Court Opinion

ID: 9905914
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-11-30 16:12:37.536922+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T09:23:58.586666
License: Public Domain

IN THE COMMONWEALTH COURT OF PENNSYLVANIA

Alfonso Caldwell,                           :
                       Petitioner           :
                                            :   No. 882 C.D. 2022
                v.                          :
                                            :   Submitted: May 12, 2023
Pennsylvania Parole Board,                  :
                  Respondent                :

OPINION NOT REPORTED

MEMORANDUM OPINION
PER CURIAM                                              FILED: November 30, 2023

                Alfonso Caldwell (Petitioner), pro se, petitions for review of the July 27,
2022 order of the Pennsylvania Parole Board (Board), which denied his request for
administrative review and affirmed its February 23, 2022 decision to recommit him as
a convicted parole violator (CPV) to serve 24 months’ backtime. Upon careful review,
we affirm.
                       I. FACTS AND PROCEDURAL HISTORY
                Petitioner is an inmate currently incarcerated at the State Correctional
Institution (SCI) at Frackville (SCI-Frackville). On September 6, 1990, Petitioner was
arrested and convicted of third-degree murder.1 (Certified Record (C.R.) at 1-2.)
Petitioner was paroled on September 13, 2000. (C.R. at 6-9.)
                On July 26, 2004, the Board mailed a decision recommitting Petitioner as
a technical parole violator to serve six months’ backtime. (C.R. at 11-12.) On March
24, 2005, Petitioner was released on parole with a maximum sentence date of
September 6, 2010. (C.R. at 19.) On August 6, 2008, Petitioner was indicted for

      1
          18 Pa. C.S. § 2502(c).
federal crimes2 based on his conduct while at liberty on parole. (C.R. at 52-65.) On
August 26, 2008, the federal court issued an order of detention in the new criminal
case. (C.R. at 44.) On March 4, 2013, Petitioner was sentenced to 180 months’
incarceration in federal prison. (C.R. at 28, 33, 36.) On October 5, 2021, Petitioner
was released from federal prison and on October 15, 2021 returned to state custody at
SCI-Frackville. (C.R. at 93, 102.)3 On January 3, 2022, the Board notified Petitioner
via a “Notice of Charges and Hearings” form that his revocation hearing would occur
on January 25, 2022, at 9:00 a.m. at SCI-Frackville. (C.R. at 28.) At the revocation
hearing, Petitioner was represented by Attorney Anthony List, who argued that the
Board should credit the time Petitioner spent in federal custody to his state sentence
due to Petitioner’s poor health. (C.R. at 84.) Petitioner did not contest his violations.
(C.R. at 86.)
                On February 23, 2022, the Board recorded a decision (mailed March 1,
2022) that recommitted Petitioner as a CPV and recalculated his maximum sentence
date as March 20, 2027. (C.R. at 105-06.) On March 28, 2022, the Board received
Petitioner’s Administrative Remedies Form. (C.R. at 107-13.) On April 1, 2022, the
Board received an additional Administrative Remedies Form on Petitioner’s behalf
from Attorney Kent D. Watkins challenging the timeliness of the revocation hearing.

       2
          Petitioner was indicted for: (1) Conspiracy to Distribute 5 or more kilograms of cocaine, in
violation of 21 U.S.C. § 846; (2) money laundering, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1956(a)(1)(A)(i); (3)
distribution of 500 grams or more of cocaine, in violation of 21 U.S.C. § 841(a)(1)(b)(1)(B); (4)
possession of firearms as a convicted felon, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(1); and (5) possession
of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 924(c)(1). (C.R. at
35.)

       3
          The record does not provide any explanation to the lapse between the date of Petitioner’s
release from federal prison and the date he was returned to state custody.

                                                   2
(C.R. at 114-16.) On July 27, 2022, the Board affirmed its February 23, 2022 decision.
(C.R. at 117-20.) Subsequently, Petitioner appealed to this Court.
                                          II. ISSUES
              On appeal,4 from what the Court can glean from Petitioner’s brief, he
raises several issues: (1) whether the Board erred by not considering his individual
circumstances in denying his request for administrative review; (2) whether the Board
erred by not treating him the same as his similarly situated co-defendant; (3) whether
the Board erred when it failed to conduct a timely revocation hearing; (4) whether the
Board erred in recalculating his maximum sentence by denying him credit for time
spent in federal custody awaiting sentencing; and (5) whether the Board erred in its
calculation of the imposed recommitment period of 24 months.
                                      III. DISCUSSION
                                           A. Waiver
              Initially, we must address Petitioner’s first two issues, namely whether the
Board erred by not considering Petitioner’s individual circumstances in denying his
request for administrative review and whether the Board erred by not treating Petitioner
the same as his similarly situated co-defendant.
              It is well settled that a party may not assert an issue on appeal from a
governmental agency unless he raised it in the first instance at the administrative level.
2 Pa. C.S. § 703(a); Pa. R.A.P. 1551; McCaskill v. Pennsylvania Board of Probation
and Parole, 631 A.2d 1092, 1094-95 (Pa. Cmwlth. 1993) (“It has been the holding of
this Court that the issues not raised by a CPV before the Board in an administrative

       4
         In reviewing a recommitment decision, this Court’s review is limited to determining whether
the necessary findings of fact are supported by substantial evidence, whether the decision is in
accordance with the law, and whether the Board violated any of the parolee’s constitutional rights.
Smith v. Pennsylvania Board of Probation and Parole, 81 A.3d 1091, 1093 n.1 (Pa. Cmwlth. 2013).

                                                 3
appeal are waived for purposes of appellate review by this Court.”). Here, Petitioner
did not raise either of these issues before the Board in either his pro se or his counseled
administrative remedies form. (C.R. at 107-16.) Because these issues were not raised
before the Board, we conclude they are waived and cannot be considered for the first
time on appeal.
                         B. Timeliness of the Revocation Hearing
               Next, Petitioner argues, relying on Fumea v. Pennsylvania Board of
Probation and Parole, 147 A.3d 610 (Pa. Cmwlth. 2016), that, pursuant to Section
6138(a)(5.1) of the Prisons and Parole Code (Code),5 61 Pa. C.S. § 6138(a)(5.1), he
was to serve the remaining balance of his original state term before serving the new
federal sentence imposed on March 4, 2013. Petitioner asserts he was available to the
Board when he was convicted of the federal charges on March 4, 2013, and, as in
Fumea, the Board did not ensure that he served the balance of his original state sentence
in accordance with Section 6138(a)(5.1), which resulted in an unreasonable delay in
the holding of his revocation hearing. Petitioner argues that, between August 25, 2008,
when he was detained by the federal agents, and March 4, 2013, the day of his
sentencing, the Board had ample time to assert its jurisdiction and have Petitioner serve
the balance of his original state term.
               The Board responds that the timeliness of a revocation hearing is governed
by Section 71.4 of its regulations, 37 Pa. Code § 71.4, which provides that if a parolee
is confined to a federal prison, the revocation hearing does not have to be held until
120 days from when the Board received official verification of the parolee’s return to

       5
         Section 6138(a)(5.1) states: “If the offender is sentenced to serve a new term of total
confinement by a [f]ederal court or by a court of another jurisdiction because of a verdict or plea
under paragraph (1), the offender shall serve the balance of the original term before serving the new
term.” 61 Pa. C.S. § 6138(a)(5.1).

                                                 4
an SCI. According to the Board, because Petitioner was not confined at an SCI until
October 15, 2021, his revocation hearing, held within 120 days of his return, was
timely. The Board further maintains that Petitioner’s reliance on Section 6138(a)(5.1)
disregards the facts that he was in federal custody until October 5, 2021, and that the
Board had no ability to take him from the federal authorities to conduct a revocation
hearing and recommit him as a CPV.            Finally, the Board argues, Fumea is
distinguishable because, unlike in that case, there was no opportunity for the Board to
obtain custody of Petitioner after his sentencing and prior to his entering federal
custody. Therefore, the Board asserts that Petitioner was not entitled to a revocation
hearing prior to his return to an SCI. We agree with the Board.
              When a parolee challenges the timeliness of a revocation hearing, the
Board has the burden of proving by a preponderance of the evidence that the hearing
was, in fact, timely. Ramos v. Pennsylvania Board of Probation and Parole, 954 A.2d
107, 109 (Pa. Cmwlth. 2008) (quotations omitted). If the Board does not present
substantial evidence to establish the timeliness of a revocation hearing, the parole
violation charges are dismissed with prejudice. Id.
              To meet its burden, the Board relies on its regulations addressing the
timing of, and procedures related to, revocation hearings to assert that Petitioner’s
revocation hearing was timely. Section 71.4(1)(i) of the Board’s regulations states, in
relevant part, that:

              The following procedures shall be followed before a parolee
              is recommitted as a [CPV]:

              (1) A revocation hearing shall be held within 120 days
              from the date the Board received official verification of
              the pleas of guilty or nolo contendere or of the guilty
              verdict at the highest trial court level except as follows:

                                          5
                   (i) If a parolee is confined outside the
                 jurisdiction of the Department of Corrections,
                 such as confinement out-of-state, confinement in a
                 Federal correctional institution or confinement in
                 a county correctional institution where the parolee
                 has not waived the right to a revocation hearing by a
                 panel in accordance with [Commonwealth ex rel.
                 Rambeau v. Rundle, 314 A.2d 842 (Pa. 1973)], the
                 revocation hearing shall be held within 120 days
                 of the official verification of the return of the
                 parolee to [an SCI].

37 Pa. Code § 71.4(1)(i) (emphasis added). Section 71.5(a), (c)(1) offers additional
guidance, providing, in relevant part:

             (a) If the parolee is in . . . Federal custody, the Board
             may lodge its detainer but other matters may be deferred
             until the parolee has been returned to [an SCI] in this
             Commonwealth.
             ....
             (c) In determining the period of conducting hearings
             under this chapter, there shall be excluded from the period,
             a delay in any state of the proceedings which is directly or
             indirectly attributable to one of the following:

                    (1)    The unavailability of a parolee or counsel.

37 Pa. Code § 71.5(a), (c)(1) (emphasis added). Thus, under this regulation, when a
parolee is in federal custody, confined in a federal facility, or is otherwise unavailable,
the Board’s duty to hold a revocation hearing, or take other action beyond issuing a
detainer, is deferred until the parolee is returned to an SCI regardless of when the Board
received official verification of a parolee’s new conviction. See Brown v. Pennsylvania
Board of Probation and Parole, 184 A.3d 1021, 1025 (Pa. Cmwlth. 2017) (quotations
omitted).

                                            6
              Petitioner asserts these regulations are inapplicable due to the General
Assembly’s October 2010 addition of Section 6138(a)(5.1) to the Code,6 which
provides “[i]f the offender is sentenced to serve a new term of total confinement by
a Federal court or by a court of another jurisdiction because of a verdict or please
under paragraph (1), the offender shall serve the balance of the original term before
serving the new term.” 61 Pa. C.S. § 6138(a)(5.1) (emphasis added).
              This Court recently addressed the interplay between the revocation
hearing provisions of Section 74.4(1)(i) of the regulations and the new order-of-
sentences requirements of Section 6138(a)(5.1). In Fumea, federal authorities arrested
the parolee while on parole from a state sentence, and, after his release on bond on the
federal charges, the Board detained him pending the disposition of those
charges. Fumea, 147 A.3d at 611. He remained in an SCI on the Board’s detainer until
his original maximum sentence expired, at which time the Board lifted its warrant and
he was released. Because he was no longer being held on the Board’s detainer and was

       6
        The General Assembly also amended Section 6138(a)(5) of the Code as follows, with the
added language emphasized:

              (5) If a new sentence is imposed on the offender, the service of the
              balance of the term originally imposed by a Pennsylvania court shall
              precede the commencement of the new term imposed in the following
              cases:

                     (i) If a person is paroled from [an SCI] and the new sentence
                     imposed on the person is to be served in the [SCI].

                     (ii) If a person is paroled from a county prison and the sentence
                     imposed upon him is to be served in the same county prison.

                     (iii) In all other cases, the service of the new term for the latter
                     crime shall precede commencement of the balance of the term
                     originally imposed.

61 Pa. C.S. § 6138(a)(5) (emphasis added).

                                                 7
out on bail on the federal charges, the parolee was at liberty while awaiting his federal
trial. Id. After a federal jury found him guilty on July 8, 2011, the parolee remained
on bail until his sentencing on November 21, 2011. The parolee’s parole agent
attended the sentencing hearing, and the Board issued a warrant to commit and
detain him on that day. However, the agent did not take the parolee into custody, and
the parolee was remanded into the custody of the United States Marshal. The parolee
was not released from federal custody until December 24, 2014, and he was returned
to an SCI. The Board held a revocation hearing after his return, the timeliness of which
the parolee challenged. The parolee asserted that he had been available to the Board at
the time of his sentencing and the Board had not taken custody of him, thereby making
him serve his federal sentence first in contravention of Section 6138(a)(5.1). The
Board concluded the revocation hearing was timely under Section 71.4(1)(i) of the
regulations, and the parolee petitioned this Court for review.
                 We framed the issue in Fumea as “whether Section 6138(a)(5.1) imposes
[a] duty upon the Board to assert its jurisdiction over a parolee who, upon his conviction
in federal court, becomes a [CPV] but who is not yet in federal custody under these
circumstances.” Fumea, 147 A.3d at 615. The Court held that, despite the expiration of
the parolee’s maximum date, the Board retained jurisdiction to recommit him as a CPV
pursuant to Section 6138(a)(1),7 and he became available to the Board upon his

       7
           Specifically, Section 6138(a)(1.1) provides:

       [A] parolee under the jurisdiction of the board released from a correctional
       facility who, during the period of parole or while delinquent on parole, commits
       a crime punishable by imprisonment for which the parolee is convicted or found
       guilty by a judge or jury or to which the parolee pleads guilty or nolo contendere
       or of any misdemeanor of the third degree or of any of the following offenses
       where graded as a summary offense, may at the discretion of the board be
       recommitted as a parole violator[.] . . .

61 Pa. C.S. § 6138(a)(1.1).

                                                   8
conviction in federal court. Id. at 616. Further, noting that the Court has interpreted
Section 71.4 of the regulations to “attempt[ ] to strike a balance, adhering to the letter
of the regulations while remaining cognizant of the due process concerns that drove
[its] . . . promulgation” to ensure timely revocation hearings, we rejected the Board’s
argument that the parolee could not rely on the date of his sentencing to begin the 120-
day period because that date was not the date the Board received official verification
of the parolee’s new conviction. Id. at 617. Because the Board’s actual knowledge of
the conviction, as evidenced by the agent’s presence at the sentencing hearing,
effectuated the purpose of official verification, this Court held that the revocation
hearing, held more than 120 days after the Board had notice of the conviction and could
have, but did not, take custody of the parolee, was untimely. Id. at 619-20.
Importantly, we added that the General Assembly clearly intended to change the order
of service of sentences through its enactment of Section 6138(a)(5.1), and that “the
Board’s delay in acquiring ‘official verification’ or its inaction at a parolee’s
sentencing, as occurred here, can render [that Section] a nullity, thus defeating the
legislative intent.” Id. at 615, 619.
             Petitioner argues that, pursuant to this new section, there was an undue
delay in conducting a revocation hearing, like the parolee in Fumea, he became
available to the Board at the time of his federal conviction, and, therefore, a revocation
hearing should have been held within 120 days of the Board’s receipt of the official
verification of that conviction. However, the parolee in Fumea was not in federal
custody when he became available to the Board because he was on bail from the
federal charges. It was only at the sentencing hearing after the parole agent did not
take the parolee into custody, that he was remanded into federal custody and thus
became unavailable to the Board.

                                            9
             Here, it is undisputed that Petitioner was in federal custody both before
and after his federal sentencing and when the Board received official verification of his
conviction. His argument presumes that the Board had the ability to obtain him from
federal custody in order to hold a revocation hearing and recommit him as a CPV to
serve the remainder of his original sentence in accordance with Section 6138(a)(5.1).
However, the Board asserts that it does not have the ability to acquire a Pennsylvania
parolee from the custody of another jurisdiction in order to recommit the parolee to
serve the remainder of the original sentence. Petitioner has not provided any legal
authority that grants the Board this authority. Thus, unlike the parolee in Fumea over
whom the Board’s agent could have immediately taken custody, but did not, thereby
allowing the parolee to be placed into federal custody, Petitioner was already
unavailable to the Board when he pled guilty and was sentenced, as well as when the
Board received official verification of his conviction. The Board could not have
acquired Petitioner until after his release from federal custody in October 2021. Under
these circumstances, we are not persuaded by Petitioner’s argument that Section
71.4(1)(i) of the regulations is inapplicable based on Section 6138(a)(5.1) and Fumea.
             Applying the general revocation hearing provisions of the regulations
because Petitioner was confined outside the jurisdiction of the DOC, the revocation
hearing had to be held within 120 days of the date he was returned to an SCI to be
timely. 37 Pa. Code § 71.4(1)(i). Petitioner’s January 25, 2022 revocation hearing was
held 112 days after his October 5, 2021 release from federal custody. Thus, there was
no error in the Board’s conclusion that Petitioner’s revocation hearing was timely.
    C. Credit for Time Spent Incarcerated/Recalculation of Maximum Date
             Petitioner argues that the Board erred in recalculating his maximum
sentence by denying him credit for the period he spent in federal custody awaiting

                                           10
sentencing on his federal convictions from August 26, 2008, to March 4, 2013.
Petitioner relies on Baasit v. Pennsylvania Board of Probation and Parole, 90 A.3d 74
(Pa. Cmwlth. 2014), and Smith v. Pennsylvania Board of Probation and Parole, 133
A.3d 820 (Pa. Cmwlth. 2016), reversed, 171 A.3d 759 (Pa. 2017).
             As this Court has stated:

             “The general rule governing the allocation of credit for time
             served awaiting disposition of new criminal charge was
             established by our Supreme Court in Gaito v. Pennsylvania
             Board of Probation [and] Parole, . . . , 412 A.2d 568 ([Pa.]
             1980).” Armbruster v. Pennsylvania Board of Probation &
             Parole, 919 A.2d 348, 352 (Pa. Cmwlth. 2007). Pursuant to
             Gaito, “this Court consistently held that once a parolee is
             sentenced on a new criminal offense, the period of time
             between arrest and sentencing, when bail is not satisfied [on
             the new criminal charge], must be applied toward the new
             sentence, and not to the original sentence.” Armbruster, 919
             A.2d at 352.

Stroud v. Pennsylvania Board of Probation and Parole, 196 A.3d 667, 674 (Pa.
Cmwlth. 2018) (footnote omitted). Moreover, Section 6138(a)(5.1) of the Code does
not require or authorize the Board to retrieve a parole violator from federal custody
to serve a state sentence.
             Here, the Board’s decision to recommit Petitioner authorized the
recalculation of Petitioner’s maximum sentence date to reflect that he received no credit
for the time spent at liberty on parole because his federal convictions involved
possession of a weapon. (C.R. at 118.) Because the Board denied credit for time spent
at liberty on parole, Petitioner owed 1,992 days on his original sentence. There is no
indication in the record that Petitioner posted bail on his federal charges. He, therefore,
was never detained solely on the Board’s warrant, as there was a federal detainer in
place. See Gaito; see also Stroud, 196 A.3d at 673-74 (holding that the Board did not

                                            11
have the authority under the Code to retrieve a parolee from federal custody following
his arrest on federal charges to conduct a revocation hearing and to allow him to serve
backtime on his original sentence while he was still in federal custody).
             Regarding the calculation of Petitioner’s maximum sentence date, the
Board based its calculation on his initial March 24, 2005 release date and his original
maximum sentence date of September 6, 2010. At the time he was originally paroled,
Petitioner had 1,992 days on his original sentence.       Federal authorities detained
Petitioner on August 26, 2008. Petitioner was sentenced on his federal charges on
March 4, 2013, and was released from federal custody on October 5, 2021, after
completing his federal sentence. At this point, Petitioner became available to serve the
balance of his original sentence. Therefore, adding 1,992 days to his release from
federal custody date of October 5, 2021, yielded a recalculated maximum sentence date
of March 20, 2027.
             Accordingly, the Board did not err by denying Petitioner credit for time
he spent incarcerated on his federal conviction and thereby recalculating his maximum
sentence date.
                          D. Presumptive Ranges for CPV
             Petitioner argues that the Board erred by recommitting him for 24 months.
This argument is unavailing.
             The Board’s regulations provide a set of presumptive ranges of
recommitment terms for CPVs. 37 Pa. Code § 75.2. Because the General Assembly
has given the Board broad authority to craft regulations of this kind, see Chapman v.
Pennsylvania Board of Probation and Parole, 474 A.2d 413, 417-18 (Pa. Cmwlth.
1984), we will not entertain a challenge to a term of recommitment that falls within the
appliable range for the crimes at hand. Barnes v. Pennsylvania Board of Probation

                                          12
and Parole, 203 A.3d 382, 388 (Pa. Cmwlth. 2019). When a parole violator is
convicted of multiple crimes, the Board may create an aggregate presumptive range by
adding together the ranges of each applicable crime. Ward v. Pennsylvania Board of
Probation and Parole, 538 A.2d 971, 975 (Pa. Cmwlth. 1988).
               Here, Petitioner was convicted of conspiracy to distribute 5 or more
kilograms of cocaine, money laundering, distribution of 500 grams or more of cocaine,
convicted felon in possession of a firearm, and possession of firearm in furtherance of
drug trafficking crime. (C.R. at 35.) Section 75.2 of the Board’s regulations provides
for the following presumptive ranges: 18 to 24 months for conspiracy to distribute 5 or
more kilograms of cocaine; 24 to 40 months for money laundering; 18 to 24 months
for distribution of 500 grams or more of cocaine; and 18 to 24 months for possession
of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. 37 Pa. Code § 75.2. The Board
added the maximum presumptive ranges for each of the offenses, which provided the
Board with aggregate range of 136 months.8 The 24-month term imposed by the Board
falls well within that range. Because Petitioner’s backtime does not exceed the
aggregate range, his claim lacks merit.
                                          IV. CONCLUSION
               Based on the foregoing, we conclude that Petitioner’s arguments
regarding the Board’s failure to consider his individual circumstances and to treat him

       8
         The Board’s order mailed July 27, 2022 stated:
        The presumptive range for those offenses, as outlined in Pa. Code §§ 75.1-75.2. are as follows:
               Conspiracy to distribute 5 or more kilos of cocaine = 18 to 24 months
               Money laundering = 24 to 40 months
               Distribution of 500 grams or more of cocaine = 18 to 24 months
               Convicted felon in possession of a firearm = 18 to 24 months
               Possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime = 18
               to 24 months
(C.R. at 118.)

                                                  13
similarly to his co-defendant are waived as he failed to raise them before the Board.
We also conclude that Petitioner’s argument that the Board failed to hold a timely
revocation hearing is unpersuasive because it was performed within 120 days after he
returned to the SCI. Furthermore, we conclude that Petitioner’s argument regarding
credit time and the miscalculation of his maximum date is not persuasive as he was not
available for the Board’s detention, and the maximum date accurately reflected the
absence of time credit. Finally, we conclude that Petitioner’s challenge to the Board’s
imposition of backtime lacks merit. Accordingly, we affirm the Board’s order.

                                          14
            IN THE COMMONWEALTH COURT OF PENNSYLVANIA

Alfonso Caldwell,                    :
                    Petitioner       :
                                     :   No. 882 C.D. 2022
           v.                        :
                                     :
Pennsylvania Parole Board,           :
                  Respondent         :

PER CURIAM

                                 ORDER

           AND NOW, this 30th day of November, 2023, the July 27, 2022 order
of the Pennsylvania Parole Board is AFFIRMED.