United States v. Saint-Jean

684 F. Supp. 2d 767, 2010 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 14350, 2010 WL 545937
CourtDistrict Court, W.D. Virginia
DecidedFebruary 17, 2010
DocketCriminal Action No. 5:06CR00038-007. Civil Action No. 5:09CV80181
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 684 F. Supp. 2d 767 (United States v. Saint-Jean) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, W.D. Virginia primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
United States v. Saint-Jean, 684 F. Supp. 2d 767, 2010 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 14350, 2010 WL 545937 (W.D. Va. 2010).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM OPINION

GLEN E. CONRAD, District Judge.

Andre Feme SainNJean, a federal inmate proceeding pro se, filed this action as a motion to vacate, set aside, or correct sentence under 28 U.S.C. § 2255. The government has filed a motion to dismiss to which Saint-Jean has responded, making the matter ripe for the court’s disposi *770 tion. For the reasons that follow, the government’s motion to dismiss will be granted and Saint-Jean’s motion to vacate will be denied. Additionally, the court will deny Saint-Jean's motion for discovery and his motion for an evidentiary hearing.

Background

On September 6, 2006, Saint-Jean and nine co-defendants were charged in a twenty-six-count indictment returned by a grand jury in the Western District of Virginia. Count One charged that, beginning on a date unknown to the grand jury, but not later than January of 2002, and continuing until the date of the indictment, SainWJean and the other defendants conspired to distribute more than 50 grams of cocaine base, in violation of 21 U.S.C. §§ 841(a)(1) and (b)(1)(A), and 846. Counts Thirteen and Fourteen charged Saint>-Jean with knowingly and intentionally distributing measurable quantities of cocaine base on April 8, 2005 and May 3, 2005, respectively, in violation of 21 U.S.C. § 841(a)(1) and (b)(1)(C). Count Fifteen charged Saint-Jean with possessing with intent to distribute 10.2 grams of cocaine base on January 1, 2006, in violation of 21 U.S.C. § 841(a)(1) and (b)(1)(B).

On January 17, 2007, Saint-Jean entered a plea of guilty to Count One of the indictment, pursuant to a written plea agreement. Under the terms of the plea bargain, the parties agreed that Saint-Jean should be held responsible for at least 500 grams but less than 1.5 kilograms of cocaine base. The parties also stipulated that Saint-Jean played an aggravating role in the charged conspiracy, and thus, that he should receive a two-level enhancement under § 3B1.1 of the United States Sentencing Guidelines (U.S.S.G.). For its part, the government agreed to move to dismiss the remaining counts of the indictment in which Saint-Jean was charged (Plea Ag. at 2), and to consider filing a substantial assistance motion under U.S.S.G. § 5K1.1 and 18 U.S.C. § 3553(e). (Plea. Ag. at 6-7). In exchange, Saint-Jean agreed to waive “the right to appeal [his] sentence, including any statutory minimum penalties.” (Plea Ag. at 5). Saint-Jean also agreed to waive “[his] right to collaterally attack, pursuant to Title 28, United States Code, Section 2255, or any other provision of law, the judgment and any part of the sentence imposed upon [him] by the Court.” (Plea Ag. at 5).

During the plea hearing conducted pursuant to Rule 11 of the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure, the court established that Sainh-Jean possessed the capacity to make a voluntary, intelligent, and informed decision. In response to questions from the court, Saint-Jean stated under oath that he had completed the twelfth grade, that he was not suffering from a physical or mental problem that would impair his ability to understand or participate fully in the proceeding, and that he was not under the influence of any drugs or intoxicants that would affect his reasoning, comprehension, or communication skills. (Plea Hearing Tr. at 4). The court also established that Sainh-Jean understood the charge to which he was pleading guilty, as well as the purpose for the hearing. (Tr. at 5).

The court then instructed the prosecutor to review the salient portions of the plea agreement that SainL-Jean had reached with the government. In response, the prosecutor outlined several paragraphs of the plea agreement, including paragraphs four and five, in which the parties agreed that SainL-Jean would be held responsible for at least 500 grams but less than 1.5 kilograms of cocaine base, and that he would receive a two-point enhancement for playing an aggravated role in the offense. (Tr. at 7). Although the plea agreement did not specifically reference Rule 11(c)(1)(C) of the Federal Rules of Crimi *771 nal Procedure, counsel for both the government and the defendant indicated that it was their intention that the stipulations contained in the two paragraphs would be “binding” under that rule. 1 (Tr. at 9).

The prosecutor also summarized paragraphs nine and ten of the plea agreement. He explained that, pursuant to those paragraphs, the defendant would be waiving “his right to appeal any sentence,” and that he would be waiving his “right to bring a habeas corpus action to collaterally attack the judgement [sic] and the sentence.” (Tr. at 8). Upon being asked if the prosecutor’s summary of the plea agreement was consistent with his own understanding of the agreement, Saint-Jean responded in the affirmative. (Tr. at 10).

The court then questioned Saint-Jean regarding his understanding of particular terms of the plea agreement. Saint-Jean affirmed that he was “giv[ing] up [his] right to appeal [the court’s] judgement [sic].” (Tr. at 10). Saint-Jean also affirmed that he was “giv[ing] up [his] right to collaterally attack the court’s judgement [sic] at some later time ... by way of a motion to vacate sentence or a petition for a writ of habeas corpus.” (Tr. at 10). Additionally, the court specifically inquired as to whether Saint-Jean was voluntarily pleading guilty. In response, Saint-Jean affirmed that no one had made any promises or representations regarding the disposition of the case other than those set forth in the plea agreement, that no one had attempted to force him to plead guilty, and that he was “contemplating a guilty plea based on what [he thought was] best for [him] and what [was] consistent with the weight of the evidence in [his] particular case.” (Tr. at 10-11).

The court also questioned SainNJean regarding his understanding of the applicable provisions of the advisory sentencing guidelines. Saint-Jean affirmed that he was admitting responsibility for between 500 grams and 1.5 kilograms of crack cocaine, and that he was admitting to having committed an aggravating role in the offense, which would result in an enhancement under the advisory guidelines. (Tr. at 14-15). The court emphasized that both of those stipulations would be binding under Rule 11(c)(1)(C), and that if the court later found that it could not accept the stipulations, it would “have to give both sides the opportunity to withdraw from the plea agreement and plead again.” (Tr. 15). The court also explained that it could potentially find, by a preponderance of the evidence, that “some other enhancements might apply in [Saint-Jean’s] case that would affect [his] offense level.” (Tr. 15).

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Bluebook (online)
684 F. Supp. 2d 767, 2010 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 14350, 2010 WL 545937, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-saint-jean-vawd-2010.