Document ID: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-ca5-14-50357/USCOURTS-ca5-14-50357-0/pdf.json

Parties Involved:
Juan Marcus Howard
Appellant
United States of America
Appellee

Document Text:

IN THE UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS

FOR THE FIFTH CIRCUIT

No. 14-50357

Summary Calendar

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,

Plaintiff-Appellee

v.

JUAN MARCUS HOWARD,

Defendant-Appellant

Appeal from the United States District Court

for the Western District of Texas

USDC No. 6:01-CR-22

Before HIGGINBOTHAM, JONES, and HIGGINSON, Circuit Judges.

PER CURIAM:*

The attorney appointed to represent Juan Marcus Howard has moved for 

leave to withdraw and has filed a brief in accordance with Anders v. California, 

386 U.S. 738 (1967), and United States v. Flores, 632 F.3d 229 (5th Cir. 2011). 

Howard has filed a response. We have reviewed counsel’s brief and the 

relevant portions of the record reflected therein, as well as Howard’s response. 

The record is not sufficiently developed to allow us to make a fair evaluation of

* Pursuant to 5TH CIR. R. 47.5, the court has determined that this opinion should not 

be published and is not precedent except under the limited circumstances set forth in 5TH 

CIR. R. 47.5.4.

United States Court of Appeals

Fifth Circuit

FILED

February 23, 2015

Lyle W. Cayce

Clerk

 

Case: 14-50357 Document: 00512943814 Page: 1 Date Filed: 02/23/2015
No. 14-50357

the claim of ineffective assistance of counsel; we therefore decline to consider 

the claim without prejudice to collateral review. See United States v. Isgar, 

739 F.3d 829, 841 (5th Cir.), cert. denied, 135 S. Ct. 123 (2014).

In his response, Howard seeks credit for the time that he was held in jail 

between January 23, 2014, the date the federal judge put a “hold” on him, and 

his sentencing on April 9, 2014. Title 18, U.S.C. § 3585(b) provides that “[a] 

defendant shall be given credit toward the service of a term of imprisonment 

for any time he has spent in official detention prior to the date the sentence 

commences . . . that has not been credited against another sentence.” The 

Attorney General, through the Bureau of Prisons, makes the sentence 

calculation and “determines what credit, if any, will be awarded to the prisoner 

for time spent in custody prior to the commencement of their federal 

sentences.” Leal v. Tombone, 341 F.3d 427, 428 (5th Cir. 2003). The Attorney 

General’s decision regarding the calculation of Howard’s sentence is 

reviewable via a 28 U.S.C. § 2241 petition. See United States v. Gabor, 905 

F.2d 76, 77-78 (5th Cir. 1990). 

Howard also requests that his sentence be changed to 12 months and one 

day to make him eligible to earn good-time credits to shorten his sentence. 

Howard did not request the district court to increase his sentence by one day 

at sentencing, and he has not provided any authority for this court directing 

the district court to change his sentence in this way. 

We concur with counsel’s assessment that the appeal presents no 

nonfrivolous issue for appellate review. Accordingly, counsel’s motion for leave 

to withdraw is GRANTED, counsel is excused from further responsibilities 

herein, and the APPEAL IS DISMISSED. See 5TH CIR. R. 42.2.

2

Case: 14-50357 Document: 00512943814 Page: 2 Date Filed: 02/23/2015