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409 F.2d 745

Docket No. 26802.

Stonecipher v. United States

Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals

Decided March 28, 1969.

Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals · decided 1969-03-28

2 counsel of record

Applies 28 U.S.C. § 2255 (Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act of 1996)

Relies on Munich v. United States · United States v. Tateo · Benson v. United States

Good law ✅— No negative treatment on recordhow we know

Opinion by (per_curiam) · Decided 1969-03-28

How this case has been cited

Cited by 7 later decisions — most recently March 1984

6 federal appellate · 1 state decisions

50196919701980decided

Later decisions citing this case, by decade. The current decade is in progress, and our corpus holds fewer opinions from the most recent years, so the latest bars are undercounted — not a real decline.

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¶1Chandler Lloyd, Larry F. Amerine, Dallas, Tex., for appellant.

¶2Melvin M. Diggs, U. S. Atty., Patrick H. Mulloy, Jr., Asst. U. S. Atty., Eldon B. Mahon, U. S. Atty., Dallas, Tex., for appellee.

¶3Before RIVES, BELL and DYER, Circuit Judges.

¶4PER CURIAM:

¶5James Watson Stonecipher appeals from a district court order denying relief under 28 U.S.C. § 2255. We affirm.

¶6Stonecipher challenges the district court’s acceptance of his guilty plea, alleging that he was unable to make an intelligent plea because he was suffering from withdrawal symptoms arising out of a serious addiction to narcotics.1 The *746district court heard testimony from a psychiatric expert who examined Stone-cipher three years after the plea and testified that he could not have made an intelligent plea if he was experiencing narcotics withdrawal. Yet Stonecipher testified at the same hearing that he was aware of the nature of his offense and the possible outcome to be expected.2 We cannot say, after noting the conflicting testimony heard by the district court, that the resolution of this factual issue against the appellant was “clearly erroneous.”

¶7Stonecipher also attacks the validity of the “general sentence” he received. He was indicted by grand juries in both the Northern and Western Districts of Texas.3 Pursuant to Fed.R. Crim.P. 20, the Western District indictment was transferred to the Northern District, was docketed as Cr. 3-608, and was consolidated for plea purposes with Cr. 3-563.

¶8Stonecipher was arraigned separately on each indictment. The district judge, after determining the minimum, sentence applicable for each count of Cr. 3-608, made the following statement: “I will impose a fine of $100 generally and one year on each count to run concurrently, in case 608.” 4 Proceeding to Cr. 3-563, the district judge again discussed minimum sentences applicable to the respective counts of that indictment, and stated: “I will assess a two-year sentence and a five-year sentence under these counts to run consecutively, which will be a total of seven years, and the other case [Cr. 3-608] will run concurrently with this.” 5 Stonecipher also notes that the district judge, in a later comment, stated that “I will enter a sentence generally of seven years.”

¶9From the foregoing, it is apparent that, whatever label the district judge accidentally applied to the sentence imposed, he actually complied with this Court’s instructions contained in Benson v. United States, 5 Cir. 1964, 332 F.2d 288, 290: “[The district court] should preferably specify punishment as to each separate count and indicate whether the sentences shall be served consecutively or concurrently”. See also Granger v. United States, 5 Cir. 1960, 275 F.2d 127.

¶10It should be noted also that, even if the sentence imposed in Cr. 3-563 had been “generally” imposed, as Stonecipher unsuccessfully contends, the actual seven-year sentence was not in excess of the maximum sentence applicable to Counts II and IV; and, therefore, it was not subject to being set aside. Compare Benson v. United States, supra, with Clark v. United States, 5 Cir. 1966, 367 F.2d 378, 380.

¶11The judgment is

¶12Affirmed.

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