1 NOT P RE CE DE NT I AL UN I TED STATES CO UR T OF A PP EALS F O R T H E T H IR D C IR C U IT

___________ N o. 09- 2276

___________ UNI TE D ST ATE S OF AM ERI CA

v. A N D RE M . H U G G I N S, A ppel l ant

____________________________________ O n A p p ea l from the U n it ed S tat es D istri ct C o u rt

fo r th e D istri ct of

D elaw are ( D . C . C r i m . A ct i on N o. 03- cr - 00091- 001) D i s t r i ctJ udge: H onor abl e Sue L. R obi ns on

____________________________________ Subm i tt ed Pur s uantt o T hi r d C i r cui tL A R 34. 1( a)

J une 21, 2010 B efor e: SL O V I T E R , C H A G A R E S and W E I S, C i r cui tJ udges O pi ni on fi l ed: J une 29, 2010

__________ OP I NI ON

___________ P E R C U R I A M.

A n d re H u g g ins a p p ea ls th e D istri ct C o u rt ’s ord er g ran ti n g ap p ell ee ’s
mo t i o n f o rs u mma r yj u d g me n t . F o rth e r e a s o n s b e l o w, we wi l l a f f i r m.H ug gins w as subsequ entl ycon vict ed b ya j uryof sev eral of the charges. 1 2

T h e p roc ed u ral hist o ryo f th is case an d the d etail s o f H u g g ins’s claim s are w el l know n t o t he part i es , s etfor t h i n t he D i s t r i ctC our t ’ s thor ough opi ni on, and nee d not be di s cus s ed atl ength. B r i efl y , s ever al i t ems of per s onal pr oper t yw er e s ei zed f r om H uggi ns w hen he w as arr es t ed on cha r ges of m oneyl aunder i ng and drug tr aff i cki ng. 1 T h e D ru g E n f

o rc e m e n t A g e n c y(D E A ) se n t n o tice s o f f o rf e itu re v ia c e rtifie d m a il t o H uggi ns att he Sal em C ount yC or r ect i onal Faci l i t y( SC C F) w her e he w as hel d pendi ng trial. B e c a u se n o o n e f

iled a c laim re g a rd in g th e p ro p e rty , the item s w e re a d m in istra tiv e ly for fei t ed. H uggi ns s ubs equent l yfi l ed a mot i on t o s etas i de the for fei tur e ar gui ng thathe di d notr ece i ve the not i ces . T he governm entfi l ed a mot i on fors um m aryj udgm entw hi ch t he D i s t r i ctC our tgr ant ed. H uggi ns fi l ed a not i ce of appea l , and w e have j ur i s di ct i on under28 U . S. C . § 1291.

U nder18 U . S. C . § 983( e) ( 1) , a per s on ent i t l ed t o not i ce i n a nonj udi ci al for fei tur e pr ocee di ng m ayhave the for fei tur e s etas i de i f the governm entfai l ed t o t ake
r eas onabl e s t eps t o pr ovi de not i ce a nd the per s on di d notknow orhave r eas on t o know of t he sei zure w i t hin suffi ci ent t i m e t o fil e a t i m el ycl ai m . In D usenb eryv. U nit ed S t at es, 534 U . S. 161 ( 2002) , t he governm ents entnot i ce of the admi ni s t r at i ve for fei tur e t o t he i ncarcerat ed d efen dan tvia cert i fi ed m ai l . T he S up rem e C ou rtdescri bed the p rocedu res3

used b yt he co rr ect i on al faci l i t yfor the d el i veryof ce rt i fi ed m ai l t o inm at es:

pr i s on m ai l r oom s t aff

tr avel ed t o t he ci t ypos toffi ce e veryday to o b ta in a ll th e m a il f

o r t h e in s titu tio n , in c lu d in g in m a te m a il. T he st aff si gn ed fo r al l cert i fi ed m ai l befo re l eaving t he p ost o f f i c e . O n c e t h e m a i l w a s tr a n s p o r t e d b a c k t o th e f a c i l i t y, cert i fi ed mai l w as ent er ed i n a l ogbook m ai nt ai ned i n t he m ai l r oom . A m emberof the i nm at e’ s U ni tT eam t hen s i gned fo r th e c erti fied m ail to ac k n o w ledg e it s rec eipt b ef o re r emovi ng i tfr om t he mai l r oom , and ei t hera U ni tT eam m emberoranothers t aff m emberdi s t r i but ed the mai l t o t he i nm at e dur i ng t he i ns t i tut i on’ s “mai l cal l . ” Id . at 1 6 9 . T h e re w a s n o p a p e rw o rk c o n f irm in g th e d e liv e ryto th e d e f e n d a n t in D us enberybeca us e the mai l l ogbooks w er e onl ykeptforone y ear . I d. at165- 66. T he Supr eme C our tr ej ect ed the def endant ’ s ar gum entthatactual not i ce w as r equi r ed and found thatt he pr ocedur es us ed w er e “r eas onabl ycal cul at ed, underal l of the ci r cumst ance s , t o appr i s e [pe t i t i oner ] of the pende ncyof the ac t i on. ” I d. at173 ( quot i ng M u ll an e v . C en tr al H an o v er B an k & T rust C o . , 3 3 9 U . S . 3 0 6 , 3 1 4 (19 5 0 )).

H uggi ns ar gues t hatt he D i s t r i ctC our terr ed i n hol di ng thatactual not i ce of f o r f e i tu r e i s n o tr e q u i r e d t o s a t i s f yd u e p r o c e s s . Ho we v e r , a s n o t e d a b o v e , th e S u p r e me C our thas hel d t hatactual not i ce i s notr equi r ed. H uggi ns al s o cont ends thatthe D i s t r i ct C our terr ed i n det erm i ni ng t hatt he governm entm eti t s bur den of de m ons t r at i ng thatt he pr ocedur es att he Sal em C ount yC orr ect i onal Faci l i t y( SC C F) w er e r eas onabl ycal cul at ed to g iv e h im n o tice . H e a ss e rts th a t th e g o v e rn m e n t p ro v id e d n o e v id e n c e o f th e m a ilIn th e D istric t C o u rt, th e g o v e rn m e n t su b m itt e d tw o a f f id a v its f ro m S C C F o f

f icia ls 2 d e s c ri b in g th e d e liv e ry o f th e n o tic e s . L t. L a p e a s s e rt e d th a t in 2 0 0 3 h e w a s a S e rg e a n t. A l t hough he coul d notr emem bert he exa ctdat e, he r eca l l ed thatthen D eputyW ar den R ay Skr adi ns ki as ked hi m t o del i verpaperw or k conce r ni ng the for fei tur e t o H uggi ns and that he di d as as ked. Supp. A pp. at385. W ar den Skr adi ns ki s t at ed thati n 2003 he w as the D eputyW ar den. H e as s er t ed thati n 2003, J eff M i l l s w as an empl oy ee w hos e dut i es in c lu d e d re tr ie v in g c e rt if ie d m a il a d d re s s e d to p ri s o n e rs f ro m th e lo c a l p o s t o f

f ic e . A l t hough he coul d notr emem bert he exa ctdat e, Skr adi ns ki r eca l l ed as ki ng then Ser geant L ape t o del i vert he not i ces t o H uggi ns and Lape r epor t ed thathe di d s o. Supp. A pp. at 387. 4 pr ocedur e i n pl ace atSC C F. H ow ever , ther e i s evi dence i n t he r ecor d pr ovi ded by 2 H u g g in s h im s e lf

d e s c ri b in g th e m a il p ro c e d u re s a t S C C F . T heyhav e a process here w here an o ffi cer w i l l go t o the post o f f ice , sig n f

o r th e leg a l m a il, th e n it i s b ro u g h t b a c k to S. C . C . F. , gi ven t o m ai nt enanc e, chec ked ( opened out s i de the pr es ence of the i nm at e) , then s entup fr ontt o be l ogged i n by a SgtorL t . i n t he comput er , then s entt o t he U ni tw i th a r ece i ptt he hous i ng offi cerhas the i nm at e s i gn, forpr oof of s e rv ic e u p o n h im . L et t erfr om A ndr e H uggi ns t o D i s t r i ctC our tat2 ( J un. 14, 2005) ( E xhi bi tt o D ecl ar at i on at d o c k e t en try# 3 2 7 ). T h e se p ro c e d u re s a re su b sta n tiallysim ilar to th o se th a t w e re f o u n d to be cons t i tut i onal l ys uffi ci enti n D us enbery . B eca us e w e conc l ude thatthe pr ocedur es us ed w er e r eas onabl ycal cul at ed t o appr i s e H uggi ns of the for fei tur e pr ocee di ng, w e nee d
no treach t he is sue of

w hetherH ug gins actuall yrecei ved the n oti ces. F o r th e a b o v e re a so n s, w e w ill a f f irm th e D istric t C o u rt’s ju d g m e n t.