United States v. Owen Franklin Silvious, United States of America v. Owen Franklin Silvious

911 F.2d 726
CourtCourt of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit
DecidedAugust 30, 1990
Docket89-6353
StatusUnpublished

This text of 911 F.2d 726 (United States v. Owen Franklin Silvious, United States of America v. Owen Franklin Silvious) 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. Owen Franklin Silvious, United States of America v. Owen Franklin Silvious, 911 F.2d 726 (4th Cir. 1990).

Opinion

911 F.2d 726
Unpublished Disposition

NOTICE: Fourth Circuit I.O.P. 36.6 states that citation of unpublished dispositions is disfavored except for establishing res judicata, estoppel, or the law of the case and requires service of copies of cited unpublished dispositions of the Fourth Circuit.
UNITED STATES of America, Plaintiff-Appellee,
v.
Owen Franklin SILVIOUS, Defendant-Appellant.
UNITED STATES of America, Plaintiff-Appellee,
v.
Owen Franklin SILVIOUS, Defendant-Appellant.

Nos. 89-6353, 89-7809.

United States Court of Appeals, Fourth Circuit.

Submitted June 8, 1990.
Decided Aug. 2, 1990.
Rehearing and Rehearing In Banc Denied Aug. 30, 1990.

Appeals from the United States District Court for the Western District of Virginia, at Roanoke. Jackson L. Kiser, District Judge. (CR No. 86-80-R; C/A No. 89-458-R; CR No. 85-35-R; C/A No. 89-429-R)

Owen Franklin Silvious, appellant pro se.

Peter Guido Strasser, Office of the United States Attorney, Roanoke, Va., for appellees.

W.D.Va.

AFFIRMED AS MODIFIED AND REMANDED.

Before K.K. HALL, MURNAGHAN and SPROUSE, Circuit Judges.

PER CURIAM:

Owen Franklin Silvious appeals from the orders of the district court denying his applications for post conviction relief brought pursuant to 28 U.S.C. Sec. 2255. Appellant also brought a motion in the district court for a stay of the restitution orders entered in his cases pending resolution of these appeals. The motion was denied below and appellant has renewed the motion on appeal. With the modifications noted below we affirm the judgments of the district court.

I.

Appellant pled guilty in January 1986 to two counts of mail fraud in violation of 18 U.S.C. Sec. 1341. The offenses underlying the convictions were committed in 1981 and 1982. (Criminal action No. 85-35-R, appeal No. 89-7809). Appellant was sentenced to five years on each count; however, execution of sentence was suspended and appellant was placed on probation. As a special condition of probation appellant was ordered to make restitution to the victims totaling $106,000. A total of $35,000 was paid to the victims in partial satisfaction of the restitution order while appellant was on probation.

Appellant subsequently violated his probation and, after a revocation proceeding, was sentenced on November 6, 1986, to consecutive five-year terms of imprisonment. The November 6 judgment did not mention restitution. On February 26, 1987, appellant pled guilty to two counts of devising a scheme and artifice to defraud or obtain money or property in violation of 18 U.S.C. Secs. 1343 and 1344. (Criminal action No. 86-80-R, appeal No. 89-6353). The offenses underlying these convictions were committed in 1985. Appellant was sentenced to consecutive five-year terms on these counts. He was also ordered to pay restitution to the victims in No. 86-80-R, and to pay a fine. Appellant did not appeal the convictions or sentences in either case.

II.

In his Sec. 2255 applications appellant challenges, among other things, (a) the district court's failure to make certain findings under the Victim and Witness Protection Act (VWPA), 18 U.S.C. Secs. 3663 and 3664 (previously 18 U.S.C. Secs. 3579-3580), prior to ordering restitution, (b) the propriety of continued restitution in No. 85-35-R, (c) the court's failure to make findings with regard to contested matters in the presentence reports, and to append resolution of such contested matters to the presentence report as required by Fed.R.Crim.P. 32(c)(3)(D), (d) the court's failure to inform him of the possibility of restitution prior to accepting the guilty pleas in both cases, (e) the court's failure to provide him with sufficient time to speak prior to the imposition of the sentences, and (f) the propriety of his conviction under Count II of No. 86-80-R.

With the exception of the claims concerning the continued restitution in No. 85-35-R and the violations of Rule 32, we find no reversible error in the allegations and affirm on the reasoning of the district court.

A.

Appellant contends that the district court improperly imposed restitution in No. 85-35-R for offenses committed before January 1, 1983, the effective date of the VWPA. Appellant also contends that the district court erred in sentencing him to prison in addition to ordering restitution. The record is silent as to whether the district court imposed restitution under the VWPA or the Federal Probation Act (FPA), 18 U.S.C. Secs. 3651 et seq. (repealed effective Nov. 1, 1987). If imposed under the VWPA then appellant is correct that the restitution order would be error because the offenses were committed prior to the effective date of the VWPA. United States v. Oldaker, 823 F.2d 778 (4th Cir.1987). If imposed under the FPA then the restitution order would be proper; however, once the probation was revoked the court could not continue to require restitution to be made. See, e.g., United States v. Angelica, 859 F.2d 1390, 1392-93) (9th Cir.1988) (court has no authority under FPA to order restitution while defendant incarcerated); United States v. Irvin, 820 F.2d 110, 111 (5th Cir.1987) (same).

There is no reason to believe from the record surrounding the restitution order under No. 85-35-R that the court based its authority on the VWPA. To the contrary, the record supports the conclusion that the court intended the restitution to be a condition of probation pursuant to the FPA. In accepting the guilty plea in No. 85-35-R the court explained to appellant the potential for restitution in the case. In fact, the court specifically stated to appellant that if the court were to put him on probation, the Court could make as a special term of the probation that he be required to make restitution.

The question remains, however, whether appellant is presently being required to make restitution on the No. 85-35-R offenses. Although the May 20, 1986, judgment and commitment order included restitution as a special condition of probation, the judgment and commitment order reflecting the probation revocation does not include any mention of restitution. In view of appellant's motion for a stay of the restitution order pending appeal, this Court requested the Clerk's Office for the Western District of Virginia to supplement the record with a report on the status of the funds being deducted from appellant's prison account. The report indicates that prior to the revocation of appellant's probation $35,000 was paid to victims in No. 85-35-R as restitution.* The report also notes that subsequent to the probation revocation, the district court has received $120 through the Bureau of Prisons to be applied to the restitution obligation in No. 85-35-R. Because of the pendency of these appeals, however, the clerk's office is voluntarily holding the funds and has not made any disbursements to the victims.

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