IRISH v. CAPOZZA et al

Filing 14

MEMORANDUM ORDER re 4 Petition for Writ of Habeas Corpus filed by LAMONT ROULETTE IRISH, denying the Petition and denying a Certificate of Appealability, as the factual basis of Petitioner's contention is without any support. The record conclusively establishes that Petitioner was, in fact, sentenced to a 5 year period of probation to follow his sentence of incarceration. Signed by Chief Magistrate Judge Maureen P. Kelly on 11/20/2017. (tmr)

IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
FOR THE WESTERN DISTRICT OF PENNSYLVANIA
LAMONT ROULETTE IRISH,
Petitioner,

Civil Action No. 15-1040
Chief Magistrate Judge Maureen P. Kelly

v.
MARK R. CAPOZZA, Superintendent, and
PENNSYLVANIA BOARD OF
PROBATION AND PAROLE,
Respondents.
MEMORANDUM ORDER
LaMont Roulette Irish “(Petitioner”) is currently serving a sentence of probation and has
filed a Petition for Writ of Habeas Corpus utilizing a form Petition under 28 U.S.C. § 2241. ECF
No. 4. By means of the Petition, he apparently seeks to challenge the fact that he is currently
serving a sentence of probation that he claims he was not sentenced to. He complains that the
Pennsylvania Board of Probation and Parole (the “Board”) indicated to him that Petitioner is to
serve a term of Special Probation of five years upon the completion of his sentence of
incarceration, supervised by the Board as ordered by Petitioner’s sentencing judge. Petitioner
contends that the trial judge who sentenced him did not include a term of probation in his
sentence. Id. at 7 ¶E. 3. (“I am challenging the Parole Board’s Unlawful Action by falsifying a
Five (5) years Probation to my sentence that was never stipulate[d] by the sentencing Judge
Mariani M. Anthony [sic].”).1 The Board filed a Response to the Petition, asserting that he
Petitioner has not exhausted his state court remedies in that he had a Post Conviction Relief Act
(“PCRA”) Petition currently pending in the Court of Common Pleas of Allegheny County. ECF

1

The correct name of Petitioner’s sentencing judge is the Honorable Anthony M. Mariani.

No. 8 at 2 – 3. In the alternative, the Board asserted that the Petition is meritless because,
contrary to Petitioner’s contention, Petitioner was, in fact, sentenced to a five-year term of
probation following his incarceration. The Board attached to the Answer, copies of the
sentencing order filed by Judge Anthony M. Mariani, ECF No. 8-1, 4 – 6, as well as the
“Request for Special Probation/Parole Supervision” signed by Judge Mariani, id. at 8-9.
Given that the Board indicated Petitioner had a pending PCRA Petition in the Court of
Common Pleas, raising the same issue therein as Petitioner raises herein, the Court ordered the
Board to furnish this Court with copies of the pro se PCRA Petition and his appointed counsel’s
no-merit letter. ECF No. 12. The Board complied and provided both of those items. ECF No.
13.
In the pro se PCRA Petition, Petitioner contended that the Board was illegally requiring
him to serve a term of 5 years of probation after his sentence of incarceration even though Judge
Mariani had allegedly not sentenced Petitioner to any such period of probation. ECF No. 13 at 3
(“There has not been any stipulation by Your Honor for Defendant to complete his sentence and
hereinafter following A Five (5) year special probation as implicated by the PBPP.”).
Petitioner’s PCRA appointed counsel filed a no-merit letter, indicating that the pro se PCRA
petition was meritless. Petitioner’s counsel pointed out that “the Board did not increase
Defendant’s sentence since the Trial Court ordered the 5 year, and 45 day (concurrent to the 5
year), probations at Counts 3 and 5, and therefore the instant claims are without merit.” Id. at 14.
We take judicial notice of the dockets of Petitioner’s criminal case and PCRA

2

proceedings.2 Those dockets indicate that on December 9, 2015, Judge Mariani dismissed the
PCRA Petition. No appeal was thereafter filed.
These very same dockets of which we take judicial notice definitively confirm that
Petitioner was indeed sentenced to a term of 5 years of special probation at Count 3 to follow
Petitioner’s period of incarceration. See Docket sheet at pages 3 (bottom of page) – 4 (top of
page), indicating that at Sequence Number 3, Accidents involving Death or Personal Injury,
Petitioner received a sentence of probation for a minimum of 5 years and a maximum of 5 years.
Furthermore, at page 5 of the docket sheet, it clearly indicates under a section entitled “LINKED
SENTENCES” that the five-year probation imposed at Sequence Number 3 is consecutive to
Sequence Number 2 which was Petitioner’s sentence of confinement.
The record before this Court and of which it takes judicial notice clearly establishes that
Petitioner was in fact sentenced to a 5 year term of probation following his incarceration.
Accordingly, as the factual basis of Petitioner’s claim in the Petition is without any support, the
Petition is dismissed. Because jurists of reason would not find the foregoing debatable, a
Certificate of Appealability is denied.3

Date: November 20, 2017

/s/ Maureen P. Kelly
MAUREEN P. KELLY
CHIEF UNITED STATES MAGISTRATE JUDGE

2

The dockets in Commonwealth v. Irish, No. CP-02-CR-0016591-2012 (C.P. Allegheny
County) are available at:
https://ujsportal.pacourts.us/docketsheets/CPReport.ashx?docketNumber=CP-02-CR0016591-2012
(site last visited 11/20/2017).
3

All parties have consented to the plenary exercise of jurisdiction by the Magistrate Judge. ECF
Nos. 9 and 11.
3

cc:

LAMONT ROULETTE IRISH
69 Ruth Street
Pittsburgh, PA 15211
All counsel of record via CM/ECF

4