F I L E D
United States Court of Appeals
Tenth Circuit
UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS
OCT 16 2001
FOR THE TENTH CIRCUIT
PATRICK FISHER
Clerk
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,
Plaintiff-Appellee,
v. No. 00-4169
(D.C. No. 00-CR-239-S)
FLAVIO ENRIQUE (D. Utah)
TREVIZO-MIRAMONTES,
Defendant-Appellant.
ORDER AND JUDGMENT *
Before EBEL , KELLY , and LUCERO , Circuit Judges.
After examining the briefs and appellate record, this panel has determined
unanimously to grant the parties’ request for a decision on the briefs without oral
argument. See Fed. R. App. P. 34(f); 10th Cir. R. 34.1(G). The case is therefore
ordered submitted without oral argument.
Defendant Flavio Enrique Trevizo-Miramontes appeals his conviction and
sentence for illegally reentering the United States after deportation, in violation
*
This order and judgment is not binding precedent, except under the
doctrines of law of the case, res judicata, and collateral estoppel. The court
generally disfavors the citation of orders and judgments; nevertheless, an order
and judgment may be cited under the terms and conditions of 10th Cir. R. 36.3.
of 8 U.S.C. § 1326. For the reasons stated below, we grant counsel’s motion to
withdraw and dismiss the appeal.
Defendant, a citizen of Mexico, has lived in this country for approximately
twenty years. In 1996, he was convicted in Florida of selling a small amount of
cocaine and, after serving his sentence, was deported. Defendant was again
arrested and convicted of a controlled substance offense in 1998, and was
deported in November 1998.
In May of 2000, defendant was discovered in the United States and was
charged with illegal reentry. He entered a plea of guilty pursuant to an agreement
in which the government agreed to recommend that defendant be given credit for
accepting responsibility and that he be sentenced at the low end of the sentencing
guidelines. In the presentence report (PSR), the United States Probation Office
recommended a guideline range of forty-six to fifty-seven months, based on
a sixteen-level enhancement for reentry after conviction of an aggravated felony
pursuant to United States Sentencing Guideline § 2L1.2(b)(1)(A); a three-point
reduction for acceptance of responsibility pursuant to United States Sentencing
Guideline § 3E1.1, and a criminal history category of III. Defendant did not
object to the calculations in the PSR. The district court accepted the PSR’s
recommendations and sentenced defendant to forty-six months’ incarceration,
which was the low end of the applicable guidelines range.
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On appeal, defendant’s counsel has filed a brief pursuant to Anders v.
California , 386 U.S. 738 (1967), and has moved for leave to withdraw. Anders
holds that if counsel finds an appeal “to be wholly frivolous, after a conscientious
examination of it,” he or she “should so advise the court and request permission
to withdraw.” Id. at 744. Counsel must also submit to the court a brief
addressing anything in the record that arguably supports the appeal. The brief
is served upon the defendant, who may “raise any points that he chooses.” Id.
We must then fully examine the proceedings to decide whether the appeal is
frivolous, and if so, we may grant counsel’s request to withdraw and dismiss
the appeal. Id. Here, defendant was provided with a copy of counsel’s brief but
has not responded.
In her Anders brief, counsel related that defendant wished to raise the
following issues: (1) whether his sentence violated the proscription against
double jeopardy; (2) whether his sentence was cruel and unusual, thus violating
the Eighth Amendment; (3) whether § 1326 punished him for his status as an
alien; (4) whether he should have been granted a downward departure based on
his long residence in this country and the minor nature of his prior felonies; and
(5) whether counsel was ineffective. We agree that these issues are frivolous.
Defendant was not placed twice in jeopardy because the increase in his
sentence based on his prior conviction was simply a sentence enhancement for
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the current offense, and not an additional punishment for the previous offense.
See Witte v. United States , 515 U.S. 389, 400 (1995) (explaining why recidivism
statutes do not violate double jeopardy). His sentence did not violate the Eighth
Amendment because it was well within the statutory and guideline limits. United
States v. Youngpeter , 986 F.2d 349, 355 (10th Cir. 1993) (holding sentence not
regarded as cruel and unusual when within statutory and guideline limits).
Defendant’s guilty plea waived his due process argument that § 1326
punished him based on his alien status. United States v. Wright , 43 F.3d 491, 494
(10th Cir. 1994) (holding guilty plea waives all non-jurisdictional defenses,
including due process claims). In any event, the statute punished his act of
reentering the country, not his alienage. See United States v. Cupa-Guillen ,
34 F.3d 860, 863 (9th Cir. 1994). We lack jurisdiction to review the district
court’s failure to depart downward in sentencing absent a claim that the court
misunderstood its authority to depart. United States v. Coddington , 118 F.3d
1439, 1441 (10th Cir. 1997). Finally, defendant’s claims of ineffective assistance
of counsel should be brought in a collateral proceeding rather than on direct
appeal. United States v. Galloway , 56 F.3d 1239, 1240 (10th Cir. 1995).
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Accordingly, the direct criminal appeal is DISMISSED as frivolous. The
motion by the defendant’s counsel to withdraw is GRANTED. The mandate will
issue forthwith.
Entered for the Court
David M. Ebel
Circuit Judge
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