MARTIN REIDINGER, District Judge.
On January 15, 2014, the Defendant was convicted in the United States District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina of failing to register as a sex offender. [
The Defendant then proceeded to violate the conditions of supervised release multiple times. In February 2015, the Defendant left the Western District of North Carolina without first receiving permission from the Court or his supervising probation officer. The Defendant was placed on home detention for a period of two months as a result. [Doc. 2].
In August 2016, the Defendant's supervising probation officer filed a petition for revocation of the Defendant's supervised release based on ten different violations, including unauthorized travel, failure to report contact with law enforcement, failure report to his probation officer as instructed, and failure to comply with mental health and sex offender treatment requirements. [Doc. 7]. On October 27, 2016, the Defendant admitted guilt to six of these violations and was sentenced to a term of ten months' imprisonment and sixty months of supervised release. [Doc. 15].
On February 22, 2018, the Defendant's probation officer filed a second petition for revocation due to the Defendant's failure to submit to a sex offender risk assessment, failure to comply with sex offender treatment requirements, and using internet accessible devices not approved by his probation officer. [Doc. 19]. On April 12, 2018, the Defendant admitted guilt to failing to submit to a sex offender risk assessment and to using unauthorized internet accessible devices. He was sentenced to a term of nine months' imprisonment to be followed by another term of sixty months of supervised release. [Doc. 25].
On January 17, 2019, the probation officer filed a third petition for revocation, alleging a total of seven violations. [Doc. 26]. On February 21, 2019, the Defendant admitted guilt to five of those violations, including: failing to comply with location monitoring, failing to provide truthful answers to his probation officer, leaving the district without permission, failing to comply with sex offender treatment, and failing to comply with mental health treatment requirements. [Doc. 26]. He was sentenced to a total of eleven months' imprisonment and another 60 months of supervised release. [Doc. 33]. Among the additional conditions of supervised release imposed were requirements that the Defendant have no internet access (Additional Condition 17) and that the Defendant not possess any legal or illegal pornographic materials, or enter any location where such materials can be accessed, viewed or obtained (Additional Condition 18). [
The Defendant has appealed this Judgment to the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals on the basis that the additional conditions imposed violate 18 U.S.C. § 3583(d). [
The Defendant now moves the Court to stay enforcement of the challenged conditions pending appeal.
The Defendant has not cited any statute or Rule of Criminal or Appellate Procedure which would allow this Court to issue the requested stay. Rule 8(a) of the Federal Rules of Appellate Procedure allows a district court to stay a judgment pending appeal, but this provision applies only to civil judgments.
Despite the lack of any express authority conveyed by statute or rule, the Defendant argues that this Court can nevertheless stay the enforcement of release conditions pending appeal, citing
Generally speaking, the filing of a notice of appeal divests the district court of jurisdiction over a case.