United States v. Savath

300 F. Supp. 3d 1215
CourtDistrict Court, D. Oregon
DecidedMarch 7, 2018
DocketCase. No. 6:06–cr–60050–MC; Case No. 6:16–cv–01135–MC
StatusPublished

This text of 300 F. Supp. 3d 1215 (United States v. Savath) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. Oregon primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
United States v. Savath, 300 F. Supp. 3d 1215 (D. Or. 2018).

Opinion

MCSHANE, Judge:

Pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 2255, Defendant Sengchanh Dia Savath moves to vacate or correct his 30 year sentence imposed pursuant to the Armed Career Criminal Act ("ACCA"), 18 U.S.C. § 924(e).1 Because Savath's convictions for Robbery II and Assault IV no longer qualify as predicate offenses under the ACCA, Savath's motion to vacate his sentence is GRANTED. Savath is ordered to be transported to the District of Oregon for resentencing.

BACKGROUND

At Savath's sentencing, the Court adopted the recommendations in the presentence report and sentenced Savath to 360 months under the ACCA. The court found that Mr. Savath qualified for a sentence under the ACCA because he had previously been convicted of three predicate "violent felonies:" (1) an Oregon conviction for Robbery II; (2) an Oregon conviction for Assault II; and (3) an Oregon conviction for Felony Assault IV. See Statements of Reasons at 1, ECF No. 185; ECF No. 151. The Ninth Circuit Court of *1218Appeals affirmed Savath's conviction. United States v. Savath , 398 Fed.Appx. 237 (9th Cir. 2010), cert. denied , 562 U.S. 1239, 131 S.Ct. 1523, 179 L.Ed.2d 341 (2011). On June 20, 2016, Savath filed a Motion to Vacate, Set Aside or Correct Sentence pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 2255, arguing that his convictions for Robbery II, ORS § 164.405, and Assault IV, ORS § 163.160, no longer qualify as violent felonies in light of Johnson v. United States ("Johnson II") , --- U.S. ----, 135 S.Ct. 2551, 192 L.Ed.2d 569 (2015), which struck down the ACCA residual clause as unconstitutionally vague.

LEGAL FRAMEWORK

Under 28 U.S.C. § 2255, a prisoner may move to have his sentence vacated or corrected if it "was imposed in violation of the Constitution or laws of the United States." § 2255(a). A motion pursuant to § 2255 must be filed within a year from the date on which a petitioner's conviction becomes final, unless an exception applies. Id. § 2255(f)(1). Under § 2255(f)(3), a petitioner may file a motion to vacate if it "assert[s] ... [a] right ... newly recognized by the Supreme Court." Such a motion must be filed one year from "the date on which the right asserted was initially recognized by the Supreme Court," id. , and the Supreme Court or controlling Court of Appeals has declared the right retroactively applicable on collateral review. Dodd v. United States , 545 U.S. 353, 358-59, 125 S.Ct. 2478, 162 L.Ed.2d 343 (2005).

DISCUSSION

Both parties agree that: (1) Johnson II provided Savath with a newly recognized right; (2) Welch v. United States , --- U.S. ----, 136 S.Ct. 1257, 1265, 194 L.Ed.2d 387 (2016) held that Johnson II applies retroactively; and (3) Savath's motion is therefore timely. The present case turns on whether Savath's prior Oregon convictions for Robbery II and Assault IV qualify as predicate offenses under the ACCA after Johnson II . If not, Savath's "enhanced" sentence exceeds the statutory maximum.

I. The Categorical Analysis

The ACCA defines "violent felony" as "any crime punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding one year" that "(i) has as an element the use, attempted use, or threatened use of physical force against the person of another; or (ii) is burglary, arson, or extortion, involves the use of explosives, or otherwise involves conduct that presents a serious potential risk of physical injury to another [.]" 18 U.S.C. § 924(e)(2)(B) (emphasis added). The final clause, emphasized above, is the "residual clause."

After Johnson II , a sentence imposed pursuant to the residual clause of the ACCA violates the Constitution and is subject to collateral attack under 28 U.S.C. § 2255. 135 S.Ct. at 2555-57 ; see also Welch , 136 S.Ct. at 1265

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
300 F. Supp. 3d 1215, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-savath-ord-2018.