United States v. Miranda

50 F. Supp. 3d 85, 2014 WL 4063309, 2014 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 113817
CourtDistrict Court, D. Puerto Rico
DecidedAugust 14, 2014
DocketCrim. Case No. 10-344(PG)
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 50 F. Supp. 3d 85 (United States v. Miranda) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. Puerto Rico primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
United States v. Miranda, 50 F. Supp. 3d 85, 2014 WL 4063309, 2014 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 113817 (prd 2014).

Opinion

OPINION AND ORDER

JUAN M. PÉREZ-GIMÉNEZ, District Judge.

Defendant Bernis González Miranda was an officer in the Puerto Rico Department of Corrections. In the fall of 2010, the Defendant was arrested by the FBI as part of “Operation Guardshack,” a large-scale undercover investigation targeting corrupt law enforcement officers in Puerto Rico.

González was charged with three counts of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute more than five kilograms of cocaine in violation of 21 U.S.C. §§ 846 and 841(a)(1) (counts Fourteen, Twenty-Three and Twenty-Seven), three counts of attempting to possess with the intent to distribute more than five kilograms of cocaine in violation of 21 U.S.C. §§ 846 and 841(a)(1) (counts Fifteen, Twenty-Four [88]*88and Twenty-Eight) and three counts of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug transaction in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 924(c). (counts Seventeen, Twenty-Five and Twenty-Nine). See Docket No. 68.

Defendant’s attempts to enter into a plea bargain with the Government fell through and he proceeded to trial where he was found guilty on all counts. See Docket No. 434. Soon thereafter, Gonzá-lez filed a motion, claiming that his attorney had been negligent in failing to finalize a plea agreement in direct contravention of his instructions. The Court initially denied relief and the plaintiff filed a Motion for Reconsideration. See Dockets No. 655 and 680.

For the reasons discussed below, we GRANT the Motion for Reconsideration.

I. FACTUAL AND PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND

González was charged on October 28, 2010 along with eight other codefendants, in a thirty-count indictment charging a series of offenses ranging from conspiracy to distribute controlled substances to possession of firearms in relation to a drug trafficking crime. See Docket No. 68.

Counts Fourteen, Fifteen, Twenty-Three, Twenty-Four, Twenty-Seven and Twenty-Eight charged violations to 21 U.S.C. § 846 and 841(a)(1) and 18 U.S.C. § 2, which carry a minimum term of imprisonment of 10 years and a maximum term of life imprisonment.

Counts Seventeen, Twenty-Five and Twenty-Nine charged violations to 18 U.S.C. §'924(c), which carry a minimum term of imprisonment of five years up to life imprisonment, to be served consecutively to the drug counts. Furthermore, counts Twenty-Five and Twenty-Nine carry a minimum mandatory term of 25 years as to each count to be served consecutively to each other and to the drug counts.

The defendant went to trial and was found guilty on all counts. See Jury Verdict entered on April 2, 2012 at Docket No. 434. On December 16, 2012 González filed a motion alleging ineffective assistance of counsel and requested a hearing on the matter. See Docket No. 602. According to González, his trial attorney, Carlos Cal-derón, failed to finalize a plea agreement negotiation with the government in utter disregard of González’s instructions and willingness to plead guilty since the case’s inception. González averred that his counsel’s ineffective handling of the plea negotiations exposed him to a substantially longer sentence than he would have received had he accepted the government’s offer. Id. On January 8, 2013 the government filed an Informative Motion detailing the plea bargaining efforts in the case and arguing that defense counsel did not commit an error that would constitute ineffective assistance of counsel. See Docket No. 609.

Ultimately, the Court held two hearings on the matter on March 1, 2013 and April 4, 2013 where Mr. Calderón testified as to his alleged incompetence. The defendant, however, did not take the stand to testify against his attorney. On March 7, 2013 Mr. Calderón filed a Motion in Compliance attaching several documents to show that he properly informed the defendant of the government’s plea offers and that the defendant rejected the plea offers and plea agreement knowingly and voluntarily. See Docket No. 626. On October 4, 2013 the Court entered an Opinion and Order denying the defendant’s request. See Docket No. 655.

Consequently, González was sentenced to 151 months as to counts Fourteen, Fifteen, Twenty-Three, Twenty-Four, Twenty-Seven and Twenty-Eight, to be served [89]*89concurrently with each other; 5 years as to count Seventeen and 25 years as to counts Twenty-Five and Twenty-Nine, to be served consecutively to each other, for a total term of 811 months. In addition, the defendant was sentenced to five years of supervised release as to each count, to be served concurrently with each other. See Docket No. 672.

On March 7, 2014 the defendant filed a Motion for Reconsideration of the Court’s October 4, 2013 Opinion and Order denying his claims of ineffective assistance of counsel. See Docket No. 680. The motion avers that during the defendant’s allocution at the Sentencing Hearing, the Court “questioned the defendant extensively regarding his position on the plea negotiation process.” Id. at page 2. This exchange, the defendant posits, opened up the proverbial Pandora’s Box and revealed a plethora of mistakes that his trial counsel made throughout the plea bargain negotiations. As a result, he received a sentence of 811 months when he could have entered into a plea agreement to serve 15 or, at worst, 20 years. See Docket No. 680. Based on those circumstances, the defendant asked the Court to reconsider its decision denying relief under Lafler v. Cooper, — U.S. -, 132 S.Ct. 1376, 182 L.Ed.2d 398 (2012) and Missouri v. Frye, — U.S. -, 132 S.Ct. 1399, 182 L.Ed.2d 379 (2012). Shortly thereafter, the government opposed the Request. See Docket No. 685.

Four days after filing the Motion for Reconsideration, the defendant entered a Notice of Appeal of the Judgment against him. See Docket No. 682. On April 28, 2014 the defendant filed an Emergency Motion asking the Court to express its position as to whether it would grant or deny the Motion for Reconsideration in light of the provisions of Fed. R.App. P. 12.1. See Docket No. 695. The Court acquiesced, expressing that it would consider the Motion for Reconsideration “as it raised substantial issues that the Court would like to examine.” Id.

II. STANDARD OF REVIEW

To prevail on a claim of ineffective assistance of counsel, the petitioner must show both that counsel’s performance was deficient and that it resulted in prejudice. Strickland v. Washington, 466 U.S. 668, 687, 104 S.Ct. 2052, 80 L.Ed.2d 674 (1984); Shuman v. Spencer,

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Aguasvivas-Castillo v. United States
49 F. Supp. 3d 167 (D. Puerto Rico, 2014)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
50 F. Supp. 3d 85, 2014 WL 4063309, 2014 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 113817, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-miranda-prd-2014.