Document ID: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-ca5-15-30807/USCOURTS-ca5-15-30807-0/pdf.json

Parties Involved:
James Phillips
Appellant
United States of America
Appellee

Document Text:

IN THE UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS

FOR THE FIFTH CIRCUIT

No. 15-30807

Summary Calendar

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,

Plaintiff-Appellee

v.

JAMES PHILLIPS, also known as Kaleem Mustafaa,

Defendant-Appellant

Appeals from the United States District Court

for the Western District of Louisiana

USDC No. 3:14-CR-144-1

Before JOLLY, SMITH, and GRAVES, Circuit Judges.

PER CURIAM:*

James Phillips appeals his conviction for interstate transportation of a 

stolen motor vehicle and sentence of 110 months of imprisonment and three 

years of supervised release. He challenges the denial of his motion to suppress 

statements he made to law enforcement following his arrest and the 

reasonableness of his sentence.

 

* 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

August 17, 2016

Lyle W. Cayce

Clerk

 Case: 15-30807 Document: 00513641752 Page: 1 Date Filed: 08/17/2016
No. 15-30807

2

Any unlawful delay in Phillips’s presentment to a state court judge does 

not provide an independent basis for suppression. See United States v. Martin, 

431 F.3d 846, 848-49 (5th Cir. 2005). Phillips had no right to be presented to 

a federal court judge when he made his statements. See Barnett v. United 

States, 384 F.2d 848, 858 (5th Cir. 1967). The totality of the circumstances 

supports the district court’s conclusion that Phillips’s statements were 

voluntary. See United States v. Anderson, 755 F.3d 782, 790 (5th Cir. 2014).

Phillips fails to rebut the presumption of reasonableness that applies to 

his within-guidelines sentence. See United States v. Cooks, 589 F.3d 173, 186 

(5th Cir. 2009); United States v. Campos-Maldonado, 531 F.3d 337, 338 (5th 

Cir. 2008). Any claim of a procedural sentencing error based on the sentence 

enhancement for being an organizer or leader is waived by virtue of inadequate 

briefing. Cf. United States v. Reagan, 596 F.3d 251, 254 (5th Cir. 2010); United 

States v. Stalnaker, 571 F.3d 428, 439-40 (5th Cir. 2009).

The judgment of the district court is AFFIRMED.

 Case: 15-30807 Document: 00513641752 Page: 2 Date Filed: 08/17/2016