Alarid v. USA
Filing
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ORDER denying Motions to Vacate (2255) as to Fernando Javier Alarid (1). Because he has not made a substantial showing of the denial of a constitutional right, a certificate of appealability is also denied. Signed by Judge Larry Alan Burns on 7/27/15. (All non-registered users served via U.S. Mail Service)(kas)
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UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
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SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA
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UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,
CASE NO. 11cr1447-LAB-1 and
15cv207-LAB
Plaintiff,
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vs.
ORDER DENYING MOTION
PURSUANT TO 28 U.S.C. § 2255
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FERNANDO JAVIER ALARID,
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Defendants.
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Defendant Fernando Alarid was convicted by a jury of conspiracy to import,
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conspiracy to distribute, and possession with intent to distribute, over 1,000 kilograms of
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marijuana. Evidence presented at trial showed that Alarid was the head of a drug-importing
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operation that brought marijuana from Mexico into the United States via a tunnel. The exit
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point of the tunnel was located in a warehouse in the Otay Mesa area of San Diego county.
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From the warehouse, the drugs were transported by tractor-trailer to various other
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destinations in the country. Over 30,000 kilograms of marijuana was discovered in the
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warehouse, at the tunnel's entry point, or in transit from the warehouse. Authorities had been
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monitoring the warehouse for nearly a year before arrests were made.
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Through counsel, Alarid took an appeal, which was unsuccessful. He then filed three
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lengthy motions (Docket nos. 109, 111, and 113) pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 2255, seeking to
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vacate his conviction. The three motions are virtually identical, except that the first two
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include exhibits. If the Court were to treat the third as a separate petition, it would be barred
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as both untimely and successive. But because the three motions are quite similar, the Court
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construes the third as an amended version of the first two, although it also considers the first
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two as being incorporated by reference into the third. In any event, Alarid's claims in all three
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sets of briefs are virtually the same, and none of them merit relief.
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In connection with his appeal, Alarid ordered transcripts of the motions in limine
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hearing and the entire trial, and they are filed in the docket. Alarid also attached some
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medical documents to his first two petitions, in support of his competency argument.
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Legal Standards
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If the motion, files, and records of the case conclusively show that the petitioner is
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entitled to no relief, the Court may deny the motion without requiring the government to
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respond or holding a hearing. See § 2255(b). A § 2255 motion may not be used to litigate
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claims that were litigated on direct appeal. See United States v. Jingles, 702 F.3d 494,
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498–99 (9th Cir. 2012). Claims that could have been, but were not, raised on direct appeal
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are procedurally defaulted, and a petitioner seeking to raise them in a § 2255 motion must
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show cause and prejudice or actual innocence. Bousley v. United States, 523 U.S. 614, 622
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(1998). But ineffective assistance of trial counsel claims, which most of Alarid's claims are,
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need not be raised on direct appeal to preserve them for collateral attack. See United States
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v. Withers, 638 F.3d 1055, 1066 (9th Cir. 2011) (citing Massaro v. United States, 538 U.S.
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500, 504 (2003)).
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Most of Alarid's claims are based on alleged ineffective assistance of trial counsel, and
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as such are governed by Strickland v. Washington, 466 U.S. 668 (1984). The Supreme
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Court, noting the "wide latitude" that criminal defense counsel are afforded, and the fact that
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"[t]here are countless ways to provide effective assistance in any given case," has held that
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"[j]udicial scrutiny of counsel's performance must be highly deferential." Id. at 689. The Court
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has also instructed lower courts to "indulge a strong presumption that counsel's conduct falls
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within the wide range of reasonable professional assistance." Id. The burden falls on the
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defendant, Alarid, to overcome the presumption that the actions he challenges might be
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considered sound trial strategy. Id.
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Moreover, even clearly-demonstrated errors by counsel do not entitle a defendant to
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relief. Such errors must be shown to be prejudicial. Id. at 693. That is, Alarid must show there
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is a "reasonable probability" that, but for his trial counsel's unprofessional errors, the result
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of the proceeding would have been different. Id. at 694. A "reasonable probability" is less
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than a preponderance of the evidence, but more than the possibility of some conceivable
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effect; it must undermine confidence in the outcome. Id. at 693–94.
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Alarid's Claims
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Alarid charges his trial counsel with:
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1.
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Failure to challenge "omission of elements" and the government's burden of
proof;
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Failure to address a confrontation clause violation;
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3.
Failure to challenge "Racial References of Ethnic Groups" made by a witness;
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and
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4.
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Failure to "explore into Alarid's competency" and to request a competency
hearing.
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Much of the argument is merely discussion of the legal issues and standards, and does not
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actually raise a claim. And some of Alarid's claims implicate other issues that could have
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been — or were — raised on direct appeal. For example, he appears to argue that the
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evidence was insufficient to support his conviction. Those claims are defaulted and Alarid
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has not attempted to show cause and prejudice, or actual innocence. This order addresses
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the remainder.
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Failure to Challenge "Omission of Elements" the Government Had to Prove
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Alarid recites the elements of the crimes he was charged with (Docket no. 113 at 2–4)
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before asserting that the government failed to "authenticate" the type of drug he was accused
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of smuggling and possessing. He cites Fed. R. Evid. 901 as requiring such "authentication."
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(Id. at 4–5.) He argues that the government should have undertaken "scientific testing" of the
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suspected marijuana, to prove that it was actually marijuana and
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not some counterfeit. (Id. at 4–6.) And he argues that the "authentication" used did not meet
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the standard under Daubert v. Merrell Dow Pharmaceutical, 509 U.S. 579 (1993).
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First, there was no need for the government to introduce evidence that most of the
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drugs seized were actually marijuana, because Alarid's counsel stipulated to that fact. (See
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Docket no. 73 (Tr. of First Day of Trial), 150:8–151:13; Docket no. 74 (Tr. of Second Day of
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Trial), 200:21–201:15.) Second, elements of a crime may be proved by any competent
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evidence, and scientific testing in a laboratory is not the only acceptable way of proving the
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type of drug. Here, there was testimony that officers conducted a field test and determined
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the drugs to be marijuana. (Docket no. 74, 262:15–21 (testimony that marijuana packages
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found in the warehouse were field-tested and found to contain marijuana).) In addition the
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officers who seized the marijuana were familiar with that drug, and could identify it. (See
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Docket no. 73, 149:6–7, 20–24 (officer's testimony that he found marijuana).) And finally,
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the circumstances surrounding this large-scale, long-term smuggling operation render
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ludicrous the suggestion that the 30,000 kilograms seized were something other than
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marijuana. Clearly the smugglers understood it was marijuana, as did their customers.
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Finally, Alarid never argues — nor could he reasonably do so —that, had the drugs been
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tested, they would have been found to be something other than marijuana.
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Alarid's best defense — the one his counsel in fact relied on — was that he was
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ignorant of and unconnected to the smuggling operation. (Docket no. 73 at 104:15–24
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(Defense Counsel's Opening Statement).) His counsel was making an eminently reasonable
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choice by stipulating to what could not reasonably be contested and focusing instead on his
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best defense.
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Confrontation Clause
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This claim is partially derivative of the previous one. Alarid argues that his counsel
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should have insisted on "authentication" of the type of drug, and then insisted on confronting
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the person who "authenticated" it.
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This is a non-starter, for two reasons. First, because the stipulation obviated the need
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to prove the type of drug, evidence of laboratory testing was not introduced at trial. Failure
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to call someone whose testimonial statements weren't introduced at trial is not a
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Confrontation Clause violation. Second, as noted above, the people who identified the
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substance as marijuana (through field testing or examination and observation) did take the
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stand and were subject to cross-examination.
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Failure to Address Racial References
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This claim concerns testimony by an expert witness, Special Agent Flood, regarding
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the practices of drug-smuggling operations and the relative street values of marijuana in the
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U.S. and Mexico. Part of Flood's testimony concerned the practices of "tunnel" organizations,
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that is, groups specializing in building tunnels under the U.S-Mexico border to bring in drugs
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undetected. The part of Flood's testimony that Alarid finds offensive is Flood's mention that
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such organizations are based in Mexico. (Docket no. 113 at 14 (summarizing and quoting
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testimony).) Alarid believes that the mention of Mexico, coupled with the fact that he is
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Mexican, amounts to a constitutional violation, because it invited the jury to convict Alarid
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simply on the basis of his ethnicity.
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Had Alarid's counsel objected to this testimony at trial, it would have been overruled.
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Testimony about Mexican drug organizations was relevant and would easily have passed the
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Fed. R. Evid. 403 balancing test, and its admission was certainly not unconstitutional. The
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smuggling operation in this case brought large amounts of drugs from Mexico into the U.S.
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through a tunnel under the border. So it was completely appropriate that evidence would be
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offered about the practices of groups engaged in this kind of activity. Flood's testimony could
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not reasonably have been construed as suggesting that Alarid was guilty simply because he
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was Mexican. Had his counsel made such a suggestion, it certainly would not have helped
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his case, and likely would have hurt it.
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Failure to Explore Alarid's Competency and to Request a Competency Hearing
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Alarid argues his counsel was ineffective, because of his failure to properly explore
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the issue of Alarid's competency and to request a hearing. This argument fails, because
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Alarid's counsel did raise and actively litigate the issue of his competency both to stand trial
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and to be sentenced.
(See Docket nos. 67 ("Motion to Determine Competency of
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Defendant"), and 82 (objection to medical report and request for continuance).) The Court
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appointed a psychologist, ordered an examination, received the report, held a hearing,
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received evidence, and found him competent. (Docket nos. 69, 79, 83, 84.) The psychologist
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was provided with relevant records, including Alarid's medical records. (See Docket no. 83,
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Ex. 1 (email to psychologist, attaching records and other documents).)
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To the extent Alarid is arguing his counsel did not competently litigate the competency
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issue by relying on the medical evidence he points to and making the arguments he thinks
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his counsel should have made, he is in error. Alarid's own arguments are unreasonable and
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unsupported by evidence. The medical records he has attached to his first and second
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motions (hand-annotated, presumably by him ) show that he had a tumor at the front of his
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skull that had been causing headaches, and that he underwent an operation to remove it.1
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But they do not express any concern that the tumor was causing any kind of cognitive
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impairment, nor do they support any of Alarid's speculations. Alarid's counsel was not
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ineffective for failing to make the arguments Alarid now thinks he should have. The outcome
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of his counsel's efforts may not have been what Alarid hoped for, but it was not due to any
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unprofessional error on his counsel's part.
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To the extent Alarid is challenging the Court's resolution of Alarid's motion and its
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competency determination, that issue could have been raised on direct appeal, and has
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therefore been waived. And in any event, his argument fails on the merits. Competency to
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stand trial is based on a defendant's capacity to understand the nature and consequences
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of the proceedings and to assist in his defense. United States v. Loughner, 672 F.3d 731,
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678–79 (9th Cir. 2012) (providing formulations of the meaning of competency). The fact that
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a defendant has, or has had, a brain tumor does not by itself mean he is incompetent. And
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the Court certainly did not, as Alarid claims, recognize that Alarid was mentally ill. (See
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Docket no. 113 at 14 (arguing that the Court noticed Alarid was behaving irrationally and
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determined he was mentally ill).) He was perfectly lucid at his allocution, and gave the Court
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Alarid's medical records also point out other health problems, including testicular
cancer and hypertension, though Alarid does not claim those affected his competence in any
way.
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no reason to suspect he was impaired or incompetent. Rather, all the Court did was take into
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account at sentencing that Alarid had had health problems (see id. at 15–16), a fact that the
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Ninth Circuit noted as well. (See Docket no. 107 (Mandate) at 5 (noting that the Court had
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properly taken into account at sentencing Alarid's health problems).)
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Conclusion and Order
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Because the motions, files, and records in this case conclusively show Alarid is not
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entitled to relief, the Court can rule on his motions without a hearing. His request for relief
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under § 2255 is DENIED. Because he has not made a substantial showing of the denial of
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a constitutional right, a certificate of appealability is also DENIED. See 28 U.S.C.
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§ 2253(c)(2).
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IT IS SO ORDERED.
DATED: July 27, 2015
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HONORABLE LARRY ALAN BURNS
United States District Judge
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