United States v. Clayton ( 2016 )

FILED
United States Court of Appeals
UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS Tenth Circuit
FOR THE TENTH CIRCUIT August 29, 2016
_________________________________
Elisabeth A. Shumaker
Clerk of Court
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,
Plaintiff - Appellee,
v. No. 16-7027
(D.C. No. 6:98-CR-00025-FHS-1)
HAROLD GLEN CLAYTON, a/k/a (E.D. Okla.)
Harold Clayton,
Defendant - Appellant.
_________________________________
ORDER AND JUDGMENT*
_________________________________
Before LUCERO, MATHESON, and BACHARACH, Circuit Judges.
_________________________________
Defendant Harold Glen Clayton, proceeding pro se, appeals from the district
court’s denial of his motion for a reduced sentence under 18 U.S.C. § 3582(c)(2).
Exercising jurisdiction under 28 U.S.C. § 1291, we vacate the order denying the motion
and remand to the district court with instructions to enter an order dismissing the motion
*
After examining the briefs and appellate record, this panel has determined
unanimously that oral argument would not materially assist in the determination of this
appeal. See Fed. R. App. P. 34(a)(2); 10th Cir. R. 34.1(G). The case is therefore ordered
submitted without oral argument. This order and judgment is not binding precedent,
except under the doctrines of law of the case, res judicata, and collateral estoppel. It may
be cited, however, for its persuasive value consistent with Fed. R. App. P. 32.1 and
10th Cir. R. 32.1.
for lack of jurisdiction. We also deny Mr. Clayton’s request to proceed in forma
pauperis.
I. BACKGROUND
Mr. Clayton pled guilty to (1) conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute
methamphetamine in violation of 21 U.S.C. § 846, (2) conspiracy to launder money in
violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1956(h), and (3) unlawful removal of vehicle identification
numbers in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 511(a). United States v. Clayton, 201 F.3d 449, 1999
WL 1079627, at *1 (10th Cir. Nov. 30, 1999) (unpublished table opinion) (“Clayton I”).
His base offense level of 40 and criminal history category of II resulted in a United States
Sentencing Guidelines range of 324 to 405 months. In 1999, the district court sentenced
Mr. Clayton to 324 months in prison on the drug conspiracy count, 60 months on the
vehicle-identification count, and 240 months on the money laundering conspiracy count,
all to run concurrently. See United States v. Clayton, 92 F. App’x 703, 704 (10th Cir.
2004) (unpublished) (“Clayton III”). We affirmed Mr. Clayton’s conviction on direct
appeal. Clayton I, 201 F.3d 449.
Mr. Clayton subsequently filed a 28 U.S.C. § 2255 motion to vacate, set aside, or
correct his sentence, arguing his counsel rendered ineffective assistance and his
indictment did not include a drug quantity amount, in violation of Apprendi v. New
Jersey, 530 U.S. 466 (2000). United States v. Clayton, 46 F. Appx. 954, 955 (10th Cir.
2002) (unpublished) (“Clayton II”). Under Apprendi, “any fact that increases the penalty
for a crime beyond the prescribed statutory maximum must be submitted to a jury, and
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proved beyond a reasonable doubt.” 530 U.S. at 490. The district court denied the
motion, and we affirmed. Clayton II, 46 F. App’x at 955.
Mr. Clayton next filed an 18 U.S.C. § 3582(c)(2) motion to modify his 324-month
sentence for drug conspiracy, arguing Amendment 613 to the United States Sentencing
Guidelines reduced the sentencing range applicable to his term of imprisonment. Clayton
III, 92 F. App’x at 704. The district court denied Mr. Clayton’s claim. See id. We
affirmed because Amendment 613 did not authorize a reduction in his sentence under
§ 3582(c)(2). Id. at 705-06. We also rejected Mr. Clayton’s Apprendi argument. Id.
Following a second unsuccessful § 2255 petition to this court, Mr. Clayton filed
the instant § 3582(c)(2) motion to modify his sentence based on Amendment 782 to the
Guidelines, contending the amendment lowered the sentencing guideline range for his
drug conspiracy conviction. The district court denied the motion, and Mr. Clayton
appealed.
II. DISCUSSION
The government challenges the timeliness of Mr. Clayton’s appeal, noting he has
not provided documentation of compliance with the prison mailbox rule. From the
papers before us, we agree that Mr. Clayton has not met his burden to show compliance
with the mailbox rule, Price v. Philpot, 420 F.3d 1158, 1165 (10th Cir. 2005) (explaining
that the prisoner has the burden to show compliance with the prison mailbox rule), a
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nonjurisdictional defect.1 Rather than order Mr. Clayton to show cause why his notice of
appeal was not untimely, we instead remand to the district court to vacate this matter for
lack of jurisdiction to hear Mr. Clayton’s motion for a sentence reduction under
§ 3582(c)(2).
Amendment 782 retroactively reduces by two levels many of the base offense
levels for drug offenses. U.S. Sentencing Guidelines Manual app. C supp., amend. 782
(U.S. Sentencing Comm’n 2015). But the district court concluded Amendment 782 did
not reduce “the total offense level applicable to the quantity of methamphetamine
involved in this case (84.52 kilograms).” Dist. Ct. Doc. 144 at 1.
On appeal, Mr. Clayton does not argue Amendment 782 applies to reduce his
sentence. Instead, he argues the sentencing court erred in 1999 under Apprendi by failing
to submit facts to the jury that served as a basis for his offense level, including the drug
quantity. He further argues the district court perpetuated the error by relying on this
offense level when it denied his § 3582(c)(2) motion. He therefore urges us to revisit his
initial sentence to determine whether it violates Apprendi.
Mr. Clayton did not raise his Apprendi argument to the district court, forfeiting his
ability to do so now. See Paycom Payroll, LLC v. Richison, 758 F.3d 1198, 1203 (10th
Cir. 2014) (“[I]f the theory simply wasn’t raised before the district court, we usually hold
it forfeited.” (quotations omitted)). But even if we were to address the issue, § 3582(c)(2)
1
See United States v. Garduño, 506 F.3d 1287, 1290-91 (10th Cir. 2007) (time
limit for filing a notice of appeal in a criminal case is not jurisdictional under Fed. R.
App. P. 4(b)(1)(A)).
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does not grant district court’s jurisdiction to consider whether a sentence was incorrectly
imposed. See United States v. Torres-Aquino, 334 F.3d 939, 941 (10th Cir. 2003); United
States v. Golden, No. 16-7012, 2016 WL 4258839, at *1 (10th Cir. Aug. 11, 2016)
(unpublished); United States v. Fisher, No. 15-5100, 2016 WL 4064140, at *2 (10th Cir.
July 28, 2016) (unpublished); United States v. Lawrence, 363 F. App’x 579, 581 (10th
Cir. 2010) (unpublished).2 Mr. Clayton therefore cannot raise his Apprendi argument
through a § 3582(c)(2) motion. Please also note we rejected Mr. Clayton’s Apprendi
argument in Clayton II and Clayton III.3
III. CONCLUSION
The district court properly concluded it lacked authority to reduce Mr. Clayton’s
sentence under § 3582(c)(2). Rather than deny his motion for a sentence reduction,
however, the court should have dismissed it. See United States v. White, 765 F.3d 1240,
1250 (10th Cir. 2014). Accordingly, we vacate the district court’s order denying Mr.
Clayton’s motion, remand with instructions to enter an order of dismissal for lack of
2
We cite these unpublished decisions for their persuasive value. See 10th Cir. R.
32.1(A).
3
See Clayton II, 46 F. App’x at 955 (concluding Mr. Clayton’s Apprendi claim
was barred, in part, under United States v. Mora, 293 F.3d 1213, 1218-19 (10th Cir.
2002), which held that Apprendi is not retroactively applicable to habeas cases on
collateral review); see also Clayton III, 92 F. App’x at 705-06 (noting we and the district
court had previously rejected Mr. Clayton’s Apprendi argument, Mr. Clayton’s own
pleading admitted an agreement of 185.5 pounds of methamphetamine for sentencing
purposes, and “Mr. Clayton improperly brought his Apprendi claim under § 3582(c)(2)”).
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jurisdiction, and deny his request to proceed in forma pauperis.
ENTERED FOR THE COURT,
Scott M. Matheson, Jr.
Circuit Judge
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