Druan v. United States

USCA1 Opinion









October 7, 1993
[NOT FOR PUBLICATION]


UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS
FOR THE FIRST CIRCUIT
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No. 93-1092

JOSEPH F. DRUAN,

Petitioner, Appellant,

v.

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,

Respondent, Appellee.


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APPEAL FROM THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

FOR THE DISTRICT OF MASSACHUSETTS

[Hon. Frank H. Freedman, U.S. District Judge]
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Before

Selya, Boudin and Stahl,
Circuit Judges.
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Joseph F. Druan on brief pro se.
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A. John Pappalardo, United States Attorney, and Andrew Levchuk,
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Assistant United States Attorney, on brief for appellee.


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Per Curiam. Appellant Joseph F. Druan appeals from
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the denial of his petition for habeas corpus filed under 28

U.S.C. 2255. After carefully reviewing the record and the

parties' briefs, we affirm the judgment of the district court

for essentially the reasons stated in its Order dated January

5, 1993. We add to that decision the following comments.

The district court properly disposed of this case

without a hearing. "An evidentiary hearing is not required

where the section 2255 petition, any accompanying exhibits,

and the record evidence `plainly [reveal] . . . that the

movant is not entitled to relief. . . . '" Barrett v. United
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States, 965 F.2d 1184, 1186 (1st Cir. 1992) (quoting Rule
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4(b), Rules Governing Section 2255 Proceedings). That is,

summary dismissal is appropriate where the grounds for relief

are not cognizable under 2255 or are merely bald assertions

without specific and particular factual allegations. Id. We
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agree with the district court that the petition was deficient

in both regards.

Further, Druan did not submit any valid reasons why

he now should be relieved of the statements he made in his

change-of-plea hearing. See Ouellette v. United States, 862
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F.2d 371, 374 (1st Cir. 1988). His claims in this regard are

based on facts with which the district court judge was

familiar because he had presided at both the Rule 11 and

sentencing hearings. As such, he was entitled to make



















findings without an additional hearing and we will not

overturn his findings absent clear error. See Barrett, 965
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F.2d at 1186; Panzardi-Alvarez v. United States, 879 F.2d
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975, 985 n.8 (1st Cir. 1989), cert. denied, 493 U.S. 1082
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(1990). Under this standard of review, the district court

judge's findings that Druan's guilty plea was voluntary and

that his counsel provided effective assistance are more than

adequately supported by the record.

As for Druan's attempt to argue that his 2255

petition raised a jurisdictional issue because no "overt

acts" had occurred in Massachusetts, we note only that at the

change-of-plea hearing the government plainly set forth the

fact that the videotape, made in Connecticut, was transported

to Massachusetts. Druan, at this hearing, specifically

agreed with this description of the facts.

The judgment of the district court is affirmed.
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