Case Name: James VILLA, Petitioner-Appellant, v. UNITED STATES of America, Respondent-Appellee
Court: United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit
Jurisdiction: United States
Decision Date: 2017-11-14
Citations: 701 F. App'x 534
Docket Number: No. 16-4063
Parties: James VILLA, Petitioner-Appellant, v. UNITED STATES of America, Respondent-Appellee.
Judges: Before COLLOTON, BOWMAN, and KELLY, Circuit Judges.
Reporter: West's Federal Appendix
Volume: 701
Pages: 534–535

Head Matter:
James VILLA, Petitioner-Appellant, v. UNITED STATES of America, Respondent-Appellee.
No. 16-4063
United States Court of Appeals, Eighth Circuit.
Submitted: November 1, 2017
Filed: November 14, 2017
James Villa, Pro Se
Thomas J. Kangior, Assistant U.S. Attorney, U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Nebraska, Omaha, NE, for Respondent-Appellee
Before COLLOTON, BOWMAN, and KELLY, Circuit Judges.

Opinion:
PER CURIAM.
In 2013, James Villa pled guilty to possession with intent to distribute marijuana and he was sentenced as a career offender to 164 months in prison. In 2015, Villa filed this 28 U.S.C. § 2255 motion, claiming that his sentence violated his rights under the Due Process Clause because he no longer qualified as a career offender after Johnson v. United States, — U.S. —, 135 S.Ct. 2551, 192 L.Ed.2d 569 (2015). Johnson held that the "residual clause" of the Armed Career Criminal Act was unconstitutionally vague. Villa argued by extension that an identically-worded provision of the Sentencing Guidelines applied in his case, USSG § 4B1.2(a)(2) (2013), was also unconstitutionally vague. The district court denied relief, and Villa appeals.
Assuming without deciding that Villa's claim was not waived in his plea agreement, Villa is not entitled to relief under § 2255 because the advisory Guidelines are not subject to a vagueness challenge under the Due Process Clause. Beckles v. United States, — U.S. —, 137 S.Ct. 886, 895, 197 L.Ed.2d 145 (2017).
The judgment is affirmed, and counsel's motion to withdraw is granted.
. The Honorable John M. Gerrard, United States District Judge for the District of Nebraska.