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Parties Involved:
Jaime Humberto Garcia-Fuentes
Appellant
United States of America
Appellee

Document Text:

After examining the briefs and appellate record, this panel has determined *

unanimously to honor the party’s 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. This order and judgment is not binding

precedent except under the doctrines of law of the case, res judicata, and

collateral estoppel. It may be cited, however, for its persuasive value consistent

with Fed. R. App. P. 32.1 and 10th Cir. R. 32.1. 

FILED

United States Court of Appeals

Tenth Circuit

October 12, 2007

Elisabeth A. Shumaker

Clerk of Court

UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS

TENTH CIRCUIT

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,

Plaintiff - Appellee, No. 06-1453

v. (D. Colorado)

JAIME HUMBERTO GARCIAFUENTES,

Defendant - Appellant.

(D.C. No. 04-cr-00471-WDM)

ORDER AND JUDGMENT

*

Before LUCERO, HARTZ, and GORSUCH, Circuit Judges.

Defendant Jaime Humberto Garcia-Fuentes pleaded guilty to possession

with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine. See 21 U.S.C.

§ 841(a)(1) and (b)(1)(B)(viii). The district court sentenced him to a statutory

mandatory minimum 60 months’ imprisonment, followed by 4 years’ supervised

release. On appeal his court-appointed counsel filed an Anders brief and moved

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to withdraw as counsel. See Anders v. California, 386 U.S. 738 (1967). 

Defendant Garcia-Fuentes was given until May 18, 2007, to file a response to

counsel’s brief, but did not do so. We sua sponte extended his time to respond to

June 29, 2007, but again he failed to respond. The government declined to file a

brief. We grant counsel’s motion to withdraw and dismiss the appeal.

On November 15, 2004, a grand jury from the United States District Court

for the District of Colorado handed down a two-count indictment against

Defendant Garcia-Fuentes. Count One charged him with possession with intent to

distribute 50 grams or more of a substance containing methamphetamine; Count

Two charged him with unlawful reentry of a deported alien. See 8 U.S.C.

§ 1326(a)(2). Under a plea agreement with the government Defendant GarciaFuentes agreed to plead guilty to Count One; in return the government agreed to

seek no additional charges and to dismiss Count Two. Defendant Garcia-Fuentes

and the government stipulated under Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure

11(c)(1)(C) to a sentence of not more than 60 months’ imprisonment.

On June 16, 2006, Defendant Garcia-Fuentes entered his plea. In the plea

agreement he admitted to the following description of the offense: On

October 30, 2004, he received a phone call from Jerry Padilla seeking four ounces

of methamphetamine for resale to a person who turned out to be an undercover

officer. After a series of phone calls the parties agreed that Padilla and Defendant

Garcia-Fuentes would meet at Michael Pagel’s house and then proceed to a

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prearranged location to sell the drugs to the undercover officer. At Pagel’s house

Defendant Garcia-Fuentes gave Padilla the four ounces of methamphetamine

wrapped in a baby diaper. The three men then proceeded to the prearranged

location; Padilla rode with Pagel, and Defendant Garcia-Fuentes followed. At the

designated location Pagel and Padilla sold the drugs to the undercover officer for

$5,000 and were immediately arrested. Upon Padilla and Pagel’s arrest,

Defendant Garcia-Fuentes left the scene. He was later stopped and his vehicle

searched. The searching officers discovered baby diapers identical to the one

enclosing the drugs. Padilla and Pagel admitted their guilt, and Padilla implicated

Defendant Garcia-Fuentes.

The district court, in accordance with the plea agreement, sentenced

Defendant Garcia-Fuentes to the statutory minimum 60 months’ imprisonment

and 4 years’ supervised release. Defendant Garcia-Fuentes filed a pro se appeal.

In Anders the Supreme Court held that a court-appointed defense counsel

may “request permission to withdraw [from an appeal] where counsel

conscientiously examines a case and determines that any appeal would be wholly

frivolous.” United States v. Calderon, 428 F.3d 928, 930 (10th Cir. 2005). To

this end, counsel must

submit a brief to the client and the appellate court indicating any

potential appealable issues based on the record. The client may then

choose to submit arguments to the court. The [c]ourt must then

conduct a full examination of the record to determine whether

defendant’s claims are wholly frivolous. If the court concludes after

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such an examination that the appeal is frivolous, it may grant

counsel’s motion to withdraw and may dismiss the appeal.

Id. (citations omitted).

In his Anders brief Defendant Garcia-Fuentes’s counsel contends that there

is no legally cognizable issue on appeal. Defendant Garcia-Fuentes has not filed

a response. We can discern no meritorious issues for appeal. Based on the

admissions by Defendant Garcia-Fuentes, the district court could not have

imposed a lower sentence. See United States v. Payton, 405 F.3d 1168, 1173

(10th Cir. 2005) (“no constitutional error in sentencing . . . [to] the mandatory

minimum sentence”). And both the plea agreement and the plea colloquy show

that Defendant Garcia-Fuentes’s guilty plea was entered knowingly, voluntarily,

and intelligently. See United States v. Hurlich, 293 F.3d 1223, 1230 (10th

Cir.2002) (“A defendant’s guilty plea must be knowing, voluntary, and

intelligent.”). 

We GRANT counsel’s motion to withdraw and DISMISS this appeal.

ENTERED FOR THE COURT

Harris L Hartz

Circuit Judge

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