United States v. Walston

531 F. App'x 872
CourtCourt of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit
DecidedAugust 7, 2013
Docket13-7006
StatusUnpublished

This text of 531 F. App'x 872 (United States v. Walston) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals for the Tenth 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. Walston, 531 F. App'x 872 (10th Cir. 2013).

Opinion

*873 ORDER AND JUDGMENT *

STEPHEN H. ANDERSON, Circuit Judge.

After examining the briefs and appellate record, this panel has determined unanimously that oral argument would not materially assist in the determination of this appeal. See Fed. RApp. P. 34(a)(2); 10th Cir. R. 34.1(G). The case is therefore ordered submitted without oral argument.

Defendant and appellant, Philip Eugene Walston, seeks to appeal the twenty-two month sentence imposed following the revocation of his supervised release. His appointed counsel, Terry L. Weber, has filed an Anders brief and has moved to withdraw as counsel. See Anders v. California, 386 U.S. 738, 87 S.Ct. 1396, 18 L.Ed.2d 493 (1967). Mr. Walston has declined to file a pro se response to that brief, despite being twice reminded by this court of his right to do so. The government has also filed an Anders brief. We therefore base our conclusion on both parties’ briefs, as well as our own careful review of the record. For the reasons set forth below, we agree with counsel that the record in this case provides no non-frivolous basis for an appeal, and we therefore grant Mr. Weber’s motion to withdraw and we dismiss this appeal.

BACKGROUND

In July 2007, Mr. Walston was indicted, along with fourteen other individuals, in a conspiracy involving stealing personal identification data, including bank account and routing numbers, and making counterfeit checks to be drawn on local banks. Mr. Walston was charged only with one count of conspiracy, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 371. He subsequently pled guilty and, in January 2008, was sentenced to fifteen months’ imprisonment, followed by thirty-six months’ supervised release.

In January 2011, while on supervised release, Mr. Walston tested positive for marijuana usage, which was a violation of one of the mandatory conditions of his release that he “refrain from any unlawful use of controlled substances.” R. Vol. 1 at 44. Because he was referred to a therapy program, the court took no action with respect to that violation of the terms of Mr. Walston’s supervised release.

In May 2011, a petition to revoke his supervised release was filed, alleging that Mr. Walston had again violated the conditions of his release, because: Mr. Walston (1) admitted to using methamphetamine in January 2011; (2) tested positive for amphetamine use in an April 2011 drug screen; and (3) tested positive for amphetamine, methamphetamine and marijuana use in a May 2011 drug screen. Mr. Wal-ston also failed to make restitution payments as ordered in his original judgment. He requested that the district court order him to participate in inpatient drug treatment therapy, in lieu of revoking his supervision. The district court ultimately revoked Mr. Walston’s supervision and sentenced him to five months’ imprisonment, followed by twelve months of supervised release. The court also ordered him to participate in a drug treatment program and to make payments on his restitution obligations.

A second (and the instant) petition to revoke supervised release was filed in March 2012. It charged Mr. Walston with the following violations of the terms of his supervised release:

*874 (1) On April 17, 2012 Mr. Walston was convicted in Sebastian County, Arkansas for his March, 1, 2012 delivery of a counterfeit controlled substance (methamphetamine). This violated the mandatory condition that he “not commit another federal, state or local crime.”
(2) He failed to appear for monthly reporting to the United States Probation Office in both February 2012 and March 2012, contrary to the standard condition of release that he “shall report to the probation officer.”
(3) He failed to appear for a urinalysis test on four occasions. This defies the standard condition of release that he “shall submit to urinalysis testing as directed by the Probation Office.”
(4) He failed to complete drug treatment on two occasions. First, he was discharged from treatment at an inpatient program after he engaged in a verbal altercation with another resident. He was later discharged from another treatment program after he missed three group meetings. His failure to complete these programs is contrary to the special condition that he “shall participate in [residential drug/alcohol] treatment as directed by the probation officer and remain in the treatment facility until discharged.”
(5) Finally, he failed to make a single restitution payment since his July 2011 release from the Bureau of Prisons, contrary to the requirement that he make monthly payments towards the court-ordered restitution.

Tr. of Final Revocation Hr’g at 4-6; R. Vol. 1 at 13-15.

Mr. Walston filed a Sentencing Memorandum, in which he (again) requested inpatient treatment for his substance abuse problem instead of revocation of his supervised release, and he noted that he had served nine months in a state facility already as punishment for the delivery of the counterfeit methamphetamine. He then stipulated to the violations. The district court subsequently sentenced him to twenty-two months’ imprisonment with no term of supervised release, stating as follows:

In imposing this sentence, I’ve considered the violation policy statements in Chapter 7 of the United States Sentencing Guideline manual now in effect and view those policies as advisory in nature for the purpose of these proceedings. I’ve considered the nature and circumstances of the violations conduct and the history and characteristics of the offender. The defendant has shown disregard for the rules and conditions of supervised release.
The sentence imposed is within the authority specified in United States Code Section 3583(e)(3), the sentence is reasonable, provides just punishment for noncompliance, is an adequate deterrent to criminal conduct, and promotes respect for the law.

Id. at 9-10; R. Vol. 1 at 18-19. This attempt to appeal followed. As indicated, Mr. Walston’s appointed counsel has moved to withdraw as counsel pursuant to Anders.

DISCUSSION

In Anders, the Supreme Court held that if a defendant’s counsel “finds [the defendant’s] case to be wholly frivolous, after a conscientious examination of it, he should so advise the court and request permission to withdraw.” Anders, 386 U.S. at 744, 87 S.Ct. 1396. Counsel must submit to both the court and his client a “brief referring to anything in the record that might arguably support the appeal.” Id. The defen *875 dant may then “raise any points that he chooses.” Id.

The reviewing court must examine all the proceedings to determine whether the appeal is frivolous. Id.

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Related

United States v. Steele
603 F.3d 803 (Tenth Circuit, 2010)
Anders v. California
386 U.S. 738 (Supreme Court, 1967)
United States v. Kelley
359 F.3d 1302 (Tenth Circuit, 2004)
United States v. Contreras-Martinez
409 F.3d 1236 (Tenth Circuit, 2005)
United States v. Romero
511 F.3d 1281 (Tenth Circuit, 2008)
United States v. McBride
633 F.3d 1229 (Tenth Circuit, 2011)

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531 F. App'x 872, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-walston-ca10-2013.