Document ID: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-ca5-14-40357/USCOURTS-ca5-14-40357-0/pdf.json

Parties Involved:
Jaime Ramon Garcia Lozano-Alcorta
Appellant
United States of America
Appellee

Document Text:

IN THE UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS

FOR THE FIFTH CIRCUIT

No. 14-40357

Summary Calendar

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,

Plaintiff-Appellee

v.

JAIME RAMON GARCIA LOZANO-ALCORTA,

Defendant-Appellant

Appeal from the United States District Court

for the Southern District of Texas

USDC No. 5:12-CR-1092

Before KING, JOLLY, and HAYNES, Circuit Judges.

PER CURIAM:*

Pursuant to a plea agreement, Jaime Ramon Garcia Lozano-Alcorta 

pleaded guilty to one count of possession with intent to distribute five 

kilograms or more of cocaine. As part of the plea agreement, Lozano-Alcorta 

agreed to waive his “right to appeal the conviction, the sentence imposed or the 

manner in which the sentence was determined.” The district court sentenced 

him to 80 months of imprisonment and five years of supervised release.

* 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 19, 2015

Lyle W. Cayce

Clerk

 

Case: 14-40357 Document: 00512941244 Page: 1 Date Filed: 02/19/2015
No. 14-40357

Lozano-Alcorta has filed a timely notice of appeal and contends that the 

district court erred regarding his sentence by refusing to grant a downward 

departure based on prospective amendments to the drug quantity tables in 

U.S.S.G. § 2D1.1. According to Lozano-Alcorta, the appeal waiver in his plea 

agreement is invalid because he could not have knowingly waived the right to 

appeal a sentence that had not yet been imposed. The Government seeks 

dismissal of the appeal based on the appeal waiver.

The validity of an appeal waiver is reviewed de novo. United States v. 

Rodriguez-Estrada, 741 F.3d 648, 650 (5th Cir. 2014). For a defendant’s waiver 

of his right to appeal to be knowing and voluntary, the “defendant must know 

that he had a right to appeal his sentence and that he was giving up that right.” 

United States v. Portillo, 18 F.3d 290, 292 (5th Cir. 1994) (internal quotation 

marks and citation omitted). Lozano-Alcorta’s challenge to his appeal waiver 

is unavailing. See United States v. Melancon, 972 F.2d 566, 567-68 (5th Cir. 

1992). The waiver is enforceable and encompasses Lozano-Alcorta’s challenge 

to his sentence.

Accordingly, the appeal is DISMISSED.

2

Case: 14-40357 Document: 00512941244 Page: 2 Date Filed: 02/19/2015