GREGORY M. SLEET, District Judge.
Movant William Parson ("Parson") filed a pro se motion to vacate, set aside, or correct sentence pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 2255. (D.I. 23) The government filed an answer in opposition. (D.I. 29) For the reasons discussed, the court will deny Parson's § 2255 motion as time-barred by the one-year limitations period prescribed in 28 U.S.C. § 2255(t) without holding an evidentiary hearing.
On August 12, 2010, Parson was indicted on one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm. (D .I. 29 at 1) The charge related to Parson's possession of a loaded AK-47 assault rifle and ammunition magazines in the Dunleith Parkland in New Castle County, Delaware. Id.
On December 15, 2010, Parson pled guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm. (D.I. 17) In advance of sentencing, the United States Probation Office prepared a presentence investigation report ("PSR") dated February 23, 2011. (D.I. 29 at 2) The PSR indicated that Parson had amassed thirteen criminal convictions over an eleven-year span since the age of sixteen. Parson's prior convictions included two firearms-related felony offenses: a 2004 conviction for possession of a deadly weapon by a person prohibited, and a 2006 conviction for carrying a concealed deadly weapon. Parson received two criminal history pints for each of these convictions, as well as an additional criminal history point for a 2008 misdemeanor conviction for possession of drug paraphernalia. As a result, Parson had a total of five criminal history points, which established a criminal history category of III. The PSR further stated that Parson had a total offense level of 17. Based upon an offense level of 17 and a criminal history category of III, Parson's advisory guidelines range was 30-37 months imprisonment. Id. Neither party objected to the facts contained in the PSR, nor to the calculation of the advisory guidelines ranges. (D.I. 19; D.I. 20)
On March 16, 2011, the court sentenced Parson to 42 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release. The court entered judgment on March 25, 2011, and Parson did not file a direct appeal. (D.I. 21)
Parson's § 2255 motion asserts one ground for relief, namely, that the government improperly included his three state convictions in his criminal history calculation, because he served less than one year of imprisonment for each conviction. (D.I. 23 at 4)
The Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act of 1996 ("AEDPA") imposes a one-year period of limitation on the filing of a § 2255 motion by federal prisoners. See 28 U.S.C. § 2255. The one-year limitations period begins to run from the latest of:
28 U.S.C. § 2255(f). The one-year limitations period is subject to equitable tolling. See Holland v. Florida, 560 U.S. 631, 645-46 (2010)(equitable tolling applies in§ 2254 proceedings); Miller v. New Jersey State Dep't of Corr., 145 F.3d 616, 619 n.1 (3d Cir. 1998)(holding that the one-year limitations period set forth in§ 2255 is not a jurisdictional bar and is thus subject to equitable tolling).
Here, Parson contends he is entitled to a later starting date for the limitations period under §2255(f)(3) and (4) because his sole ground for relief is premised on the rulings in Carachuri-Rosendo v. Holder, 130 S.Ct. 2577 (2010) and United States v. Simmons, 649 F.3d 237 (4
When a federal prisoner does not file a direct appeal, his judgment of conviction becomes final for§ 2255 purposes upon the expiration of the fourteen-day time period for filing a notice of appeal See Kapral v. United States, 166 F.3d 565, 577 (3d Cir. 1999). In this case, the court sentenced Parson on March 16, 2011, and entered judgment on March 22, 2011. Since Parson did not file a direct appeal, his judgment of conviction became final on April 5, 2011. Adding one year to that date results in a filing deadline of April 5, 2012. See Wilson v. Beard, 426 F.3d 653 (3d Cir. 2005)(holding that former Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 6(a), (e) applies to federal habeas petitions).
Parson did not file the instant§ 2255 motion until August 8, 2012,
Accordingly, the court will deny the instant§ 2255 motion as time-barred.
A district court is not required to hold an evidentiary hearing on a motion filed pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 2255 if the "motion and the files and records of the case conclusively show" that the movant is not entitled to relief. 28 U.S.C. § 2255; see also United States v. Booth, 432 F.3d 542, 545-46 (3d Cir. 2005); Rule 8(a), 28 U.S.C. foll. § 2255. As previously discussed, the record conclusively demonstrates that the instant motion is time-barred. Accordingly, the court concludes that an evidentiary hearing is not warranted.
A district court issuing a final order denying a§ 2255 motion must also decide whether to issue a certificate of appealability. See 3d Cir. L.A.R. 22.2 (2011). A certificate of appealability is appropriate only if the movant "has made a substantial showing of the denial of a constitutional right." 28 U.S.C. § 2253(c)(2). The movant must "demonstrate that reasonable jurists would find the district court's assessment of the constitutional claims debatable or wrong." Slack v. McDaniel, 529 U.S. 473, 484 (2000).
The court is denying Parson's § 2255 motion after determining that it is time-barred. The court is persuaded that reasonable jurists would not find this assessment debatable. Therefore, the court will not issue a certificate of appealability.
The court concludes that Parson is not entitled to relief pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 2255. An appropriate order will issue.