United States v. Edwards , 309 F.3d 110 ( 2002 )


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  •                                                                                                                            Opinions of the United
    2002 Decisions                                                                                                             States Court of Appeals
    for the Third Circuit
    10-21-2002
    USA v. Edwards
    Precedential or Non-Precedential: Precedential
    Docket No. 02-1847
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    Recommended Citation
    "USA v. Edwards" (2002). 2002 Decisions. Paper 663.
    http://digitalcommons.law.villanova.edu/thirdcircuit_2002/663
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    PRECEDENTIAL
    Filed October 21, 2002
    UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS
    FOR THE THIRD CIRCUIT
    No. 02-1847
    UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
    v.
    ROBERT ALLEN EDWARDS,
    a/k/a FIDEL SALIM,
    a/k/a JAMES F. WINTER, III,
    a/k/a CHARLES KING,
    a/k/a DONALD W. COLEMAN
    Ronald Allen Edwards,
    Appellant
    On Appeal From the United States District Court
    For the Eastern District of Pennsylvania
    (D.C. Criminal No. 97-cr-00117-01)
    District Judge: Honorable Edmund V. Ludwig
    Submitted Under Third Circuit LAR 34.1(a)
    on September 3, 2002
    Before: RENDELL, ALDISERT and GREENBERG,
    Circuit Judges.
    (Filed: October 21, 2002)
    OPINION OF THE COURT
    PER CURIAM:
    Robert Allen Edwards appeals the District Court’s denial
    of his post-judgment motion seeking a sentence reduction
    on the basis of Amendment 634 to the United States
    Sentencing Guidelines. Because the District Court’s
    disposition of Edwards’ motion was proper, we will affirm
    its order denying his request to modify his term of
    imprisonment.
    On July 25, 1997, Edwards pled guilty to one count of
    conspiracy to counterfeit and forge securities and launder
    money, one count each of bank fraud and criminal
    forfeiture, and eight counts of money laundering. Edwards’
    motion for a downward departure pursuant to 18 U.S.C.
    3553(b) was denied, and he was subsequently sentenced
    to 84 months imprisonment, five years of supervised
    release and was ordered to pay restitution. On appeal, we
    reversed Edwards’ sentence and remanded solely for re-
    sentencing on the issue of restitution. United States v.
    Edwards, 
    162 F.3d 87
    (3d Cir. 1998). Upon re-sentencing,
    the District Court vacated the restitution component and
    reimposed Edwards’ original sentence. Edwards thereafter
    filed a motion pursuant to 28 U.S.C. 2255, arguing that:
    (1) his guilty plea was not entered knowingly and
    voluntarily; (2) his sentence was improperly enhanced by a
    constitutionally invalid 1973 state murder conviction; and
    (3) he was denied the effective assistance of counsel. It
    appears that Edwards also contested the use of the money
    laundering Sentencing Guidelines, arguing that his conduct
    was outside the heartland of money laundering activities.
    The District Court denied Edwards’ motion and we declined
    to issue him a certificate of appealability. See C.A. No. 00-
    2731.
    Edwards returned to the District Court and filed a motion
    under 18 U.S.C. 3582(c)(2) on January 31, 2002, seeking
    to modify his term of imprisonment on the basis of
    Amendment 634 to United States Sentencing Guidelines
    ("U.S.S.G.") 2S1.1. Amendment 634, which became
    2
    effective after Edwards was sentenced, alters the guideline
    range in connection with the offense of laundering of
    monetary instruments. Because Amendment 634 is not
    listed in Subsection (c) of Section 1B1.10, which sets forth
    the policy statement regarding when a reduction in a term
    of imprisonment is warranted based upon an amendment
    to a guideline range, the District Court concluded that
    there was no legal basis for a modification of Edwards’
    sentence and, thus, denied the motion by order entered
    February 25, 2002. Undeterred, Edwards asked the court
    to reconsider its denial of his sentence modification request
    in a motion framed as being filed pursuant to Fed. R. Civ.
    P. 60(b). In that motion filed March 4, 2002, Edwards
    argued that Amendment 634 is a clarifying, rather than
    substantive, amendment which may be given retroactive
    effect despite the fact that it is not listed in Subsection (c)
    of Section 1B1.10 as an amendment that would authorize
    a modification or reduction in his term of imprisonment.
    See, United States v. Marmolejos, 
    140 F.3d 488
    (3d Cir.
    1998). The District Court nonetheless denied Edwards’
    motion, in an order entered March 21, 2002, concluding
    that Amendment 634 effects a substantive change to the
    money laundering guidelines. This timely appeal from the
    March 21, 2002 order followed.
    The District Court had jurisdiction pursuant to 18 U.S.C.
    3231 and 3582(c). We have jurisdiction to review its
    order pursuant to 28 U.S.C. 1291 and 18 U.S.C. 3742.
    Our review over legal questions concerning the proper
    interpretation of the Sentencing Guidelines is plenary.
    United States v. Thompson, 
    70 F.3d 279
    , 280 (3d Cir.
    1995).
    As we noted in United States v. Marmolejos, substantive
    changes to the guidelines are not to be given retroactive
    
    effect. 140 F.3d at 490-91
    . While we have not yet opined as
    to whether Amendment 634 is a substantive or clarifying
    amendment, four of our sister circuits have, and all have
    concluded that the amendment effects a substantive
    change to the Guidelines. United States v. Descent, 
    292 F.3d 703
    , 708 (11th Cir. 2002); United States v. King, 
    280 F.3d 886
    , 891 (8th Cir. 2002); United States v. McIntosh,
    
    280 F.3d 479
    , 485 (5th Cir. 2002); United States v.
    3
    Sabbeth, 
    277 F.3d 94
    , 97 (2nd Cir. 2002). We agree with
    the reasoning of these decisions and likewise conclude that
    Amendment 634 is a substantive amendment. As stated by
    the Second Circuit Court of Appeals in Sabbeth , 277 F.3d
    at 97, Amendment 634 "redefines the way in which the
    offense level associated with the crime of money-laundering
    is calculated, so that the offense level for money-laundering
    may now be dependent upon the offense level assigned to
    the underlying offense." Accordingly, we conclude that
    retroactive application of Amendment 634 is not available
    to Edwards and that the District Court properly denied his
    3582(c)(2) motion seeking to modify his term of
    imprisonment.
    Thus, Edwards has no legal basis for contending that the
    District Court erred in denying his motion filed pursuant to
    3582(c)(2) or for seeking reconsideration of that decision.
    Edwards appears to concede as much, but now urges that
    the District Court should have construed his
    reconsideration motion as one filed pursuant to Fed. R. Civ.
    P. 60(b), seeking relief from operation of the court’s
    judgment, by relating it to his previously denied 2255
    motion. Unfortunately for Edwards, this contention affords
    him no relief. Initially, we note that the text of his motion
    explicitly seeks to have the District Court reconsider the
    order entered February 25, 2002, denying his 3582(c)(2)
    motion, and was filed within ten days of that order.
    Additionally, even if it could be deemed to be related to the
    denial of his original 2255 motion, it would be construed
    not as a Rule 60(b) motion, but, rather, as an unauthorized
    successive motion under 2255 which the District Court
    may have been without jurisdiction to consider. 1 Moreover,
    even if the District Court had entertained Edwards’ motion
    as one filed pursuant Rule 60(b)(6) requesting relief from
    operation of its earlier judgment, presumably the motion
    _________________________________________________________________
    1. Although the Second Circuit Court of Appeals held in Rodriguez v.
    Mitchell, 
    252 F.3d 191
    , 200 (2d Cir. 2001), that"a Rule 60(b) motion to
    vacate a judgment denying habeas is not a second petition under
    2244(b)," "majority of circuit courts . . . have held that a Rule 60(b)
    motion to vacate a judgment denying habeas either must or may be
    treated as a second or successive habeas petition." 
    Id. at 200
    n.2
    (collecting cases).
    4
    would have met with the same fate given the District
    Court’s determination that Amendment 634 was a
    substantive one. As for Edwards’ chance of success on
    appeal from such a denial, we note that he would not even
    have progressed as far as the briefing schedule. See Morris
    v. Horn, 
    187 F.3d 333
    , 339 (3d Cir. 1999) (certificate of
    appealability required to appeal denial of Rule 60(b)); see
    also United States v. Cepero, 
    224 F.3d 256
    , 267-68 (3d Cir.
    2000)(allegation that sentencing court misapplied
    Sentencing Guidelines did not present constitutional issue
    for which a certificate of appealability could be granted).
    Accordingly, for the foregoing reasons, we will affirm the
    order of the District Court entered March 21, 2002.
    A True Copy:
    Teste:
    Clerk of the United States Court of Appeals
    for the Third Circuit