Opinion ID: 569341
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: sean foley

Text: 52 Foley, too, argues on appeal that he was denied the effective assistance of counsel. His circumstances, like Walton's, give up pause. 53 Foley's complaint is that his attorney, Stephen Broudy, was absent for portions of his trial. On three different days, Broudy was absent for the testimony of government witnesses. The first day's absence (a total of three hours) involved the cross-examination of James Brandt, an important witness for the government who testified against Foley. On that day, Broudy missed the cross-examinations conducted by four of the attorneys representing Foley's co-defendants. (Broudy was, however, present for Brandt's direct examination, and present to cross-examine Brandt himself). On two other days Broudy was absent for 7-8 hours of the direct testimony of two government witnesses. Our review of the record indicates, however, that these latter two witnesses had no bearing at all on the government's case against Foley. Finally, Broudy was also absent when the district judge instructed the jury and when the jury returned its verdict. 4 54 As might be expected, Foley argues that Broudy's absence amounted to ineffective assistance of counsel. He concedes, curiously, that the evidence against him is sufficiently convincing as to preclude him from establishing prejudice. Nevertheless, citing United States v. Cronic, 466 U.S. 648, 104 S.Ct. 2039, 80 L.Ed.2d 657 (1984), he asserts that his attorney's errors were of a magnitude that give rise to a presumption of ineffectiveness that renders any prejudice inquiry unnecessary. 55 Cronic and its progeny indeed stand for the proposition that prejudice will be presumed in a sixth amendment effective assistance of counsel inquiry when the accused is denied counsel at a critical stage of his trial. Id. at 659, 104 S.Ct. at 2047; see also Strickland v. Washington, 466 U.S. 668, 691-92, 104 S.Ct. 2052, 2066-67, 80 L.Ed.2d 674 (1984); United States ex rel. Thomas v. O'Leary, 856 F.2d 1011, 1018 (7th Cir.1988); Siverson v. O'Leary, 764 F.2d 1208, 1216 (7th Cir.1985) (prejudice inquiry is totally inapplicable when counsel was absent from proceedings and unavailable to make any tactical judgements whatsoever). In cases of error of such magnitude, the likelihood of prejudice is so great that the cost of litigating [the error's] effect in a particular case is unjustified. Cronic, 466 U.S. at 658, 104 S.Ct. at 2046. Similarly, the harmfulness of such a sixth amendment violation will be presumed when it is found to have affected--and contaminated--the entire criminal proceeding. Satterwhite v. Texas, 486 U.S. 249, 257, 108 S.Ct. 1792, 1798, 100 L.Ed.2d 284 (1988). 56 Foley does injury to his own argument by both asserting that he falls under Cronic and yet conceding the absence of prejudice. We question how one can concede the absence of prejudice while arguing in favor of a presumption of prejudice. Technically, we suppose, one could argue that Cronic and Strickland establish an irrebuttable presumption of prejudice, see Sanders v. Lane, 861 F.2d 1033, 1038 (7th Cir.1988), that would be unaffected by Foley's admission. Putting this inconsistency aside, we do not believe--with one exception--that Broudy's concededly egregious behavior rises to the level of (or, should we say, sinks to the level of) a denial of counsel at a critical stage of the proceedings that would excuse the need for a prejudice inquiry. A critical stage is one where potential substantial prejudice to [a] defendant's rights inheres in the particular confrontation and where counsel's abilities can help avoid that prejudice. O'Leary, 856 F.2d at 1014; see also Coleman v. Alabama, 399 U.S. 1, 9, 90 S.Ct. 1999, 2003, 26 L.Ed.2d 387 (1970). 5 As we point out above, two of Broudy's absences, while certainly not to be condoned or excused, came at inconsequential periods during the course of trial. As to Broudy's first absence (from the cross-examination of Brandt by other defense counsel), while we do not think it inconsequential, neither do we find it to have occurred at a critical stage. Broudy was present for Brandt's direct examination and to cross-examine Brandt himself. On the facts before us, we do not perceive the potential for substantial prejudice in such an absence. Our conclusion might be different if Foley and his co-defendants were presenting antagonistic defenses; if this were the case, Broudy's presence during co-counsel's cross-examination would indeed be important. Foley has not, however, advanced this argument or otherwise given us reason to believe that Broudy's absence during the cross-examination of Brandt by co-counsel was critical. Similarly, we do not find the court's reading of the jury instructions (as opposed, perhaps to a court's jury instruction conference with counsel) to have been a critical stage of the proceedings. 57 As we have previously noted, however, counsel's absence during the return of a verdict may well constitute the type of denial of counsel that excuses the need to perform Strickland 's prejudice analysis. See Siverson, 764 F.2d at 1214-15, 1217. We have so held because counsel's failure to appear often deprives defendants of the potentially valuable privilege of having the jurors polled individually on their verdicts. Id. at 1219. Even if Broudy's absence when the verdict was returned constituted ineffective assistance, Foley would still have to demonstrate that such error was harmful, 6 see id. at 1217, as such an absence does not constitute the type of sixth amendment violation that would justify bypassing entirely the harmless error inquiry. See Satterwhite, 486 U.S. at 257, 108 S.Ct. at 1797 (sixth amendment violation must affect and contaminate entire criminal proceeding to justify dispensing with harmless error analysis and presuming harmfulness). And where, as here, the trial court on its own initiative polled each member of the jury after the verdict was rendered, see Tr. at 2746-47, the absence of counsel cannot be said to have resulted in prejudice to the defendant. See Siverson, 764 F.2d at 1219; United States v. Calabro, 467 F.2d 973, 989 (2d Cir.1972). For the reasons set out above, Foley's sixth amendment challenge therefore fails. We hasten to add, however, that this conclusion in no way signifies approval of Broudy's incomplete representation of his client.
58 Foley also contests the district court's calculation of his sentence. Like Walton, he argues that the district court erred in determining the amount of marijuana for which he could be held criminally responsible. (Foley was convicted of both conspiring to import and distribute marijuana.) We have no way of evaluating Foley's claim as the transcript of the sentencing hearing does not reflect that the district judge made any findings regarding the extent of Foley's involvement in the importation and distribution conspiracies. The transcript indicates only that the district court imposed a sentence of fourteen years for each conspiracy conviction. The district court's actions do not comport with 18 U.S.C. § 3553(c), which mandates that a district judge must state in open court the reasons for its imposition of the particular sentence. This general requirement is satisfied when a district court indicates the applicable Guidelines range, and how it was chosen. United States v. Georgiadis, 933 F.2d 1219, 1223 (3rd Cir.1991). See also United States v. Johnson, 935 F.2d 47, 51, 52 (4th Cir.1991) (The guidelines and accompanying policy statements, coupled with Rule 32 mandate an open, on-the-record, reason-supported determination of the principal components of a guidelines sentence, including the determination of the applicable guidelines range.). We therefore vacate Foley's sentence and remand to the district court for an explanation of the sentence imposed and any necessary factual findings.