Source: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-azd-3_13-cv-08060/USCOURTS-azd-3_13-cv-08060-1/pdf.json

Nature of Suit Code: 530
Nature of Suit: Prisoner Petitions - Habeas Corpus
Cause of Action: 28:2254 Petition for Writ of Habeas Corpus (State)

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UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

DISTRICT OF ARIZONA

Richard Wiley Amis, Jr.,

Petitioner

-vsCharles L. Ryan, et al.,

Respondents.

CV-13-8060-PCT-GMS (JFM)

Report & Recommendation On Petition 

For Writ Of Habeas Corpus

I. MATTER UNDER CONSIDERATION

Petitioner, presently incarcerated in the Arizona State Prison Complex at 

Florence, Arizona, filed a Petition for Writ of Habeas Corpus pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 

2254 on March 25, 2013 (Doc. 1). On October 18, 2013 Respondents filed their 

Response (Doc. 16). Petitioner has not filed a reply.

The Petitioner's Petition is now ripe for consideration. Accordingly, the 

undersigned makes the following proposed findings of fact, report, and recommendation 

pursuant to Rule 8(b), Rules Governing Section 2254 Cases, Rule 72(b), Federal Rules 

of Civil Procedure, 28 U.S.C. § 636(b) and Rule 72.2(a)(2), Local Rules of Civil 

Procedure. 

II. RELEVANT FACTUAL & PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND

A. FACTUAL BACKGROUND & PROCEEDINGS AT TRIAL

On June 28, 2001, Petitioner was indicted in Yavapai County Superior Court on 

14 charges of sexual misconduct with five different victims under the age of 15, 

occurring over the preceding six years. (Exhibit A, Indictment.) (Exhibits to the 

Answer, 16, are referenced hereinafter as “Exhibit ___.”) Counsel was appointed, 

Petitioner was found competent to stand trial, and eventually Petitioner entered into a 

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written Plea Agreement (Exhibit E). (Exhibit B, Evaluation Order; Exhibit C, M.E. 

8/21/01.) 

Under the Plea Agreement, Petitioner agreed to plead guilty to 4 of the charges, 

and two lesser included offenses, in exchange for dismissal of the remaining charges, 

and an agreement not to bring charges as to eight additional victims. (Exhibit E.) 

Petitioner entered his plea on November 27, 2001, the plea was accepted, and the matter 

set for sentencing. (Exhibit F, M.E. 11/27/01; Exhibit WW, R.T. 11/27/01.) 

A mental health expert was appointed to evaluate Petitioner for sentencing. 

(Exhibit H, Order 2/13/02.) A Presentence Investigation (Exhibit I) was prepared and 

reflected a history of learning disabilities. On March 11, 2002, Petitioner was sentenced 

to consecutive sentences of 5.25, 7, 13 , 13, 15, and 7 years in prison (a combined total 

of 60.25 years. (Exhibit J, Sentence.) 

The prosecution filed a Motion to Correct Sentencing Order (Exhibit L), pointing 

out that in the written Sentence the credit for time served had been incorrectly applied to 

each of the counts, not just the first of the consecutive sentences. Consequently, on April 

10, 2002, the trial court amended the sentence to limit the credit for time served to only 

one count. (Exhibit N.)

B. PROCEEDINGS ON DIRECT APPEAL

As a pleading defendant, Petitioner had no right to file a direct appeal. See 

Summers v. Schriro, 481 F.3d 710, 716-717 (9th Cir. 2007). Petitioner asserts in his 

Petition that he filed a direct appeal on September 16, 2010, with an Arizona Supreme

Court decision being issued March 5, 2013. (Petition, Doc. 1 at 2.) Those are the dates

of Petitioner’s Notice of PCR in his second PCR proceeding (Exhibit MM at “3”), and 

the Arizona Supreme Court ruling issued in that PCR proceeding (Exhibit VV). The trial 

court’s docket does not reflect a notice of appeal being filed. (Exhibit ZZ.) 

Consequently, the undersigned finds that Petitioner did not file a direct appeal, and that 

references in the Petition to such an appeal are related to the second PCR proceeding.

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C. PROCEEDINGS ON FIRST, “OF_RIGHT” POST-CONVICTION RELIEF

Petitioner commenced his first PCR proceeding by filing a Notice of PostConviction Relief (Exhibit O) on May 13, 2002. Counsel was appointed, but 

subsequently moved to withdraw, and substitute counsel was appointed. (Exhibit P, 

M.E. 5/14/02; Exhibit Q, Motion; Exhibit R, Order 6/5/02.) Counsel filed a petition 

arguing Petitioner’s actual innocence of one of the charges. (Exhibit U, PCR Petition.) 

On August 6, 2003, the PCR court summarily denied the petition, finding that Petitioner 

failed to establish his actual innocence, his new evidence merely asserting an alibi. 

(Exhibit DD, Order 8/6/03.) 

Petitioner obtained an extension through September 22, 2003 to request a 

rehearing. (Exhibit EE, Motion; Exhibit F, Order 8/22/03.) On September 15, 3003, 

Petitioner filed pro se a Motion for Rehearing (Exhibit GG), which was summarily 

denied on September 19, 2003 (Exhibit HH, Order 9/19/03).

Forty seven days later, on November 5, 2003, Petitioner filed with the Arizona 

Court of Appeals a Petition for Review (Exhibit II). That petition was dismissed as 

untimely. (Exhibit JJ, Order 11/18/03.) Petitioner filed a motion for reconsideration 

(Exhibit KK), arguing that his petition had been filed within 30 days of the ruling on his 

motion for rehearing, Petitioner having delivered it to prison officials on October 15, 

2013. The court denied the motion for reconsideration, advising Petitioner to argue the 

issue of delivery to prison officials to the PCR court in a motion for delayed petition for 

review. (Exhibit LL, Order 12/8/03.) Nothing in the record suggests Petitioner did so.

Petitioner alleges in his Petition that he sought review by the Arizona Supreme 

Court in his first PCR proceeding. In doing so, however, Petitioner identifies the date of 

filing of that petition as September 16, 2010. (Petition, Doc. 1 at 2.) Thus it appears 

Petitioner’s allegations relate to his second PCR proceeding. Accordingly, the 

undersigned finds that Petitioner did not seek further review.

/ /

/ /

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D. PROCEEDINGS ON SECOND POST-CONVICTION RELIEF

On October 7, 2010, almost seven years after the denial of his first PCR 

proceeding, Petitioner filed his second Notice of Post-Conviction Relief (Exhibit MM). 

The PCR court summarily dismissed the notice on the basis that the petition was 

untimely as to some claims, and for the others Petitioner had not complied with the 

requirements of raising them in an untimely petition. (Exhibit NN, Order 10/7/10.) 

Petitioner filed a Motion for Rehearing (Exhibit OO), which was denied. (Exhibit PP, 

Order 10/19/10.) 

Petitioner then filed a Petition for Review with the Arizona Court of Appeals 

(Exhibit QQ), which was summarily denied. (Exhibit SS, Order 8/16/12.) Petitioner 

filed a Motion for Reconsideration, which was rejected as unauthorized. (Exhibit TT, 

Letter 8/30/12.)

Petitioner filed a Petition for Review with the Arizona Supreme Court (Exhibit 

UU), which was summarily denied on March 5, 2013. (Exhibit VV, Order 3/5/13.)

E. PRESENT FEDERAL HABEAS PROCEEDINGS

Petition - Petitioner commenced the current case by filing his Petition for Writ of 

Habeas Corpus pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 2254 on March 25, 2013 (Doc. 1). Petitioner’s 

Petition asserts the following three grounds for relief, each consisting of multiple claims: 

(1) ineffective assistance, judicial and prosecutorial misconduct, actual innocence, 

involuntary plea, and cruel and unusual punishment; (2) improper sentence, failure to 

investigate at sentencing, multiplicitous and inconsistent charges, judicial coercion to 

plead, and failure of the prosecution to investigate; and (3) prosecutorial and judicial 

misconduct, insufficient evidence, hearsay, lack of medical evidence, ineffective 

assistance in failure to investigate and to speak on Petitioner’s behalf, prejudice against 

him by the state and court, coercion to plead.

Response - On October 18, 2013, Respondents filed their Response (“Answer”) 

(Doc. 16). Respondents argue that the Petition is barred by the habeas statute of 

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limitations, state law claims not cognizable on federal habeas review, waiver by guilty 

plea, and Petitioner’s state remedies on the claims are procedurally defaulted.

Reply – The service Order (Doc. 8), gave Petitioner 30 days from service of the 

answer to reply. That deadline passed some 30 days ago, and Petitioner has not filed a 

reply.

III. APPLICATION OF LAW TO FACTS

A. TIMELINESS

1. One Year Limitations Period

Respondents assert that Petitioner’s Petition is untimely. As part of the AntiTerrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act of 1996 ("AEDPA"), Congress provided a 1-

year statute of limitations for all applications for writs of habeas corpus filed pursuant to

28 U.S.C. § 2254, challenging convictions and sentences rendered by state courts. 28 

U.S.C. § 2244(d). Petitions filed beyond the one year limitations period are barred and 

must be dismissed. Id.

2. Commencement of Limitations Period

The one-year statute of limitations on habeas petitions generally begins to run on 

"the date on which the judgment became final by conclusion of direct review or the 

expiration of the time for seeking such review." 28 U.S.C. § 2244(d)(1)(A).1 

For Arizona pleading defendants, their opportunity for direct review is an Arizona 

Rule 32 of-right post conviction relief proceeding. Summers v. Schriro, 481 F.3d 710 

(9th Cir. 2007). “Arizona's Rule 32 of-right proceeding for plea-convicted defendants is 

a form of direct review within the meaning of 28 U.S.C. § 2244(d)(1)(A).” Summers v. 

Schriro, 481 F.3d 710, 717 (9th Cir. 2007). “To bring an of-right proceeding under Rule 

32, a plea-convicted defendant must provide to the Arizona Superior Court, within 90 

 

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Later commencement times can result from a state created impediment, newly 

recognized constitutional rights, and newly discovered factual predicates for claims. See

28 U.S.C. § 2244(d)(1)(B)-(D). Petitioner proffers no argument that any of these apply.

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days of conviction and sentencing in that court, notice of his or her intent to file a 

Petition for Post-Conviction Review.” Id. at 715 (citing Ariz. R.Crim. P. 32.4(a)). 

Here, Petitioner pursued an of-right PCR petition, in his first PCR proceeding, 

which remained pending through September 19, 2003, when the PCR court denied 

Petitioner’s Motion for Rehearing. (See Exhibit HH, Order 9/19/03.) Thereafter, 

Petitioner had 30 days, or until Monday, October 20, 2003, to file his petition for review 

by the Arizona Court of Appeals. See Ariz. R. Crim. P. 32.9(c) (petition for review must 

be filed “[w]ithin thirty days after the final decision of the trial court on the petition for 

post-conviction relief or the motion for rehearing”). Accordingly, Petitioner’s conviction 

became final, and his one year commenced running on October 21, 2003.

Thereafter, Petitioner filed his untimely Petition for Review. Because it was 

untimely, and rejected as such, it did not extend the commencement of the limitations 

period. The tolling effect of that proceeding is addressed hereinafter.

It is true that under the prison mailbox rule, a prisoner’s filings are deemed “filed” 

for federal habeas purposes when they are delivered to prison officials for mailing. See 

Anthony v. Cambra, 236 F.3d 568 (9th Cir. 2000). And it is true that Petitioner argued to 

the Arizona Court of Appeals that he had delivered his petition for review to state 

officials within the time limit. However, Petitioner failed to establish that fact in state 

court by seeking an extension of time, as suggested by the Arizona Court of Appeals. 

Even if this Court could now find that Petitioner had delivered his petition for review to 

prison officials within the deadline, this Court cannot reverse the holding of the Arizona 

Court of Appeals that, under its rules, the petition was untimely. 

Even if this Court could second guess the Arizona court’s ruling, the face of the 

Petition for Review reflects its receipt by the Yavapai County Superior Court Clerk, 

Jeanne Hicks, on October 20, 2003. It was apparently then forwarded to the Arizona 

Court of Appeals, who field it on November 5, 2003. Arizona Rule of Criminal 

Procedure 32.9(c) directs that the “petition for review...shall be filed in the appellate 

court.” The mailbox rule was implemented because prisoners lack control over the 

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delays between the delivery of the filing to prison officials, and its actual filing. See 

Houston v. Lack, 487 U.S. 266, 273-74 (1988). As the Houston court observed in dicta, 

“[t]he question is one of timing, not destination.” Id. at 73. The purpose is not to mitigate 

clerical errors. Therefore, Petitioner cannot benefit from the mailbox rule when the 

petition was not addressed to the Arizona Court of Appeals, but instead to the trial court, 

and thus the delay was not attributable to delays by prison officials, but Petitioner’s own 

clerical error.

Moreover, even if Petitioner’s conviction were not deemed final until the Arizona 

Court of Appeals’ final rejection of his Petition for Review by denial of his motion for 

reconsideration on December 8, 2003, his habeas petition would still be over eight years 

delinquent. 

Therefore, Petitioner’s one year began running on October 21, 2003, and without 

any tolling expired on October 20, 2004, making his March 25, 2013 Petition over eight 

and one half years delinquent.

3. Statutory Tolling

The AEDPA provides for tolling of the limitations period when a "properly filed 

application for State post-conviction or other collateral relief with respect to the pertinent 

judgment or claim is pending." 28 U.S.C. § 2244(d)(2). 

Petitioner’s petition for review in his first PCR proceeding was filed during the 

running of his one year. However, that petition was rejected as untimely. Statutory 

tolling of the habeas limitations period only results from state applications that are 

“properly filed,” and an untimely application is never “properly filed” within the 

meaning of § 2244(d)(2). Pace v. DiGuglielmo, 544 U.S. 408 (2005). Accordingly, 

Petitioner is not entitled to any statutory tolling for its pendency.

Petitioner’s second PCR proceeding was not commenced until October 11, 2010, 

when he filed his second Notice of Post-Conviction Relief (Exhibit MM). At that time, 

Petitioner’s one year had been expired for over six years. Once the statute has run, a 

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subsequent post-conviction or collateral relief filing does not reset the running of the one 

year statute. Jiminez v. Rice, 276 F.3d 478, 482 (9th Cir. 2001); Ferguson v. Palmateer, 

321 F.3d 820, 823 (9th Cir. 2003). Accordingly, Petitioner has no statutory tolling 

resulting from his second PCR proceeding, and his limitations period expired on October 

20, 2004.

4. Equitable Tolling

"Equitable tolling of the one-year limitations period in 28 U.S.C. § 2244 is 

available in our circuit, but only when ‘extraordinary circumstances beyond a prisoner's 

control make it impossible to file a petition on time' and ‘the extraordinary circumstances 

were the cause of his untimeliness.'" Laws v. Lamarque, 351 F.3d 919, 922 (9th Cir. 

2003). 

To receive equitable tolling, [t]he petitioner must establish two 

elements: (1) that he has been pursuing his rights diligently, and (2) 

that some extraordinary circumstances stood in his way. The 

petitioner must additionally show that the extraordinary 

circumstances were the cause of his untimeliness, and that the 

extraordinary circumstances ma[de] it impossible to file a petition 

on time.

Ramirez v. Yates, 571 F.3d 993, 997 (9th Cir. 2009) (internal citations and quotations 

omitted). “Indeed, ‘the threshold necessary to trigger equitable tolling [under AEDPA] 

is very high, lest the exceptions swallow the rule.’ ” Miranda v. Castro,292 F.3d 1063, 

1066 (9th Cir. 2002) (quoting United States v. Marcello, 212 F.3d 1005, 1010 (7th Cir.).

Petitioner bears the burden of proof on the existence of cause for equitable tolling. Pace 

v. DiGuglielmo, 544 U.S. 408, 418 (2005); Rasberry v. Garcia, 448 F.3d 1150, 1153 (9th

Cir. 2006) (“Our precedent permits equitable tolling of the one-year statute of limitations 

on habeas petitions, but the petitioner bears the burden of showing that equitable tolling 

is appropriate.”).

Petitioner does not proffer any grounds for equitable tolling, and the undersigned 

finds none.

/ /

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5. Actual Innocence

The Ninth Circuit has concluded that the habeas statute of limitations is subject to 

an exception for claims of actual innocence. Lee v. Lampert, 653 F.3d 929 (9th Cir.

2011). Petitioner makes no such claim in this proceeding.

Petitioner does assert in his Ground Three that there was insufficient evidence to 

support his convictions. (Petition, Doc. 1 at 7.) However, a finding of "actual 

innocence" is not to be based upon a finding that insufficient evidence to support the 

charge was presented at trial, but rather upon affirmative evidence of innocence. See 

U.S. v. Ratigan, 351 F.3d 957 (9th Cir. 2003) (lack of proof of FDIC insurance in a bank 

robbery case, without evidence that insurance did not exist, not sufficient to establish 

actual innocence). 

Petitioner also alleges in his Ground One that he “was accused of crimes that 

never happened and material record prove that nothing happened.” (Petition, Doc. 1 at 

5.) Here, however, Petitioner plead guilty at trial. "In cases where the Government has 

forgone more serious charges in the course of plea bargaining, petitioner's showing of 

actual innocence must also extend to those charges." Bousley v. U.S., 523 U.S. 614, 624 

(1998). Here, the prosecution not only dismissed or reduced a number of the original 

charges, but agreed not to prosecute on a host of others. Petitioner proffers nothing to 

suggest that he would be able to show his actual innocence of all these charges.

6. Summary re Statute of Limitations

Petitioner’s one year habeas limitations period commenced running on October 

21, 2003, and expired on October 20, 2004, making his March 25, 2013 Petition over 

eight years and one half years delinquent. Petitioner has shown no basis for equitable 

tolling or actual innocence to avoid the effects of his delay. Consequently, the Petition 

must be dismissed with prejudice.

/ /

/ /

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B. OTHER DEFENSES

Respondents assert that Petitioner has procedurally defaulted on his state remedies 

on his claims, and that the claims are not cognizable on habeas review. Because the 

undersigned finds the petition plainly barred under the statute of limitations, these other 

defenses are not reached.

IV. CERTIFICATE OF APPEALABILITY

Ruling Required - Rule 11(a), Rules Governing Section 2254 Cases, requires 

that in habeas cases the “district court must issue or deny a certificate of appealability 

when it enters a final order adverse to the applicant.” Such certificates are required in 

cases concerning detention arising “out of process issued by a State court”, or in a 

proceeding under 28 U.S.C. § 2255 attacking a federal criminal judgment or sentence. 28 

U.S.C. § 2253(c)(1). 

Here, the Petition is brought pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 2254, and challenges 

detention pursuant to a State court judgment. The recommendations if accepted will 

result in Petitioner’s Petition being resolved adversely to Petitioner. Accordingly, a 

decision on a certificate of appealability is required. 

Applicable Standards - The standard for issuing a certificate of appealability 

(“COA”) is whether the applicant has “made a substantial showing of the denial of a 

constitutional right.” 28 U.S.C. § 2253(c)(2). “Where a district court has rejected the 

constitutional claims on the merits, the showing required to satisfy § 2253(c) is 

straightforward: The petitioner must demonstrate that reasonable jurists would find the 

district court’s assessment of the constitutional claims debatable or wrong.” Slack v. 

McDaniel, 529 U.S. 473, 484 (2000). “When the district court denies a habeas petition 

on procedural grounds without reaching the prisoner’s underlying constitutional claim, a 

COA should issue when the prisoner shows, at least, that jurists of reason would find it 

debatable whether the petition states a valid claim of the denial of a constitutional right 

and that jurists of reason would find it debatable whether the district court was correct in 

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its procedural ruling.” Id.

Standard Not Met - Assuming the recommendations herein are followed in the 

district court’s judgment, that decision will be on procedural grounds. To the extent that 

Petitioner’s claims are rejected on procedural grounds, under the reasoning set forth 

herein, the undersigned finds that “jurists of reason” would not “find it debatable 

whether the district court was correct in its procedural ruling.” Accordingly, to the 

extent that the Court adopts this Report & Recommendation as to the Petition, a 

certificate of appealability should be denied.

V. RECOMMENDATION

IT IS THEREFORE RECOMMENDED that the Petitioner's Petition for Writ 

of Habeas Corpus, filed March 25, 2013 (Doc. 1) be DISMISSED WITH 

PREJUDICE.

IT IS FURTHER RECOMMENDED that, to the extent the reasoning of this 

Report and Recommendation is accepted, a Certificate of Appealability be DENIED.

VI. EFFECT OF RECOMMENDATION

This recommendation is not an order that is immediately appealable to the Ninth 

Circuit Court of Appeals. Any notice of appeal pursuant to Rule 4(a)(1), Federal Rules 

of Appellate Procedure, should not be filed until entry of the district court's judgment. 

However, pursuant to Rule 72(b), Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, the parties 

shall have fourteen (14) days from the date of service of a copy of this recommendation 

within which to file specific written objections with the Court. See also Rule 8(b), Rules 

Governing Section 2254 Proceedings. Thereafter, the parties have fourteen (14) days 

within which to file a response to the objections. Failure to timely file objections to any 

findings or recommendations of the Magistrate Judge will be considered a waiver of a 

party's right to de novo consideration of the issues, see United States v. Reyna-Tapia, 

328 F.3d 1114, 1121 (9th Cir. 2003)(en banc), and will constitute a waiver of a party's 

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right to appellate review of the findings of fact in an order or judgment entered pursuant 

to the recommendation of the Magistrate Judge, Robbins v. Carey, 481 F.3d 1143, 1146-

47 (9th Cir. 2007). 

Dated: December 18, 2013

13-8060r RR 13 12 12 on HC.docx

James F. Metcalf

United States Magistrate Judge

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