FILED
United States Court of Appeals
Tenth Circuit
October 7, 2013
UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS
Elisabeth A. Shumaker
Clerk of Court
TENTH CIRCUIT
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,
Plaintiff-Appellee,
No. 13-3177
v.
(D.C. Nos. 2:12-CV-02669-JWL and
2:07-CR-20168-JWL-24)
FRANKLIN GOODWIN, JR.,
(D. Kan.)
Defendant-Appellant.
ORDER DENYING CERTIFICATE OF APPEALABILITY *
Before HARTZ, O’BRIEN, and GORSUCH, Circuit Judges.
After a jury convicted Franklin Goodwin, Jr. on cocaine conspiracy
charges, a result this court affirmed on direct appeal, Mr. Goodwin filed a
collateral attack on his conviction under 28 U.S.C. § 2255. Mr. Goodwin alleged
that the evidence at trial was insufficient to prove his participation in the
conspiracy and that he was denied effective assistance of counsel. The district
court disagreed, issued a detailed memorandum and order dismissing Mr.
*
This order is not binding precedent except under the doctrines of law of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.
Goodwin’s request, and denied Mr. Goodwin’s request for a certificate of
appealability (COA).
Now before us, Mr. Goodwin renews his request for a COA. He adds
claims that he was entitled to an evidentiary hearing, that his Sixth Amendment
rights were violated when a judge determined that he had two prior convictions
triggering 21 U.S.C. § 841(b)(1)(A), and that the Fair Sentencing Act of 2010
should apply retroactively and reduce his sentence. These arguments were not
made in Mr. Goodwin’s § 2255 action below and so are not preserved for our
review. Walker v. Mather (In re Walker), 959 F.2d 894, 896 (10th Cir. 1992).
Further, Mr. Goodwin could have raised his Fair Sentencing Act and evidentiary
hearing arguments on direct appeal, and a § 2255 motion generally is “not
available to test the legality of a matter which should have been raised on direct
appeal.” United States v. Cox, 83 F.3d 336, 341 (10th Cir. 1996). When a
defendant “fails to raise an issue on direct appeal, he is barred from raising the
issue in a § 2255 proceeding, unless he establishes either cause excusing the
procedural default and prejudice resulting from the error or a fundamental
miscarriage of justice if the claim is not considered.” Id. Mr. Goodwin fails to
provide evidence of either.
Mr. Goodwin also raises for the first time in this court a Sixth Amendment
claim based on Alleyne v. United States, 133 S. Ct. 2151 (2013), a decision issued
by the Supreme Court after the district court ruled on his § 2255 motion. But
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even assuming Alleyne applies retroactively to cases on collateral review and
could be considered for the first time in this court (questions we do not need to
decide) the case does not help Mr. Goodwin on its own terms. In Alleyne, the
Court held that most (but not all) facts that increase a mandatory minimum
sentence must be submitted to the jury. Mr. Goodwin argues this means the
existence of his prior convictions should have been tried to the jury in his case
because they triggered the application of a mandatory minimum sentence. But
this much Alleyne does not require. To the contrary, Alleyne expressly left in
place the preexisting rule that a judge may (as here) find the fact of a prior
conviction. Id. at 2160 n.1.
To succeed on his remaining claims, ones he did present to the district
court, Mr. Goodwin must make a “substantial showing of the denial of a
constitutional right.” 28 U.S.C. § 2253(c)(2). And to do that, he must
demonstrate “reasonable jurists could debate whether (or, for that matter, agree
that) the petition should have been resolved in a different manner or that the
issues presented were adequate to deserve encouragement to proceed further.”
Slack v. McDaniel, 529 U.S. 473, 484 (2000) (internal quotation marks omitted).
Our review of the case leads us to agree with the district court that Mr. Goodwin
has not crossed that threshold.
Mr. Goodwin first claims that the evidence presented at trial was only
sufficient to prove he had a buyer-seller relationship with the conspiracy and was
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not a member. But Mr. Goodwin made the same claim on direct appeal, and it
cannot be relitigated at this juncture in the absence of a change in the law. United
States v. Prichard, 875 F.2d 789, 791 (10th Cir. 1989). Mr. Goodwin points to no
change in the law.
Separately, Mr. Goodwin alleges his counsel was ineffective. To succeed
on a claim of ineffective assistance, a petitioner must demonstrate two things.
First, he must show that his attorney’s performance “fell below an objective
standard of reasonableness.” Strickland v. Washington, 466 U.S. 668, 688 (1984).
Second, he must prove that “there is a reasonable probability that, but for
counsel’s unprofessional errors, the result of the proceeding would have been
different.” Id. at 694. Before us, Mr. Goodwin offers a variety of theories why,
in his view, his counsel’s performance meets the test set forth in Strickland. The
district court addressed each of these theories in depth (and others still Mr.
Goodwin pursued in district court but no longer pursues here) and found each
wanting under Strickland. After our independent review, we agree with the
district court’s reasoning and result.
According to Mr. Goodwin, his counsel’s performance at the sentencing
hearing was ineffective because counsel failed to object to the use of crack
cocaine in determining Mr. Goodwin’s base offense level for guidelines purposes.
The district court rejected this argument finding (among other things) that Mr.
Goodwin was not prejudiced because he was not sentenced under the guidelines,
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but rather received the statutory mandatory minimum sentence available under
§ 841(b)(1)(A). That analysis is correct.
Mr. Goodwin argues his counsel was ineffective at sentencing in another
way because he (counsel) failed to argue that Mr. Goodwin’s prior state
convictions don’t qualify as offenses punishable under § 841(a). The district
court rejected this claim on the merits and denied a COA because Mr. Goodwin’s
claim raises only non-constitutional sentencing issues and therefore a COA would
be improper. This analysis is correct as well. In particular, when it comes to
issuing a COA 28 U.S.C. § 2253(c)(2) makes clear that a COA may be granted
“only if the applicant has made a substantial showing of the denial of a
constitutional right.” (emphasis added).
Mr. Goodwin also alleges that his counsel was ineffective in failing to
engage prosecutors in plea negotiations. As the district court held, however, this
claim fails because Mr. Goodwin concedes his counsel discussed with him the
possibility of a lesser sentence if he agreed to provide a truthful proffer to the
government. Further, Mr. Goodwin’s continued assertion, even at this stage, that
he is innocent of the charges against him cuts against any suggestion he would
have accepted a plea agreement.
Finally, Mr. Goodwin argues that the district court abused its discretion in
not granting an evidentiary hearing where he could present evidence that one of
the DEA agents the prosecution relied upon was subsequently fired for
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misconduct. But Mr. Goodwin failed to submit any admissible evidence to the
district court to support this assertion. Further, as the district court found, the
agent in question provided corroborating testimony only, and there is no reason to
believe evidence attacking his credibility would have had any bearing on the
jury’s verdict.
The application for a COA is denied and the appeal is dismissed.
ENTERED FOR THE COURT
Neil M. Gorsuch
Circuit Judge
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