Woody v. Bogan

832 F. Supp. 1109, 1993 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 13219, 1993 WL 372135
CourtDistrict Court, E.D. Michigan
DecidedSeptember 21, 1993
DocketCiv. A. No. 93 CV-72251-DT
StatusPublished

This text of 832 F. Supp. 1109 (Woody v. Bogan) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, E.D. Michigan primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Woody v. Bogan, 832 F. Supp. 1109, 1993 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 13219, 1993 WL 372135 (E.D. Mich. 1993).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM OPINION AND ORDER

ZATKOFF, District Judge.

Petitioner, Donald R. Woody (“Petitioner”), presently confined at the Federal Correctional Institution in Milan, Michigan (“FCI-Milan”), has filed this pro se application for writ of habeas corpus pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 2241. Petitioner challenges both the United States Parole Commission’s actions taken upon revoking his parole and the legality of his parole revocation.

Petitioner contends that the Parole Commission violated its own regulations by improperly determining his offense behavior severity rating (“OBSR”) and his salient factor score (“SFS”).1 Petitioner also contends that he was denied due process when the Parole [1111]*1111Commission failed to call his wife as a witness on his behalf.2 Petitioner seeks either an order vacating the presumptive parole date set by the Parole Commission and granting him another hearing, or an order vacating the Parole Commission’s presumptive parole date and ordering that the Parole Commission set a new presumptive parole release date based upon the OBSR and the SFS to which Petitioner claims entitlement.

Petitioner has appealed his parole revocation, his OBSR, and his SFS to the National Appeals Board, which affirmed the decision of the Parole Commission. See Respondent’s Ex. 17, Notice of Action on Appeal of the National Appeals Board dated January 25, 1993.

I. FACTUAL BACKGROUND

On July 24, 1987, Petitioner was sentenced to five years imprisonment for bank fraud. He was paroled from this sentence on May 11, 1989. While on parole, Petitioner was arrested and indicted for six counts of forgery in the Franklin County Ohio Common Pleas Court. According to the police report, Petitioner wrote six fraudulent cheeks totaling $8,000.00 on a closed account. He deposited the checks in his account. He withdrew some of the funds using an automatic teller machine card. Petitioner pleaded “guilty to one count of misdemeanor forgery and was sentenced to a six month jail term.” Respondent’s Brief at 2.

The Parole Commission delayed serving its violator warrant upon Petitioner until disposition of the forgery ease. On June 2, 1992, Petitioner was arrested on a parole violator warrant issued by the Parole Commission. The Parole Commission was informed of Petitioner’s guilty plea and sentence, as well as information that Petitioner had satisfied a restitution obligation of $2,004.00, and supplementary information regarding Petitioner’s conviction.

Petitioner’s parole revocation hearing was scheduled for August 11, 1992, at FCI-Ash-land, Kentucky. A continuance was granted to October 22, 1992, to allow Petitioner’s appointed attorney sufficient time to prepare for the hearing. The hearing was conducted on October 22, 1992. The panel found that Petitioner violated his parole by passing six bad checks valued at “some $5600 totally.” Respondent’s Ex. 14, Revocation Hearing Summary at l.3 The hearing panel based its findings on United State Probation Officer “Ankrom’s letters dated April 5, 1991, September 10,1991, December 16,1991, January 24, 1992, and May 5, 1992, as well as Franklin County Ohio Police Report No. 5580.” Respondent’s Ex. 14, Revocation Hearing Summary at 1. The panel also stated that it relied upon “Franklin County Ohio Police Report No. 5580 as well as your conviction in the Franklin County Ohio Common Pleas Court.” Respondent’s Ex. 14, Revocation Hearing Summary at 2. The panel recom[1112]*1112mended that Petitioner’s parole be revoked, that none of the time he spent on parole be credited against his sentence, and that his imprisonment be continued until the expiration of his sentence.

The Parole Commission revoked Petitioner’s parole on the basis of his new criminal conduct. The Parole Commission’s Notice of Action states that Petitioner had committed “Forgery (6 counts) — passing bad checks[.] Basis: Franklin County, Ohio Police Report No. 5580 and your conviction in the Franklin County Common Pleas Court.” Respondent’s Ex. 15, Notice of Action at 2. This document also states that Petitioner’s new criminal conduct in violation of his parole “involved check forgery of $6,700.” Respondent’s Ex. 15, Notice of Action at 2.

The Commission classified Petitioner’s new criminal conduct as “category Three severity because it involved cheek forgery of $6,700.” Respondent’s Ex. 15, Notice of Action at 2.

The Commission also found that Petitioner’s “salient factor score (SFS-81) is 3. You have been in federal confinement as a result of your violation behavior for a total of 3 months. Reparole guidelines indicate a range of 24-32 months to be served before re-release.4 After review of all relevant factors and information presented, a decision outside the guidelines at this consideration is not found warranted.” Respondent’s Ex. 15, Notice of Action at 2.5

II. PETITIONER’S OFFENSE BEHAVIOR SEVERITY RATING

A. SIGNIFICANCE OF THE ISSUE AND POSITIONS OF THE PARTIES

The United States Parole Commission Offense Behavior Severity Index rates “Theft, Forgery, Fraud,[ ] and Related Offenses” according to the value of the property involved. 28 C.F.R. § 2.20, Subchapter D — Theft and Related Offenses. “If the value of the property is at least $2,000, but less than $40,000,” the offense behavior is Category Three. “If the value of the property is less than $2,000,” the offense behavior is Category One. 28 C.F.R. § 2.20, Subchapter D 331(d) and (e).

Petitioner’s salient factor score was 3. A salient factor score of 3 indicates a poor parole prognosis. The Parole Commission’s guidelines establish that the presumptive parole release dates for an offender whose SFS is 3 are 12-16 months for a Category One offense and 24-32 months for a Category Three offense. 28 C.F.R. § 2.20.6 The Parole Commission ordered that Petitioner serve between 24 and 32 months before being reparoled.

Petitioner contends that his offense behavior severity rating was improperly determined to be Category Three because the value of the property involved in his criminal behavior was less than $2,000.00. Petitioner notes that although he was indicted for six counts of forgery involving checks totaling $8,000.00, he pleaded guilty only to a single count of forging a $400.00 check.7

Petitioner also notes that the trial court ordered that he pay restitution of $2,004.00 to the victim bank. Petitioner has submitted a letter from a bank official indicating that $27.56 of this total'was for ordinary bank services, not repayment of fraudulent withdrawals. See Petitioner’s Appendix H. Therefore, Petitioner contends that the value of the property involved in his parole violation behavior was established as $2,004.06 [1113]*1113minus $27.56, or $1,976.44.

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Bluebook (online)
832 F. Supp. 1109, 1993 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 13219, 1993 WL 372135, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/woody-v-bogan-mied-1993.