Court Opinion

ID: 9489029
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-05 13:03:25.755208+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T17:53:16.252778
License: Public Domain

FERNANDEZ, Circuit Judge,
concurring in part and dissenting in part:
I concur in all of the majority opinion with the exception of the part labelled “Credit commencing November 27, 1989.” From that part I dissent.
Clark seeks to capitalize on a mistake made by Montana prison officials who released him, even though the United States marshal had filed a detainer with them. There is no doubt that Clark knew that he had been convicted in federal court of three counts of manufacturing a controlled sub*375stance. He had been sentenced to 10 years imprisonment plus 5 years probation. While those were on appeal, he was released on bond. He took advantage of that free time to return to his nefarious business. As a result, he was arrested, tried and sentenced for state offenses, and was then sent to Montana State Prison for 40 years. His federal probation was also violated and he received still another 5 year consecutive sentence for a total of 15 years in federal prison.
He now asserts that he should be credited for the time he was at liberty between his release from the Montana State Prison and his arrest by United States marshals. He suggests that he was confused and somehow just did not understand that the federal authorities might still expect him to serve his 15 year sentence for federal crimes. Of course, he never did ask or otherwise try to find out; he just took advantage of his freedom. I am far from impressed by his claim that fairness requires that he be given the credit he seeks.
No prior case of ours has gone so far. In Smith v. Swope, 91 F.2d 260, 261 (9th Cir.1987), for example, the defendant had been convicted in federal court and had been delivered to the United States marshal to begin serving his sentence. Presumably the sentence started right then. However, the marshal delivered him to state court, where he was then convicted, sentenced, and imprisoned. We gave him credit for the time served in state prison. We did so largely because the marshal had no power to ignore the order of the federal court. As we said, a prisoner should not have to wait for years “under the shadow of his unserved sentence before it pleases the marshal to incarcerate him.” Id. at 262. Similarly, in Green v. Christiansen, 732 F.2d 1397, 1398 (9th Cir.1984), the defendant had commenced service of his federal sentence. More than that, the marshal had refused to put a hold upon him while he was in state custody, and he was eventually paroled from state prison. There, like Smith, the marshal’s default resulted in the defendant’s being released from federal custody. In that circumstance we determined that the defendant should get credit for his time at liberty. Id. at 1400. And in United States v. Martinez, 837 F.2d 861, 865 (9th Cir.1988), we did suggest in a dictum that a person who, due to marshal negligence, was not taken into custody might be entitled to credit for his time at liberty. We did not decide the issue, but we did comment in the slightly different context of an issue we were deciding that “[cjourts have looked with favor on a defendant’s attempt to bring a mistake to the government’s attention.” Id. at 864.
Other courts have reached results similar’ to ours. See, e.g., Kiendra v. Hadden, 763 F.2d 69, 72-73 (2d Cir.1985) (where marshal refused to take custody from state when asked by the state to do so, the federal sentence began to run when defendant was released by the state); White v. Pearlman, 42 F.2d 788, 789 (10th Cir.1930) (prisoner erroneously released by federal authorities in mid-sentence; sentence continued to run during his liberty); cf. Dunne v. Keohane, 14 F.3d 335, 336 (7th Cir.) (“Punishment on the installment plan is forbidden.”) cert. denied, — U.S. -, 114 S.Ct. 2182, 128 L.Ed.2d 900 (1994).
There is not the slightest hint that the marshal had a thing to do with the release of Clark. The marshal had filed the necessary detainer against Clark, who was then serving a 40 year sentence in a Montana prison. Clark was paroled into the country by Montana after he had served about 5 of those 40 years. Montana did not first contact the marshal, nor did it honor the detainer. It just released Clark. Within three days of finding out where he was, the marshal did arrest him.
Again, I fail to see, and Clark does not explain, why the mere fact of his improper release by Montana state authorities means that he can avoid service of his sentence for his federal crimes. I do agree that the government cannot play cat and mouse with prisoners. I also agree that it is sad when someone begins to make a fresh start and is then arrested for his past sins. What I disagree with is allowing criminals, like Clark, to take no responsibility for themselves when state authorities err and the federal authorities do not. Again, his suggestion that he thought that his 15 year federal sentence had just disappeared is more than difficult to accept. If, perforce, neither Clark nor the marshal is at fault, Clark should not benefit. It is he who *376earned the 15 year punishment for his drug manufacturing. He should not be deprived of his deserts.
We have never before held that a state prisoner has a right to commence his federal sentence the moment his state sentence is over. No doubt the marshal must not unduly delay taking a defendant into custody, and surely the marshal may not refuse to do so. The marshal did neither of those. Clark, however, has now given new meaning to carpe diem. He has seized two years and nine months.
Therefore, I respectfully dissent to the portion of the majority opinion which allows him credit for time not served.