Document ID: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-ca8-03-03867/USCOURTS-ca8-03-03867-0/pdf.json

Parties Involved:
Sergio Lopez
Appellant
United States of America
Appellee

Document Text:

*

The Honorable Richard H. Kyle, United States District Judge for the District

of Minnesota.

United States Court of Appeals

FOR THE EIGHTH CIRCUIT

___________

No. 03-3867

___________

United States of America, *

*

Appellee, * Appeal from the United States

* District Court for the District

v. * of Minnesota.

*

Sergio Lopez, also known as * [UNPUBLISHED]

Santurnio Ibarra, *

*

Appellant. *

___________

Submitted: September 7, 2004

Filed: September 13, 2004

___________

Before MURPHY, FAGG, and SMITH, Circuit Judges.

___________

PER CURIAM.

Sergio Lopez appeals the sentence the district court*

 imposed after Lopez

pleaded guilty to knowingly possessing with intent to distribute methamphetamine,

in violation of 21 U.S.C. § 841(a)(1) and (b)(1)(B). Lopez's counsel has moved to

withdraw and filed a brief under Anders v. California, 386 U.S. 738 (1967), arguing

the court should have granted Lopez a more generous downward departure under

U.S.S.G. § 4A1.3. In his supplemental brief, Lopez argues the court incorrectly

Appellate Case: 03-3867 Page: 1 Date Filed: 09/13/2004 Entry ID: 1810215 
-2-

classified him as a career offender because one of the predicate state drug convictions

was only for simple possession, and the court should not have relied on the quantity

of methamphetamine stated in the presentence report (PSR) because Lopez pleaded

guilty to a lesser amount.

As to counsel's argument, we will not review the extent to which the district

court exercised its authority to grant a downward departure because there is no

indication the court based its decision on an unconstitutional motive. See United

States v. Sykes, 356 F.3d 863, 865 (8th Cir. 2004). As to Lopez's arguments, we

conclude he was properly classified as a career offender under U.S.S.G. § 4B1.1

because he did not object to the PSR's description that each offense involved the sale

of a controlled substance. See United States v. Newton, 259 F.3d 964, 967-68 (8th

Cir. 2001). As to any alleged error in relying on the drug quantity stated in the PSR,

in light of Lopez's career-offender classification, the court's drug-quantity finding did

not affect his offense level or criminal history category, see U.S.S.G. § 4B1.1(b)(B);

United States vo Horn, 187 F.3d 781, 792 (8th Cir. 1999), cert. denied, 529 U.S. 1029

(2000); United States v. Darden, 70 F.3d 1507, 1548 n.17 (8th Cir. 1995), cert.

denied, 517 U.S. 1149 and 518 U.S. 1026 (1996). Finally, having conducted an

independent review under Penson v. Ohio, 488 U.S. 75, 80 (1988), we find no

nonfrivolous issues.

Thus, we affirm the judgment of the district court and grant counsel's motion

to withdraw.

______________________________

Appellate Case: 03-3867 Page: 2 Date Filed: 09/13/2004 Entry ID: 1810215