DAVID B. WILLIAMS, APPELLANT,
v.
STATE OF FLORIDA, APPELLEE
AI-generated. These summaries, headnotes, and key points are machine-generated and may contain errors or omissions. Always verify against the full opinion text below. Not legal advice.
David Williams appealed the denial of his postconviction motion for relief under Florida Rule of Criminal Procedure 3.850, claiming his counsel was ineffective for failing to investigate a viable consent defense to a charge of criminal use of identification information. The appellate court affirmed the denial of most grounds but reversed and remanded on the ineffective assistance claim, finding the allegation of victim consent was facially sufficient to constitute prejudice.
Williams sufficiently alleged prejudice because his allegation, if true, would negate an essential element of the crime. Consent from the victim is a valid defense to criminal use of personal identification information, and proof of such consent would prevent the State from proving every element of the crime beyond a reasonable doubt. Therefore, the claim is facially sufficient and the postconviction court should have considered it on the merits rather than dismissing it as facially insufficient.
[1] A trial court must conduct an evidentiary hearing on a motion for post-conviction relief unless the allegations are facially insufficient, conclusively refuted by the rec…
[2] A trial court's summary denial of a motion for post-conviction relief is reviewed de novo.
Previewing 2 of 4 headnotes on this case. FLexlaw’s editorially structured points of law — every proposition, pinpointed — are reserved for members.
Join FLexlaw to unlock all legal intelligence“To convict a defendant of criminal use of personal identification information, the State must prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant: "(1) willfully and fraudulently [used or possessed] with intent to fraudulently use; (2) another person's personal identification information; and (3) without that person's authorization or prior consent."”
Establishes the three essential elements of the crime, including the consent requirement that Williams claims was omitted from his defense.
Previewing 1 of 3 key quotes on this case — the court’s exact language, pinpointed for members.
Join FLexlaw to unlock all legal intelligenceWilliams was convicted of criminal use of identification information. In his postconviction motion, he alleged that he had advised his counsel that he…
The full statement of facts, procedural history, and disposition for this case are member content.
Join FLexlaw to unlock all legal intelligence© FLexlaw, Inc. — AI-generated enrichments are proprietary. All rights reserved.
Explore caselaw by topic → Browse Prejudice In Postconviction Relief cases and more on FLexlaw
David B. Williams appeals the summary denial of his motion for postconviction re*905lief filed pursuant to Florida Rule of Criminal Procedure 3.850. We affirm without comment the denial of grounds one, three, four, and five, but we reverse and remand on ground two.
In ground two, Williams claims that counsel was ineffective for failing to investigate and present a defense to the charge of criminal use of identification information. He alleges that he advised counsel that he was in lawful possession of the victim’s identification and that the victim was aware that he intended to secure a driver’s license with the information. He contends that he provided counsel with the victim’s name and telephone number. He asserts that had counsel contacted the victim directly to verify the facts, he would not have pleaded guilty but would have gone to trial and would have been acquitted.
The' postconviction court denied Williams’ claim as facially insufficient for failure to allege prejudice. However, Williams sufficiently alleges prejudice, and his allegation, if true, would have negated one of the elements of the charge of criminal use of personal identification information. See § 817.568(2)(a), Fla. Stat. (2003). To convict a defendant of criminal use of personal identification information, the State must prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant: “(1) willfully and fraudulently [used or possessed] with intent to fraudulently use; (2) another person’s personal identification information; and (3) without that person’s authorization or prior consent.” Townshend v. State, 965 So.2d 236, 237 (Fla. 5th DCA 2007) (quoting Sibley v. State, 955 So.2d 1222, 1226 (Fla. 5th DCA 2007)); see also § 817.568(2)(a). Consent from the victim to use his personal information is a -valid defense to criminal use of personal identification information, and if this were the case, the State would be unable to prove every element of the crime beyond a reasonable doubt at trial. See Townshend, 965 So.2d at 237 (“[T]he State failed to prove that the alleged victim had not authorized Mr. Townshend to’ use his personal information. Accordingly, this conviction must be vacated.”). Thus, the claim is facially sufficient. See Grosvenor v. State, 874 So.2d 1176, 1181 (Fla.2004) (“The merits of any defense ... is [sic] relevant to the credibility of the defendant’s assertion that he would have insisted on going to trial.”); Munroe v. State, 28 So.3d 973, 976 (Fla. 2d DCA 2010) (“Munroe’s claim of prejudice — that he would have proceeded to trial — is credible if he can demonstrate that the defense was viable.”).
Because Williams’ allegation is not refuted by the record, we reverse and remand ás to ground two. On remand, the post-conviction court shall either attach record documents conclusively refuting the allegation or hold an evidentiary hearing. In all other respects, the postconviction order is affirmed.
Affirmed in part, reversed in part, and remanded.
DAVIS and VILLANTI, JJ., Concur.
Cases With Similar Vibessemantic neighbors from the corpus
Citator
Cited By
-
State v. Roberts, 143 So. 3d 936 (Fla. 2d DCA 2014)…’s personal identification information; ... (3) without that person’s authorization or prior consent. Sibley v. State, 955 So. 2d 1222, 1226 (Fla. 5th DCA 2007) (emphasis added) (citing § 817.568(2)(a), Fla. Stat (2003)); accord Williams v. State, 57 So. 3d 904, 905 (Fla. 2d DCA 2011) (holding that defense that victim consented to defendant’s use of personal identification information, if proven, would render State unable to establish every element of the crime); Townshend v. State, 965 So. 2d 236, 237 (Fl…
Authorities Cited
- Grosvenor v. State, 874 So. 2d 1176 (Fla. 2004)
- Munroe v. State, 28 So. 3d 973 (Fla. 2d DCA 2010)
- Sibley v. State, 955 So. 2d 1222 (Fla. 5th DCA 2007)
- Townshend v. State, 965 So. 2d 236 (Fla. 5th DCA 2007)