Opinion ID: 3065354
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: facts

Text: Windell Javillonar Retuta is a twenty-seven-year-old citizen and national of the Philippines who was admitted into the United States as a lawful permanent resident alien on June 5, 1992. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) served Retuta with a Notice to Appear (NTA) on December 15, 2003, alleging multiple grounds for removal. On January 7, 2004, DHS amended the NTA to bring the total allegations of prior convictions sufficient for removal to four. DHS alleged that Retuta was convicted of (1) buying stolen property, in violation of § 496(a) of the California Penal Code, (2) possession of a controlled substance, methamphetamine, in violation 502 RETUTA v. HOLDER of § 11377(a) of the California Health and Safety Code, (3) use of a controlled substance, in violation of § 11550 of the California Health and Safety Code, and (4) domestic battery, in violation of § 242 and § 243(e) of the California Penal Code. During removal proceedings before the IJ, the Government chose to proceed only on the controlled substances violations and rejected the opportunity to delay the proceedings in order to submit documentation that would support the other charges. The IJ addressed only the alleged conviction on March 11, 2002 for (1) possession of a controlled substance, methamphetamine, and (2) use of a controlled substance. Retuta argued that the minute order offered to prove this conviction was insufficient because the order was incomprehensible due to unexplained acronyms. The IJ determined that the minute order and criminal complaint sufficiently proved the fact of Retuta’s conviction and, thus, DHS had met its burden of proving Retuta removable by clear and convincing evidence. The IJ further stated that because Retuta had previously been granted cancellation of removal and because the conviction at issue occurred after the cancellation of removal, he was not eligible for a second cancellation of removal. Based on his new controlled substance violations, Retuta was ordered removed to the Philippines. On August 26, 2004, Retuta filed an appeal with the Board of Immigration Appeals. Retuta argued to the BIA that: (1) the minute order was insufficient to sustain the charge of removal; (2) the controlled substances violations only resulted in a stayed fine that did not rise to the level of a “punishment, penalty or restraint on [his] liberty” under 8 U.S.C. § 1101(a)(48)(A)(ii); and (3) Retuta’s conviction for possession and use of a controlled substance might be entitled to expungement under a state equivalent to the Federal First Offender Act (FFOA), 18 U.S.C § 3607. The BIA dismissed the appeal. The BIA ruled that the minute order and criminal complaint established that Retuta had RETUTA v. HOLDER 503 pled guilty to possession of methamphetamine, a controlled substance. The BIA did not refer to the additional count contained in the minute order of use of a controlled substance. The BIA also ruled that a fine, even if suspended, is a “punishment” within the meaning of 8 U.S.C. § 1101(a)(48)(A)(ii). Lastly, it found that Retuta’s prior drug convictions rendered him ineligible for relief from removal under the provisions of the FFOA. In making its determination that Retuta pled guilty to possession of methamphetamine, the BIA examined the minute order, which contains numerous abbreviations without any key to decode them. The minute order is a preprinted form with various boxes and blanks. The order has the boxes checked for “Atty Present,” “COP PLEADS,” “GUILTY,” “DEJ Granted,” and “FINE STAYED.” “DRF” is circled with $100 written next to it. The BIA stated that the minute order, though perhaps “confusing,” was “not incomprehensible” and was sufficiently informative to establish that Retuta had pled guilty to possession of a controlled substance. The BIA found the document proved that Retuta pled guilty to possession of a controlled substance with a deferred entry of judgment and a suspended fine. To find that a stayed fine constituted a “conviction” within the meaning of section 1101(a)(48), the BIA concluded that “[t]he imposition of a fine, regardless of if it is stayed, constitutes some form of punishment.” To support this position, the BIA cited its prior decision in Matter of Ozkok, 19 I. & N. Dec. 546 (BIA 1988), for the proposition that a “suspended fine [is] sufficient to find the existence of a conviction.” The BIA also decided that Retuta could not take advantage of the FFOA, which allows a single conviction for possession of a controlled substance to be expunged, thus not rendering an immigrant removable. In determining whether Retuta’s conviction qualified under the FFOA, the BIA relied upon a computer printout of Retuta’s criminal history, commonly 504 RETUTA v. HOLDER referred to as a rap sheet. The rap sheet shows other convictions for possession of a controlled substance.