Document ID: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-ca8-05-03776/USCOURTS-ca8-05-03776-0/pdf.json

Parties Involved:
Luis Raul Cervantes
Appellant
United States of America
Appellee

Document Text:

1

The Honorable Richard G. Kopf, United States District Judge for the District

of Nebraska.

United States Court of Appeals

FOR THE EIGHTH CIRCUIT

___________

No. 05-3776

___________

United States of America, *

*

Appellee, *

* Appeal from the United States

v. * District Court for the

* District of Nebraska.

Luis Raul Cervantes, *

* [UNPUBLISHED]

Appellant. *

___________

Submitted: December 7, 2006

Filed: December 14, 2006

___________

Before RILEY, COLLOTON and GRUENDER, Circuit Judges.

___________

PER CURIAM.

Luis Raul Cervantes appeals the 188-month prison sentence the district court1

imposed after he pleaded guilty to possessing with intent to distribute 500 grams or

more of a methamphetamine mixture, in violation of 21 U.S.C. § 841(a)(1). On

appeal, counsel has filed a brief under Anders v. California, 386 U.S. 738 (1967),

arguing that the district court erred by denying Cervantes a mitigating-role reduction

pursuant to U.S.S.G. § 3B1.2. We find no clear error in the district court’s conclusion

that Cervantes failed to prove his entitlement to a reduction. See United States v.

Appellate Case: 05-3776 Page: 1 Date Filed: 12/14/2006 Entry ID: 2119566
-2-

O’Dell, 204 F.3d 829, 837 (8th Cir. 2000) (burden of proof and standard of proof).

Cervantes, who was admittedly transporting drugs by car from California to

Minnesota for another individual, presented little evidence concerning his role relative

to those of other participants in the offense, and his status as a courier did not itself

entitle him to a reduction. See United States v. Alverez, 235 F.3d 1086, 1090 (8th Cir.

2000) (courier role does not automatically justify mitigating-role reduction given that

transportation is necessary to drug distribution; role is determined by participant’s acts

in relation to relevant conduct for which participant is held accountable and by

measuring participants’ relative culpability).

We have carefully reviewed the record in accordance with Penson v. Ohio, 488

U.S. 75 (1988), and have found no nonfrivolous issues. Accordingly, we affirm the

district court’s judgment. 

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Appellate Case: 05-3776 Page: 2 Date Filed: 12/14/2006 Entry ID: 2119566