. Supp. 3d 1153, 2016 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 92740, 2016 WL 3619640 (E.D. Wash. 2016).

Opinion

ORDER GRANTING DEFENDANT’S 28 U.S.C. § 2255 MOTION TO VACATE

U.S. MARSHAL SERVICE ACTION REQUIRED

ROBERT H. WHALEY, Senior United States District Judge

Before the Court is Defendant’s 28 U.S.C. § 2255 Motion to Vacate Sentence and for Immediate Release. ECF No. 58. The Court heard oral argument on June 22, 2016. Mr. Ladwig was represented by Alison Guernsey of the Federal Defenders of Eastern Washington and Idaho. Assistant United States Attorney Stephanie Lister appeared on behalf of the government. The Court has reviewed the motion and all relevant filings, considered oral argument from counsel, and is fully informed.

BACKGROUND

On November 4, 2003, a grand jury returned an indictment charging Mr. Ladwig with two counts of possession of a firearm by a prohibited person, in violation of 18 U.S.C. §§ 922(g) and 924. ECF No. 2. Mr. Ladwig pled guilty to count two of the Indictment, a single felon in possession charge, on March 8, 2004. ECF No. 17. Mr. Ladwig’s Presentence Investigation report advised that Mr. Ladwig qualified for an enhanced sentence under the Armed Career Criminal Act (“ACCA”), ECF No. 64 at 34, which if applicable to Mr. Ladwig, would enhance his sentence from a statutory maximum of ten years to a statutory minimum of fifteen. See 18 U.S.C. §§ 924(a)(2) & (e)(1). The Presen-tence Report noted three prior convictions that U.S. Probation believed qualified Mr. Ladwig for the statutory enhancement: second degree burglary, in violation of Wash. Rev. Code § 9A.52.030; attempted second degree rape, in violation of Wash. Rev. Code § 9A.44.040(l)(a); and harassment/threat to kill, in violation of Wash. Rev. Code § 9A.61.230(2)(b).

At the September 3, 2004 sentencing hearing, Mr. Ladwig conceded that his second-degree burglary charge qualified as a predicate felony. ECF No. 35 at 9. Mr. Ladwig also appears to have conceded that his attempted second degree rape conviction was an ACCA predicate felony, as he did not object to the Presentence Report’s inclusion of that conviction either at the sentencing hearing or in his filed objections to the Presentence Report. See ECF No. 35 (transcript of sentencing); ECF No. 26 (Defendant’s objections to the Presen-tence Report). The only predicate felony Mr. Ladwig contested at his sentencing hearing was his conviction for Harassment/Threat to Kill. See ECF No. 35 at 10.

The Court overruled Mr. Ladwig’s objection, found him to be an armed career criminal, id. at 13-14, and sentenced him to a 200 month term of incarceration, five years of supervised release, a $100 special penalty assessment, and no fine. ECF No. 29.1 Mr. Ladwig appealed this Court’s finding that his telephone harassment conviction was a violent felony, but on December 27, 2005 -the Ninth Circuit affirmed. See United States v. Ladwig, 432 F.3d 1001 (9th Cir.2005).

On June 27, 2014, Mr. Ladwig filed a motion under 28 U.S.C. § 2255 to vacate his sentence based on the U.S. Supreme [1157]*1157Court’s decision in United States v. Descamps, — U.S.-, 133 S.Ct. 2276, 186 L.Ed.2d 438 (2013). ECF No. 43. On November 14, 2014, this Court stayed consideration of Mr. Ladwig’s motion until the Ninth Circuit issued a decision in Ezell v. United States, 778 F.3d 762 (9th Cir.2015), which ultimately held that Descamps did not announce a new rule of constitutional law. Following the Ninth Circuit’s reasoning in Ezell, the Court denied Mr. Lad-wig’s motion as untimely, ECF No. 51.

On November 20, 2015, Mr. Ladwig filed an Application for Permission to File a Second or Successive Habeas Corpus Petition with the Ninth Circuit in light of Johnson v. United States, — U.S. -, 135 S.Ct. 2551, 192 L.Ed.2d 569 (2015). On April 27, 2016, the Ninth Circuit granted Mr. Ladwig’s application and deemed his motion filed in this Court on April 21, 2016. ECF No. 59.

DISCUSSION

Mr. Ladwig moves the Court to vacate his sentence pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 2255 arguing that, after the Supreme Court’s decision in Johnson, his ACCA enhanced 200 month sentence is in excess of the maximum authorized by law because his second degree burglary and attempted second degree rape convictions no longer qualify as violent felonies under the ACCA.

I. 28 U.S.C. § 2255

28 U.S.C. § 2255 outlines four grounds upon which a Court may grant relief to a prisoner who challenges his sentence: (1) “that the sentence was imposed in violation of the Constitution or laws of the United States”; (2) “that the court was without jurisdiction to impose such sentence”; (3) “that the sentence was in excess of the maximum authorized by law”; and (4) that the sentence is otherwise “subject to collateral attack.” 28 U.S.C. § 2255(a). Although there are four categories, the range of claims that fall within the scope of § 2255 are narrow. United States v. Wilcox, 640 F.2d 970, 972 (9th Cir.1981). The asserted error of law must be “a fundamental defect which inherently results in a complete miscarriage of justice.” Davis v. United States, 417 U.S. 333, 346, 94 S.Ct. 2298, 41 L.Ed.2d 109 (1974) (quoting Hill v. United States, 368 U.S. 424, 429, 82 S.Ct. 468, 7 L.Ed.2d 417 (1962)).

II. The Armed Career Criminal Act

18 U.S.C. § 924(e), known as the Armed Career Criminal Act, enhances the sentences of federal defendants who have three prior convictions “for a violent felony, or a serious drug offense, or both” from a statutory maximum of ten years to a statutory minimum of fifteen. 18 U.S.C. §§ 924(e)(1).

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
192 F. Supp. 3d 1153, 2016 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 92740, 2016 WL 3619640, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-ladwig-waed-2016.