Document ID: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-ca8-03-03242/USCOURTS-ca8-03-03242-0/pdf.json

Parties Involved:
Cesar Antonio Cortez-Rocha
Appellant
United States of America
Appellee

Document Text:

1

The Honorable Jimm Larry Hendren, Chief Judge, United States District Court

for the Western District of Arkansas.

United States Court of Appeals

FOR THE EIGHTH CIRCUIT

___________

No. 03-3242

___________

United States of America, *

*

Appellee, *

*

v. * Appeal from the United States

* District Court for the 

Cesar Antonio Cortez-Rocha, * Western District of Arkansas.

*

Appellant. * [UNPUBLISHED]

___________

Submitted: September 7, 2004

Filed: September 15, 2004

___________

Before MURPHY, FAGG, and SMITH, Circuit Judges.

___________

PER CURIAM.

Cesar Antonio Cortez-Rocha (Cortez) pleaded guilty to illegal reentry after

deportation following an aggravated-felony conviction, in violation of 8 U.S.C.

§ 1326(a) and (b)(2). The district court1

 sentenced him to 77 months imprisonment

and 3 years supervised release. On appeal, Cortez’s counsel has moved to withdraw

under Anders v. California, 386 U.S. 738 (1967), and has filed a brief in which he

argues that (1) the sentence imposed for Cortez’s 2001 Arkansas conviction for

criminal impersonation should not have been counted in his criminal history score,

Appellate Case: 03-3242 Page: 1 Date Filed: 09/15/2004 Entry ID: 1811295 
-2-

(2) the district court should have departed downward because Cortez’s criminal

history score was overstated, and (3) trial counsel was ineffective.

After careful review, we find that counsel’s arguments lack merit. Cortez has

not shown plain error in the district court’s inclusion of his criminal-impersonation

sentence in his criminal history score: the sentence included 37 days in jail, and

Cortez has not shown that the jail time was imposed for any reason other than the

criminal conviction or for his related contempt of court. See United States v. Evans,

285 F.3d 664, 674 (8th Cir. 2002) (standard of review), cert. denied, 537 U.S. 1196

(2003); U.S.S.G. § 4A1.2(c)(1) (sentences for certain offenses, including giving false

information to police officer and contempt of court, and those similar to them, do not

count in criminal history score unless defendant receives at least 1 year probation or

30 days imprisonment, or unless such prior offense is similar to instant offense).

Further, Cortez waived his downward-departure argument by failing to move for

departure in the district court, see United States v. Murphy, 248 F.3d 777, 779-80 (8th

Cir. 2001), and Cortez’s ineffective-assistance claim would be more properly raised

in postconviction proceedings, see United States v. Smith, Nos. 03-2862, 03-3494,

2004 WL 1737335, at *1 (8th Cir. Aug. 4, 2004).

Following our independent review, see Penson v. Ohio, 488 U.S. 75 (1988), we

find no nonfrivolous issues. Accordingly, we affirm. We also grant counsel’s motion

to withdraw.

______________________________

Appellate Case: 03-3242 Page: 2 Date Filed: 09/15/2004 Entry ID: 1811295