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NON-PRECEDENTIAL DECISION – SEE SUPERIOR COURT I.O.P. 65.37
COMMONWEALTH OF PENNSYLVANIA : IN THE SUPERIOR COURT OF
: PENNSYLVANIA
v. :
:
JOSEPH CURRAN, : No. 2995 EDA 2017
:
Appellant :
Appeal from the Judgment of Sentence, November 14, 2016,
in the Court of Common Pleas of Carbon County
Criminal Division at No. CP-13-CR-0000236-2016
BEFORE: BENDER, P.J.E., LAZARUS, J., AND FORD ELLIOTT, P.J.E.
JUDGMENT ORDER BY FORD ELLIOTT, P.J.E.: FILED JUNE 27, 2018
Joseph Curran appeals from the November 14, 2016 judgment of
sentence that was entered after he pled guilty to one count of indecent assault
without consent of another.1 We affirm appellant’s conviction, vacate the
determination of sexually violent predator (“SVP”), and remand to the trial
court to determine whether any registration requirements exist.
The conduct giving rise to appellant’s guilty plea occurred on January 1,
2001 and December 31, 2003. (Information, 3/21/16.) Following a hearing,
the trial court designated appellant an SVP pursuant to Pa.C.S.A. § 9799.12,
which subjected him to lifetime registration. Following sentencing, appellant
1 18 Pa.C.S.A. 3126(a)(1). The trial court sentenced appellant to 3 to
24 months less 1 day of imprisonment. Appellant does not challenge the
discretionary aspects of his sentence.
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timely filed a post-sentence motion seeking reconsideration of his SVP
classification which was denied by operation of law on July 13, 2017. On
July 19, 2017, our supreme court decided Commonwealth v. Muniz, 164
A.3d 1189 (Pa. 2017) (OAJC), cert. denied sub nom. Pennsylvania v.
Muniz, 138 S.Ct. 925, 200 L.Ed. 2d 213, 2018 WL 491630 (U.S. 2018). On
August 8, 2017, appellant filed a notice of appeal to this court. On
September 25, 2017, absent a court order directing him to do so, appellant
filed a concise statement of errors complained of on appeal pursuant to
Pa.R.A.P. 1925(b).
Preliminarily, we note that appellant’s challenge to the legality of his
sentence is non-waiveable. Commonwealth v. Butler, 173 A.3d 1212, 1214
(Pa.Super. 2017) (citations omitted). In this appeal, appellant contends,
among other things, that pursuant to Muniz, application of the registration
requirements in SORNA2 violate the ex post facto clause of the Pennsylvania
Constitution. (Appellant’s brief at 12.)
After the trial court sentenced appellant, our supreme court held that
SORNA’S registration requirements constitute criminal punishment, as
opposed to a mere civil penalty, and therefore, their retroactive application
violates the ex post facto clause of the U.S. Constitution. Muniz, 164 A.3d
at 1192. Thereafter, in Butler, this court concluded that because Muniz held
2Sexual Offender Registration and Notification Act, 42 Pa.C.S.A. §§ 9799.10-
9799.41.
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SORNA’s registration requirements are punitive and an SVP designation
increases the registration period, trial courts cannot apply SORNA’s increased
registration requirement to SVPs because SORNA does not require a
fact-finder to determine, beyond a reasonable doubt, that the defendant is an
SVP. Butler, 173 A.3d at 1217-1218, citing Alleyne v. United States, 570
U.S. 99 (2013). We further found 42 Pa.C.S.A. § 9799.24(e)(3)
unconstitutional and directed trial courts to apply only the applicable
tier-based registration period, as those periods apply based on the conviction
itself, and not due to any additional fact not found, under SORNA’s procedures,
by the fact-finder. Butler, 173 A.3d at 1218. As such, we reversed the order
designating the defendant as an SVP and remanded to the trial court for the
sole purpose of issuing appropriate notice of the defendant’s tier-based
registration period. Id.
In light of Muniz and Butler, appellant’s SVP designation constitutes
an illegal sentence. Therefore, we affirm appellant’s conviction, vacate that
portion of appellant’s sentence finding appellant to be an SVP, and remand to
the trial court to determine whether any registration requirements exist.
Judgment of sentence vacated in part and affirmed in part. Case
remanded with instructions. Jurisdiction relinquished.
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Judgment Entered.
Joseph D. Seletyn, Esq.
Prothonotary
Date: 6/27/18
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