Source: http://nc.findacase.com/research/wfrmDocViewer.aspx/xq/fac.20140630_0000776.WNC.htm/qx
Timestamp: 2017-08-22 01:40:02
Document Index: 461805290

Matched Legal Cases: ['§ 2255', '§ 841', '§ 1959', '§ 1959', '§ 1959', '§ 3582', '§ 2255', '§ 2255']

DONALD JAY THOMAS, Petitioner,
THIS MATTER is before the Court on Petitioner's Motion to Vacate, Set Aside or Correct Sentence under 28 U.S.C. § 2255, (Doc. No. 1). Because Petitioner's motion is untimely, the Court will dismiss the motion to vacate.
On November 4, 1992, a multi-count indictment was filed against Petitioner and other co-defendants. Among the charges against Petitioner were counts alleging conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and to distribute cocaine base and heroin, in violation of 21 U.S.C. §§ 841 and 846, and engaging in violent crimes in the aid of racketeering activity, in violation of 18 U.S.C. §§ 1959(a)(1) and 2, and U.S.C. §§ 1959(a)(3) and 2. On July 14, 1993, Petitioner pled guilty to the drug conspiracy, conspiracy to commit violent crimes in aid of racketeering activity, and the murders of Johnny Duncan and Michael Farquherson. This Court sentenced Petitioner to two, concurrent life sentences with a concurrent, three-year term. Petitioner appealed his sentence, challenging the drug amounts attributed to him and also contending that this Court erred when it applied an offense level of first-degree murder for Petitioner's violations of 18 U.S.C. §§ 1959(a)(1) and 2. Petitioner contended that he should have been sentenced, at most, for second-degree murder based on the charges against him. On December 14, 1994, the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed Petitioner's conviction and sentence in an unpublished opinion. United States v. Rozelle, 43 F.3d 1469 (4th Cir. 1994).
On June 6, 2014, Petitioner filed a pro se motion to reduce sentence under 18 U.S.C. § 3582. (Criminal Case No. 3:92-cr-284-FDW-3, Doc. No. 33). On June 8, 2014, this Court entered an order requiring the probation office to prepare a Supplemental Presentence Report to determine whether any retroactive amendments to the sentencing guidelines have any effect on Petitioner's sentence. (Id., Entry Dated June 8, 2014). Petitioner placed the instant petition in the prison system for mailing on June 16, 2014, and it was stamp-filed on June 24, 2014. Petitioner brings the following grounds for relief in the petition: Petitioner is actually innocent of the conviction of first-degree murder under the Supreme Court's opinion in Alleyne v. United States and that this Court exceeded the scope of its jurisdiction and violated Petitioner's due process rights when sentencing Petitioner based on first-degree murder.
Rule 4(b) of the Rules Governing Section 2255 Proceedings provides that courts are to promptly examine motions to vacate, along with "any attached exhibits and the record of prior proceedings..." in order to determine whether the petitioner is entitled to any relief on the claims set forth therein. After examining the record in this matter and the parties' briefs on Respondent's motion to dismiss, the Court finds that the motion to vacate can be resolved without an evidentiary hearing based on the record and governing case law. See Raines v. United States , 423 F.2d 526, 529 (4th Cir. 1970).
On April 24, 1996, Congress enacted the Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act (the "AEDPA"). Among other things, the AEDPA amended 28 U.S.C. § 2255 to include a one-year limitations period for the filing of a motion to vacate. The limitation period runs from the latest of,
28 U.S.C. § 2255(f). Furthermore, petitioners whose convictions became final before the effective date of AEDPA, had until April ...