Source: https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/appellate-courts/F2/967/287/464828/
Timestamp: 2019-10-14 13:29:38
Document Index: 697868044

Matched Legal Cases: ['§ 841', '§ 924', '§ 922', '§ 924', 'art, 963', '§ 2255', '§ 17', '§ 17', '§ 4', '§ 4', '§ 4', '§ 4', '§ 242', '§ 4']

United States of America, Plaintiff-appellee, v. Willard Cortez Robinson, Defendant-appellant, 967 F.2d 287 (9th Cir. 1992) :: Justia
Justia › US Law › Case Law › Federal Courts › Courts of Appeals › Ninth Circuit › 1992 › United States of America, Plaintiff-appellee, v. Willard Cortez Robinson, Defendant-appellant
United States of America, Plaintiff-appellee, v. Willard Cortez Robinson, Defendant-appellant, 967 F.2d 287 (9th Cir. 1992)
US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit - 967 F.2d 287 (9th Cir. 1992) Argued on Sept. 18, 1991. Opinion Filed April 22, 1992. Opinion Withdrawn May 12, 1992. Resubmitted May 29, 1992. Decided June 15, 1992
Willard Cortez Robinson appeals his conviction for possession with intent to distribute cocaine, in violation of 21 U.S.C. § 841(a) (1), use of a firearm during the commission of a drug trafficking offense, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 924(c) (1), and being a felon in possession of a firearm, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 922(g) (1). He contends that the federal prosecution of his case violated his due process rights, that he received ineffective assistance of counsel, and that the district court erred in denying a continuance of trial. He also claims that there was insufficient evidence for his conviction for possession of cocaine, that the district court erred in computing his sentence, and that he was denied his right to his originally appointed appellate counsel.1
On March 29, 1990, the jury convicted Robinson of counts II, III, and IV. The court appointed Carl Larson to represent Robinson for sentencing. After the district court evaluated Robinson's objections to the Presentence Report (hereinafter PSR), it added the 407.92 grams of cocaine found in the Pinole search, to the 158.2 grams of cocaine seized in Sacramento to compute Robinson's base offense level of 26.2 Furthermore, the district court found that Robinson's criminal record qualified him as a career offender, resulting in an offense level of 34. Robinson's criminal history points were computed to be 14, which led to a criminal history category of VI. The Sentencing Guidelines range for Robinson's offenses was 262 to 327 months imprisonment. Furthermore, 18 U.S.C. § 924(c) (1) mandated a 60-month consecutive prison term for use of a firearm during a drug trafficking crime. The court sentenced Robinson to a term at the top of the Guideline range, plus the 60-month mandatory consecutive term, in order to arrive at a total term of 387 months imprisonment. The court also sentenced Robinson to a five-year term of supervised release.
Robinson argues that filing this case in federal court was a violation of his right to be charged in the court system of original jurisdiction. In this case the California Department of Corrections Parole Officers conducted the parole search resulting in Robinson's arrest. The case was subsequently referred to the United States Attorney's Office for prosecution. Because this issue was not raised in the court below, we review for plain error. See Fed.R.Evid. 103(d); United States v. Hernandez, 876 F.2d 774, 777 (9th Cir.), cert. denied, Y493 U.S. 863, 110 S. Ct. 179, 107 L. Ed. 2d 135 (1989).
Robinson claims that because this case originated as a state parole search, it should have stayed in the state court system. Robinson cites United States v. Williams, 746 F. Supp. 1076 (D. Utah 1990), aff'd in part and vacated in part, 963 F.2d 1337, (10th Cir. 1992), for support. Williams held that referral for federal prosecution was improper because the police officers within an intergovernmental strike force exercised unfettered discretion as to which cases to refer for federal or state prosecution. Id. at 1081. That court reasoned that due process required an objective policy to govern such referral decisions. Id. at 1083.
We find Robinson's claim unpersuasive for several reasons. First, the Tenth Circuit has rejected this part of the district court's holding in Williams on appeal. See Williams, 963 F.2d at 1341-42. In doing so, the Tenth Circuit relied upon United States v. Andersen, 940 F.2d 593 (10th Cir. 1991), which rejected the proposition that due process required written policies to guide decisions regarding referral for federal prosecution. Id. at 596-97.
Second, subsequent to the submission of the instant case, our court has joined the Tenth Circuit and other sister circuits in holding that, absent limited exceptions which are inapplicable here, due process is not violated by the referral of cases for federal rather than state prosecution. United States v. Nance, 962 F.2d 860, 864-65 (9th Cir. 1992) (per curiam). See also United States v. Parson, 955 F.2d 858, 873 n. 22 (3rd Cir. 1992) (referral of drug charges for federal prosecution did not violate due process); United States v. Allen, 954 F.2d 1160, 1165-66 (6th Cir. 1992) (same); United States v. Carter, 953 F.2d 1449, 1461-62 (5th Cir. 1992) (same). Here, Robinson's case was referred to the United States Attorney's Office for review and prosecution, and we must assume that the United States Attorney exercised proper discretion to prosecute in federal court. Accordingly, we find that Robinson's due process rights were not violated by the referral of his case to federal prosecutors or by their decision to prosecute.
Further, even if we detected a due process violation, recent decisions of this court would require us to hold that absent proof of discrimination based on suspect characteristics, we may not review charging decisions made by prosecutors. See [United States v.] Redondo-Lemos, [955 F.2d 1296] at 1300-01 [(9th Cir. 1992) ]; United States v. Diaz, 961 F.2d 1417, 1420 (9th Cir. 1992) ("although a defendant has a due process right to be free of arbitrary or capricious charging decisions, there is no judicial remedy to correct such violations").
Robinson claims that Nees was incompetent in his representation because he failed to investigate the case properly, to file a timely motion for continuance, to confer with his client to elicit matters of defense, to obtain defense witnesses for trial, and to advise Robinson to file motions under Fed. R. Crim. P. 29 and 33. Robinson also contends that his attorney was unfamiliar with federal criminal procedure and practice.
Generally, ineffective assistance of counsel claims are more properly raised by collateral attack on the conviction under 28 U.S.C. § 2255. United States v. Schaflander, 743 F.2d 714, 717 (9th Cir. 1984), cert. denied, 470 U.S. 1058, 105 S. Ct. 1772, 84 L. Ed. 2d 832 (1985). Such claims, however, may be reviewed on direct appeal in two instances: 1) when the record on appeal is sufficiently developed to permit review and determination of the issue, United States v. Anderson, 850 F.2d 563, 565 (9th Cir. 1988), or 2) when the legal representation is so inadequate that it obviously denies a defendant his Sixth Amendment right to counsel, United States v. Rewald, 889 F.2d 836, 859 (9th Cir. 1989), cert. denied, --- U.S. ----, 111 S. Ct. 64, 112 L. Ed. 2d 39 (1990).
We review a decision to grant or deny a continuance for an abuse of discretion. United States v. Studley, 783 F.2d 934, 938 (9th Cir. 1986). In determining whether the denial was fair and reasonable, several factors must be considered:
As this issue was raised for the first time on appeal, our review is for plain error. See Fed.R.Evid. 103(d); United States v. Hernandez, 876 F.2d 774, 777 (9th Cir.), cert. denied, 493 U.S. 863, 110 S. Ct. 179, 107 L. Ed. 2d 135 (1989).
The government concedes that there is a discrepancy regarding the date of seizure placed on the evidence bags. A defect in the chain of custody, however, goes to the weight to be afforded to the evidence. United States v. Candoli, 870 F.2d 496, 509 (9th Cir. 1989). In the instant case, there was sufficient testimonial evidence at trial to link the cocaine bags to the date of Robinson's arrest. The cocaine evidence presented at trial was seized on August 17, 1988, from an apartment rented by Robinson. It was turned over to a Sacramento police officer present at the scene on August 17, 1988. The officer took custody of the evidence and booked it into the property room of the police department that same day. The cocaine evidence was analyzed by a criminalist at the county crime lab and subsequently brought to court for the trial. After considering all the evidence regarding the chain of custody, the jury acquitted Robinson on count I involving the cocaine base found in the pocket of the coat in the bedroom closet. The coat was never seized, and the jury was not convinced beyond a reasonable doubt that the evidence was linked to Robinson. The jury, however, rendered a guilty verdict on Count II involving the cocaine found in the cereal box with Robinson's fingerprints on it. The jury's verdict indicates that it believed, beyond a reasonable doubt, that the misdated cocaine evidence was seized on August 17, 1988, the day Robinson was arrested. We "must respect the exclusive province of the jury to determine the credibility of witnesses, resolve evidentiary conflicts, and draw reasonable inferences from proven facts, by assuming that the jury resolved all such matters in a manner which supports the verdict." United States v. Gillock, 886 F.2d 220, 222 (9th Cir. 1989). Therefore, we affirm Robinson's conviction on Count II for possession with intent to distribute cocaine.
We review de novo the district court's determination of whether a given prior conviction falls within the scope of the Sentencing Guidelines. United States v. Davis, 932 F.2d 752, 763 (9th Cir. 1991) (quoting United States v. Gross, 897 F.2d 414, 416 (9th Cir. 1990)). The district court's factual findings relating to prior convictions are reviewed for clear error. Davis, 932 F.2d at 763.
Under California law, where the offense is alternatively a felony or misdemeanor, it is regarded as a felony for every purpose until judgment. People v. Banks, 53 Cal. 2d 370, 387, 1 Cal. Rptr. 669, 348 P.2d 102 (1959). Section 17(b) of the California Penal Code, however, states, in pertinent part, that such an offense is a misdemeanor for all purposes:
Cal.Penal Code § 17(b). Robinson's situation does not fall under either of these circumstances. The court granted probation and suspended the imposition of sentence. Clearly, " [a]n order granting probation is not a judgment." People v. Smith, 195 Cal. App. 2d 735, 737, 16 Cal. Rptr. 12 (1961). Furthermore, when a sentencing court grants probation after a conviction, it may suspend the imposition of sentence, in which case no judgment of conviction is rendered, or it may impose sentence and order its execution to be stayed. In the latter case only, a judgment of conviction is rendered. People v. Arguello, 59 Cal. 2d 475, 476, 30 Cal. Rptr. 333, 381 P.2d 5 (1963). In Robinson's case, the court suspended the imposition of sentence. Thus, the court never entered a judgment. Furthermore, the court never declared Robinson's offense to be a misdemeanor, either when it granted probation or anytime thereafter. Because the requirements of § 17(b) (1) and (3) of the California Penal Code were not met, we agree with the district court's holding that Robinson's prior conviction for battery on a peace officer was a felony.
Robinson further argues that the battery on a peace officer is not a crime of violence because of the particular facts underlying his offense. We review de novo the district court's construction and interpretation of the Sentencing Guidelines. United States v. Carvajal, 905 F.2d 1292, 1295 (9th Cir. 1990).
In determining whether an offense is a "crime of violence," the plain language of the Guidelines requires a sentencing court to examine whether the offense "has as an element the use, attempted use, or threatened use of physical force against the person of another," or "involves conduct that presents a serious potential risk of physical injury to another." U.S.S.G. § 4B1.2(1). Consistent with such language, this Circuit has construed U.S.S.G. § 4B1.2 to require "an analysis of the elements of the crime charged or whether the actual charged 'conduct' of the defendant presented a serious risk of physical injury to another." United States v. Sahakian, 965 F.2d 740, 742 (1992) (emphasis added). See also United States v. Selfa, 918 F.2d 749, 751 (9th Cir.) (observing that the elements of the crimes of which the defendant was previously convicted, and not the particular conduct of the defendant on the day the crimes were committed, should control the interpretation of § 4B1.1), cert. denied, --- U.S. ----, 111 S. Ct. 521, 112 L. Ed. 2d 532 (1990). Thus, Robinson's reliance on contrary authority from a sister circuit is misplaced. See United States v. Terry, 900 F.2d 1039, 1042 (7th Cir. 1990) (affirming district court's exploration of underlying facts of a prior conviction, in applying § 4B1.2(1), to determine whether the conduct for which the defendant was convicted involved the substantial risk that force may have been used). In this case, battery includes as an element "the willful and unlawful use of force or violence upon the person of another." Cal.Penal Code § 242 (West 1988). We therefore conclude that battery on a peace officer, the crime for which Robinson was convicted, is a crime of violence for the purposes of determining Robinson's career offender status under U.S.S.G. § 4B1.1.