UNPUBLISHED
UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS
FOR THE FOURTH CIRCUIT
No. 17-4705
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,
Plaintiff - Appellee,
v.
JAIME ROMAN BUSTAMANTE,
Defendant - Appellant.
Appeal from the United States District Court for the District of South Carolina, at
Anderson. Timothy M. Cain, District Judge. (8:16-cr-00521-TMC-2)
Submitted: September 13, 2018 Decided: September 17, 2018
Before NIEMEYER and KING, Circuit Judges, and HAMILTON, Senior Circuit Judge.
Affirmed and remanded by unpublished per curiam opinion.
William W. Watkins, Sr., WILLIAM W. WATKINS, PA, Columbia, South Carolina, for
Appellant. Andrew Burke Moorman, OFFICE OF THE UNITED STATES ATTORNEY,
Greenville, South Carolina, for Appellee.
Unpublished opinions are not binding precedent in this circuit.
PER CURIAM:
Jaime Roman Bustamante appeals the 120-month sentence imposed by the district
court after he pleaded guilty, without a written plea agreement, to conspiracy to possess
with intent to distribute and to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine, in violation of
21 U.S.C. §§ 841(a)(1), (b)(1)(A), 846 (2012). Appellate counsel has filed a brief pursuant
to Anders v. California, 386 U.S. 738 (1967), concluding that there are no meritorious
grounds for appeal. Counsel questions, however, whether Bustamante qualified for the
safety valve reduction in 18 U.S.C. § 3553(f) (2012). Bustamante was informed of his
right to file a pro se supplemental brief but has not done so. We affirm and remand to
correct a clerical error in the judgment. *
To be eligible for relief under the safety valve provision, a defendant must show the
following five elements:
(1) [he] does not have more than one criminal history point; (2) [he] did not
use violence or possess a firearm in connection with the offense; (3) the
offense did not result in death or serious bodily injury; (4) [he] was not an
organizer, leader, manager, or supervisor of others in the offense; and (5) no
later than the time of sentencing, [he] truthfully provided the government
with all evidence and information [he] had concerning the offense or offenses
comprising the same course of conduct or a common scheme or plan.
United States v. Henry, 673 F.3d 285, 292-93 (4th Cir. 2012). The burden lies with the
defendant to show that he has met each element. United States v. Bolton, 858 F.3d 905,
*
Bustamante pleaded guilty to conspiracy, yet the judgment failed to mention § 846,
the applicable conspiracy statute. We therefore remand the case so that the district court
may amend the judgment to reflect that Bustamante pleaded guilty to violating 21 U.S.C.
§§ 841(a)(1), (b)(1)(A), 846. See Fed. R. Crim. P. 36.
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913 (4th Cir. 2017). We have reviewed the record and conclude that the district did not
clearly err in finding that Bustamante failed to establish the fifth element of the test and,
therefore, that he was ineligible for the safety valve reduction. See Henry, 673 F.3d at 292
(stating standard of review and recognizing deference owed to district court’s credibility
finding).
In accordance with Anders, we have reviewed the entire record in this case and have
identified no meritorious grounds for appeal. We therefore affirm the district court’s
judgment and remand to correct a clerical error. This court requires that counsel inform
Bustamante, in writing, of the right to petition the Supreme Court of the United States for
further review. If Bustamante requests that a petition be filed, but counsel believes that
such a petition would be frivolous, then counsel may move in this court for leave to
withdraw from representation. Counsel’s motion must state that a copy thereof was served
on Bustamante.
We dispense with oral argument because the facts and legal contentions are
adequately presented in the materials before this court and argument would not aid the
decisional process.
AFFIRMED AND REMANDED
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