Document ID: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-ca8-09-03086/USCOURTS-ca8-09-03086-0/pdf.json

Parties Involved:
Juan Correa-Gutierrez
Appellant
United States of America
Appellee

Document Text:

1

The Honorable Lyle E. Strom, United States District Judge for the District of

Nebraska.

United States Court of Appeals

FOR THE EIGHTH CIRCUIT

___________

No. 09-3086

___________

United States of America, *

*

Appellee, *

* Appeal from the United States

v. * District Court for the

* District of Nebraska.

Juan Correa-Gutierrez, also known as *

Armando Valencia Andrade, * [UNPUBLISHED]

*

Appellant. *

___________

Submitted: March 10, 2010

Filed: March 15, 2010

___________

Before MELLOY, BOWMAN, and SMITH, Circuit Judges.

___________

PER CURIAM.

Juan Correa-Gutierrez appeals the sentence imposed by the District Court1

 after

he pleaded guilty to conspiring to distribute and possess with intent to distribute fifty

grams or more of actual methamphetamine. 21 U.S.C. § 841(a)(1) & (b)(1). Counsel

has moved to withdraw, and has filed a brief under Anders v. California, 386 U.S. 738

(1967), raising as potential issues that the District Court committed procedural error

Appellate Case: 09-3086 Page: 1 Date Filed: 03/15/2010 Entry ID: 3644115
-2-

by assessing a four-level aggravating-role enhancement under U.S.S.G. § 3B1.1(a)

and that the sentence is substantively unreasonable.

The District Court did not commit procedural error by applying the

aggravating-role enhancement. More than five participants were involved in the

criminal activity, and Correa-Gutierrez supplied them with drugs and directed their

actions. See United States v. Feemster, 572 F.3d 455, 461 (8th Cir. 2009) (en banc)

(noting that appellate court reviews a sentence for abuse of discretion, first ensuring

there are no significant procedural errors and then considering the substantive

reasonableness of the sentence); United States v. Alexander, 556 F.3d 890, 894 (8th

Cir. 2009) (noting that imposition of a § 3B1.1(a) aggravating-role enhancement is

reviewed for clear error); United States v. Razo-Guerra, 534 F.3d 970, 976–77 (8th

Cir. 2008) (upholding a § 3B1.1(a) aggravating-role enhancement where the defendant

recruited seven participants for criminal activity; supplied drugs; and directed drug

deliveries, transportation, and storage), cert. denied, 129 S. Ct. 1365 (2009).

We further conclude that the Correa-Gutierrez's sentence, which is at the bottom

of the advisory Guidelines sentencing range, was not substantively unreasonable. See

United States v. Sicaros-Quintero, 557 F.3d 579, 583 (8th Cir. 2009) (according a

presumption of reasonableness to a sentence at the bottom of the Guidelines range);

United States v. Watson, 480 F.3d 1175, 1177 (8th Cir.) (describing what constitutes

an abuse of discretion resulting in an unreasonable sentence), cert. denied, 552 U.S.

927 (2007).

Finally, having reviewed the record independently under Penson v. Ohio, 488

U.S. 75, 80 (1988), we have found no nonfrivolous issues for appeal. Accordingly,

we affirm the judgment, and we grant counsel's motion to withdraw. 

______________________________

Appellate Case: 09-3086 Page: 2 Date Filed: 03/15/2010 Entry ID: 3644115