Document ID: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-ca10-14-06003/USCOURTS-ca10-14-06003-0/pdf.json

Parties Involved:
Fidencio Castillo-Delgado
Appellant
United States of America
Appellee

Document Text:

UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS

FOR THE TENTH CIRCUIT

_________________________________

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, 

 Plaintiff - Appellee,

v.

FIDENCIO CASTILLO-DELGADO, 

 Defendant - Appellant.

No. 14-6003

(D.C. No. 5:11-CR-00233-HE-1)

_________________________________

ORDER

_________________________________

Before KELLY, LUCERO, and PHILLIPS, Circuit Judges.

_________________________________

Defendant, proceeding pro se, appeals the judgment entered in his criminal case 

by the district court on April 19, 2012. Defendant filed his notice of appeal on December 

30, 2013, stating that his defense counsel failed to appeal on his behalf.

In a criminal case, a defendant’s notice of appeal must be filed in the district court 

within 14 days after entry of the judgment. Fed. R. App. P. 4(b)(1)(A). The timely filing 

of a notice of appeal by the defendant is an inflexible claim-processing rule that may be 

forfeited if not properly raised by the government. United States v. Garduño, 506 F.3d 

1287, 1290-91 (10th Cir. 2007). However, because Rule 4(b) implicates important 

judicial interests beyond those of the parties, the court may raise the time bar sua sponte

in certain circumstances. United States v. Mitchell, 518 F.3d 740, 750 (10th Cir 2008). 

FILED

United States Court of Appeals

Tenth Circuit

January 3, 2014

Elisabeth A. Shumaker

Clerk of Court

Appellate Case: 14-6003 Document: 01019181291 Date Filed: 01/03/2014 Page: 1 
2

This power is limited and should not be invoked unless judicial resources and 

administration are implicated and the delay has been inordinate. Id.

Under the circumstances of this case, dismissal of this appeal as untimely is 

appropriate. Cf. United States v. Galloway, 56 F.3d 1239, 1240-41 (10th Cir. 1995) 

(holding that ineffective assistance of counsel claims should be brought in collateral 

proceedings, not on direct appeal). Defendant’s notice of appeal, filed more than one 

year and eight months after judgment was entered, was inordinately late. Accordingly, 

this appeal is dismissed.

A copy of this order shall stand as and for the mandate of the court.

Entered for the Court

ELISABETH A. SHUMAKER, Clerk

by: Jane K. Castro

 Counsel to the Clerk

Appellate Case: 14-6003 Document: 01019181291 Date Filed: 01/03/2014 Page: 2