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Pasquale A. Natarelli, A/K/A Pat Natarelli v. United States, 516 F.2d 149, 2d Cir. (1975)
Pasquale A. Natarelli, A/K/A Pat Natarelli v. United States, 516 F.2d 149, 2d Cir. (1975)
2d 149
).
2
The evidence at trial, as described in some detail in our opinion in United States
v. Caci, supra, 401 F.2d at 665-67, showed that Natarelli and his coconspirators, meeting in Buffalo in February, 1965, hatched a plan whereby
several of their number would travel to Los Angeles, commit two robberies and
transport the proceeds back to Buffalo. The intended victims were the armed
transport service carrying the daily receipts of the Beverly Hilton Hotel, and a
wealthy guest at the hotel known for her expensive jewelry. Various events
thwarted the plan, and neither robbery was accomplished. The agreement to rob
the armed transport service constituted the conspiracy alleged in count one of
the indictment, and the agreement to transport to Buffalo the proceeds of the
jewel robbery served as the basis for count two.
In response to the claim raised in Natarelli's 2255 motion, the district court,
Harold P. Burke, Judge, reviewed the trial record and concluded that there was
indeed but one conspiracy which had two criminal objects. However, relying on
Sunal v. Large, 332 U.S. 174, 67 S.Ct. 1588, 91 L.Ed. 1982 (1947), the court
held that Natarelli was precluded from making this collateral attack on his
sentence because of his failure to raise the point on direct appeal. Therefore, it
denied him any relief to which he might otherwise be entitled under Braverman,
supra. We reverse the determination that Natarelli's failure to raise his
Braverman claim on direct appeal bars him from raising it now, and we hold
that Natarelli should be resentenced.I. THE GOVERNMENT'S
CONCESSIONS.
In its brief on appeal, the government purports to concede (a) that the district
court erred in its determination that Natarelli is precluded from raising his
Braverman claim at this stage of the proceedings, and (b) that the imposition of
two sentences was contrary to Braverman. It contends, however, that the proper
remedy here is not a remand for resentencing, but rather a vacation of the
conviction and five-year sentence under count two.
We agree that the failure of Natarelli to raise the Braverman claim on direct
appeal does not preclude his present claim.4 In addition, we accept the
government's concession that there was but one agreement in this case, and
hence one conspiracy,5 and that the sentence imposed by Judge Henderson was
therefore contrary to the doctrine of Braverman :
7
Whether
the object of a single agreement is to commit one or many crimes, it is in
either case that agreement which constitutes the conspiracy which the statute
punishes. The one agreement cannot be taken to be several agreements and hence
several conspiracies because it envisages the violation of several statutes rather than
one.
8
The government urges that we vacate the five-year sentence on count two and
let stand the twenty-year sentence on count one. It reasons that the sentence on
count two was not tainted by evidence relating to count one, since all the
evidence would have been admissible even if only one count had been charged,
and that a single twenty-year sentence would effectuate Judge Henderson's
clear intent.
11
The government's "lack of taint" argument relies on cases such as United States
v. Berlin, 472 F.2d 1002, 1009-10 (2d Cir.), cert. denied,412 U.S. 949, 93 S.Ct.
3007, 37 L.Ed.2d 1001 (1973), and United States v. Marino, 421 F.2d 640, 642
(2d Cir. 1970) (per curiam ), holding that, where there was a conviction on
multiple counts, some of which are affirmed on appeal and some reversed,
there is no need to remand for resentencing on the affirmed counts unless there
is reason to believe that the court's sentence on those counts was influenced by
evidence pertaining to the reversed counts. This reasoning is not responsive to
the problems here, however, since we are not reversing the conviction on either
count. 6 Indeed, both convictions could stand under a single general sentence.
United States v. Gorman, 456 F.2d 1258, 1259-60 (2d Cir. 1972) (per curiam );
United States v. Corson, 449 F.2d 544, 551 (3d Cir. 1971) (en banc ).
12
Since it was the sentencing itself that was illegal, United States v. Corson,
supra, 449 F.2d at 551, since the error was not cured by the existence of
concurrent sentences, United States v. Mori, 444 F.2d 240, 245 (5th Cir.), cert.
denied, 404 U.S. 913, 92 S.Ct. 238, 30 L.Ed.2d 187 (1971), and since we
cannot pin down the sentencing court's intention with sufficient certainty, the
most suitable remedy is to remand the case with directions to the district court
to vacate the sentences and to resentence Natarelli after review of the record
and pre-sentence report and allocution.9
14
Count two alleged a conspiracy under the general conspiracy statute, 18 U.S.C.
371, to violate 18 U.S.C. 2314. The statutes provide:
371. Conspiracy to commit offense or to defraud United States
If two or more persons conspire either to commit any offense against the United
States, or to defraud the United States, or any agency thereof in any manner or
for any purpose, and one or more of such persons do any act to effect the object
of the conspiracy, each shall be fined not more than $10,000 or imprisoned not
more than five years, or both.
2314. Transportation of stolen goods, securities, moneys, fraudulent State tax
stamps, or articles used in counterfeiting
Whoever transports in interstate or foreign commerce any goods, wares,
merchandise, securities or money, of the value of $5,000 or more, knowing the
illegal sentence at any time. . . .") Heflin v. United States, 358 U.S. 415, 418,
79 S.Ct. 451, 453, 3 L.Ed.2d 407 (1959). That was the view of this court in a
similar situation in United States v. Coke, 404 F.2d 836, 847-48 (2d Cir. 1968)
(en banc ); we adopt it here, and hold that it was error for the district court to
deny Natarelli's motion because of his failure to raise the point on direct appeal.
5
See, United States v. Gorman, supra, 456 F.2d 1258. That case involved
multiple-count bank robbery convictions the Prince situation and the district
court sentenced the defendant to fifteen years imprisonment on the more
aggravated count and three minutes probation on the less aggravated. This court
held that the trial court's attempted solution of the Prince dilemma was
improper, but refused to remand for resentencing, since the trial court's
"intentions were crystal clear, and remand would be needlessly time consuming
and a meaningless act." Id. at 1260
Compare, United States v. Gorman, supra, where the trial judge's actions
obviously represented an attempt to grapple with the Prince problem
That we are remanding for resentencing does not indicate an opinion that a
twenty-year sentence would be excessive