United States v. Akel
United States v. Akel
Opinion of the Court
Federal prison inmate Gregory Akel brings this § 2255 petition to modify his sentence after he pled guilty to receipt of child pornography.
Background
In March 2015, Akel signed a plea agreement in which he pled guilty to one count of receipt of child pornography.
Akel appealed, contending that the government breached the plea agreement by failing to recommend a low-end sentence, and he requested that his sentence be vacated and the case be remanded to a different judge for resentencing. The government did not oppose Akel's appeal, and the Ninth Circuit reversed, remanded, and ordered that the case be reassigned for resentencing. At Akel's May 2017 resentencing hearing, the parties agreed that the 2015 Sentencing Guidelines should be applied to Akel's case. Using that version of the Guidelines, I sentenced Akel to 99 months' imprisonment.
Akel appealed, and the Ninth Circuit dismissed his appeal in light of the valid appeal waiver.
I ordered the government to respond to Akel's petition in April,
Discussion
A. I construe Akel's § 2255 petition as a motion for resentencing under
In his operative § 2255 petition, Akel states that the Sentencing Commission recently issued and enacted Amendment 801, which clarifies the application of the 2-level enhancement for distribution under U.S.S.G. § 2G2.2(b)(3)(F). Akel argues that following that amendment, a 2-level enhancement under § 2G2.2(b)(3)(F) should be applied only for knowing distribution of unlawful images and he did not admit to knowing distribution in his plea agreement. He contends that this amendment therefore requires his sentence to be corrected.
But Akel's claim is not cognizable under § 2255 :
Although collateral review under section 2255 is ... quite broad, "it does not encompass all claimed errors in ... sentencing." If a petitioner does not allege lack of jurisdiction or constitutional error, an error of law will not provide a basis for habeas relief unless that error "resulted in a complete miscarriage of justice or in a proceeding inconsistent with the rudimentary demands of fair procedure."16
Akel's contention that he should be resentenced in light of Amendment 801 raises neither constitutional nor jurisdictional error. Further, a " 'district court's failure to apply a guideline that was not effective at the time of sentencing does not give rise to a complete miscarriage of justice.' "
B. A motion under § 3582(c)(2) is not encompassed in the waiver of Akel's right to collaterally attack his sentence.
Akel's plea agreement contained a waiver provision, in which he "knowingly and expressly waive[d] all collateral challenges, including any claims under
*1252The Ninth Circuit has not addressed head-on the issue of whether a broad collateral-attack waiver bars § 3582(c)(2) motions. But in United States v. Lightfoot , it held that a broad appellate waiver didn't waive the defendant's right to appeal the district court's denial of his § 3582(c)(2) motion.
Other circuit courts that have addressed this issue have all held that § 3582(c)(2) motions are not barred collateral attacks. For example, the Seventh Circuit found that a § 3582(c)(2) motion "is fundamentally different from the legal challenges and assertions of error typically at issue in appeals and collateral attacks" because a defendant does not "seek to impugn the district court's rationale, nor ... claim that the district court erred in any way" by imposing the sentence it did; instead, a defendant "simply ask[s] the district court to consider revising his sentence in light of a development completely external to the court's original judgment ...."
Applying contract principles, the Tenth Circuit held that a § 3582(c)(2) motion was not included in the waiver.
I find the Tenth Circuit's Chavez-Salais reasoning persuasive and-given the Ninth Circuit's distinction between direct appeals and appeals of decisions on § 3582(c)(2) motions-I am convinced it would rule similarly. I thus conclude that Akel did not waive his right to bring this motion. First, the text of Akel's waiver does not expressly waive his right to bring § 3582(c)(2) motions. And Akel's motion does not challenge the rationale behind his sentence or claim error in sentencing, either of which would be collateral attacks under the general understanding of that term. Instead, Akel calls attention to a change in the Sentencing Guidelines that could result in a modification of his sentence. Second, at the change-of-plea hearing, the sentencing judge engaged in a colloquy with Akel but didn't ask Akel whether he understood the waiver or its contents.
Conclusion
The operative petition in this case is the amended one at ECF No. 122. I construe this amended § 2255 petition as a motion to modify sentence under § 3582(c)(2) and deny the government's motion to dismiss based on Akel's waiver of collateral attacks. But because the government has not responded to the merits of Akel's motion, I cannot resolve it at this time. So, I order the government to respond to Akel's motion by August 8, 2019. The response should address (1) whether Amendment 801 is retroactive and (2) whether Akel admitted to knowing distribution in his plea agreement. Akel will then have 20 days from the service of the response to file a reply.
IT IS THEREFORE ORDERED that Akel's original § 2255 petition [ECF No. 121] is DENIED AS MOOT . The operative petition is Akel's amended petition at ECF No. 122, which I construe as a motion to modify sentence under
IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that the government's motion to dismiss [ECF No. 125] is DENIED . The government must file a response to the merits of Akel's motion by August 8, 2019. Akel will then have 20 days from the service of the response to file a reply.
ECF No. 121.
ECF No. 125.
ECF No. 49.
The sentencing transcripts reflect that Akel's counsel argued for a low-end sentence of 97 months, and the government did not affirmatively recommend a sentence.
ECF No. 65.
ECF No. 106.
ECF No. 117.
ECF No. 121 at 4.
ECF No. 122. In light of the identical amended petition being filed, I deny the original petition [ECF No. 121] as moot. The operative petition in this case therefore is ECF No. 122.
ECF No. 123.
ECF No. 125.
ECF No. 126.
Hamilton v. United States ,
Id. at 764 (quoting United States v. Towe ,
ECF No. 49 at 15-16.
United States v. Lightfoot ,
United States v. Monroe ,
United States v. Chavez-Salais ,
See ECF No. 76.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- United States v. Gergory AKEL
- Cited By
- 1 case
- Status
- Published