United States v. Sherman Hopkins, Jr.

557 F. App'x 628
CourtCourt of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit
DecidedMay 28, 2014
Docket13-2927
StatusUnpublished

This text of 557 F. App'x 628 (United States v. Sherman Hopkins, Jr.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals for the Eighth 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. Sherman Hopkins, Jr., 557 F. App'x 628 (8th Cir. 2014).

Opinion

PER CURIAM.

Sherman Hopkins Jr. appeals his 12-month sentence that the district court 1 imposed after it revoked Hopkins’s second term of supervised release. He argues that the district court abused its discretion in revoking his supervised release and that the 12-month revocation sentence is unreasonable. We affirm.

I. Background,

Hopkins was charged with nine counts of perjury, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1623. He pleaded guilty to one of the perjury counts and was sentenced to 46 months’ imprisonment followed by three years of supervised release.

His first term of supervised release began in September 2010. On July 3, 2012, the district court revoked his supervised release after he admitted violating multiple conditions of release, including failure to comply with drug testing, failure to notify of residence or employment change, association with a felon, failure to notify of law enforcement contact, use of alcohol, failure to answer truthfully inquiries or follow instructions, failure to comply with remote alcohol testing, and failure to support dependents. The court sentenced Hopkins to 12 months’ imprisonment followed by two years of supervised release. The standard conditions of supervision included a prohibition on associating with felons. One special condition of supervision was that Hopkins “reside in a Residential Reentry Center for a period of 180 days” and that he “abide by all rules and regulations of the facility.” Hopkins served the 12-month sentence.

On July 2, 2013, Hopkins arrived at the Gerald Hinzman Center (GHC) for 180-day placement and began his second term of supervised release. On July 3, 2013, a GHC staff member observed Hopkins at a grocery store “in the company of fellow federal offender Matt Pratt.” Hopkins had not received an approved pass to this location nor had he received permission to associate with Pratt. He was cited for out-of-place assignment.

*630 On August 7, 2013, a GHC staff member observed Hopkins at the mall when he was supposed to be at his place of employment; Hopkins had not received approval to stop at the mall. He was cited for out-of-place assignment.

On August 16, 2013, Hopkins received instructions “to turn in his paycheck to GHC staff for monthly subsistence payment and he refused to do so.” He was cited for disobeying a lawful order or directive and the unauthorized possession of money. That same day, in a separate incident, GHC staff strip searched Hopkins. During the search, Hopkins used obscenities and called the male staff members “faggots.” During subsequent room searches, GHC staff discovered a contraband cell phone and cell phone charger in Hopkins’s room. Hopkins shouted loudly, acted disrespectfully, and used obscene language, while officers conducted room and strip searches of other residents. He was cited for verbal abuse, unauthorized possession or exchange, and obstructive or disruptive conduct.

On August 19, 2013, Hopkins received a citation for unauthorized possession of money for failing to turn in at least two paychecks for subsistence payment.

Based on these citations, the GHC staff asked for Hopkins’s dismissal from the center. Hopkins’s probation officer then filed a petition to revoke Hopkins’s supervised release because he refused to comply with the residential reentry center’s rules and associated with a felon.

During the supervised-release revocation hearing, Hopkins admitted each of the violations. The court determined, and Hopkins did not contest, that each of the violations was a Grade C violation under U.S.S.G. § 7B1.1. At the time of his original sentencing, Hopkins’s criminal history category was VI. Based on this criminal history category, Hopkins’s recommended Guidelines range was 8 to 14 months’ imprisonment. The maximum statutory term was one year. The court noted that “[t]his is not mandatory revocation” and that it had “the power to send him back to prison, to continue his supervision, to modify his supervision,” or “to terminate it since the ... start date was back in 2010.”

The government asked the court to “revoke the defendant’s supervised release and send him back to prison for one year and one day”; additionally, it asked “the Court not to reimpose supervision after his term of incarceration” based on Hopkins’s “complete inability to work with probation.” Hopkins was “in agreement with the sentence that’s recommended by the Government.” 2

After “carefully considering] all of the statutory factors that apply under 18 [U.S.C. § ] 3553(a),” looking at the Guidelines, “considering] the nature and circumstances of the violation and the history and characteristics of Mr. Hopkins,” and “considering] all the other statutory factors that apply,” the court sentenced Hopkins to “12 months” with “no supervised release to follow.” Thereafter, the following exchange occurred:

DEFENDANT HOPKINS, JR.: Was it — did we agree — I mean was it a year and a day that you’re sentencing me to or—
THE COURT: No. I sentenced you to 12 months, which was my understanding what you agreed to.
*631 DEFENDANT HOPKINS, JR.: I agreed to a year and a day with the— THE COURT: Okay.
DEFENDANT HOPKINS, JR.:— what they told me.
THE COURT: Well, I’m not going to give you a year and a day because the last time I revoked you— DEFENDANT HOPKINS, JR.: You gave me a year.
THE COURT: — it was a year and it would make no sense whatsoever incrementally to lessen your punishment when your behavior has continued and has not improved, so I am sentencing you to 12 months; not 12 months and one day. I considered that and— DEFENDANT HOPKINS, JR.: I’ll take the 14 months.
THE COURT: Pardon? It’s 12 months, so you will serve 12 months.

II. Discussion

Hopkins argues that the district court abused its discretion in revoking his supervised release and imposed an unreasonable revocation sentence. Specifically, Hopkins argues that the district court abused its discretion in failing to consider relevant factors that should have received significant weight. He also claims that the district court abused its discretion because it committed a clear error of judgment in weighing the factors. He concludes that, under the circumstances of the case, the district court imposed an unreasonable revocation sentence.

A. Revocation

A district court’s revocation of a defendant’s supervised release is reviewed for an abuse of discretion, and its factfinding regarding whether a violation occurred is reviewed for clear error. United States v. Gomez, 550 FedAppx. 348, 349-50 (8th Cir.2014). When analyzing the district court’s factual findings for clear error, we will “reverse only if we have a definite and firm conviction that the district court was mistaken.” Id. (quotation and citations omitted).

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
557 F. App'x 628, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-sherman-hopkins-jr-ca8-2014.