1

Filed 4/10/15 P. v Martinez CA3

NOT TO BE PUBLISHED

California Rules of Court, rule 8.1115(a), prohibits courts and parties from citing or relying on opinions not certified for 

publication or ordered published, except as specified by rule 8.1115(b). This opinion has not been certified for publication 

or ordered published for purposes of rule 8.1115.

IN THE COURT OF APPEAL OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA

THIRD APPELLATE DISTRICT

(Sacramento)

----

THE PEOPLE,

Plaintiff and Respondent,

v.

JUAN MARTINEZ,

Defendant and Appellant.

C072529

(Super. Ct. No. 11F03439)

A jury found defendant Juan Martinez guilty of possessing a sharp instrument 

while an inmate. (Pen. Code, § 4502, subd. (a).)

1

The trial court then found true 

allegations defendant had sustained a prior strike conviction, and defendant was 

sentenced to serve six years in prison.

On appeal, defendant contends imposition of restitution and parole revocation

restitution fines in the amount of $240 constituted an ex post facto application of the law

and must be reduced to the minimum amount of $200. The People agree the fines should 

be reduced to $200 because the trial court intended to impose the minimum restitution 

 

1

Undesignated statutory references are to the Penal Code.
2

fine. We conclude defendant forfeited his contention because he failed to object in the 

trial court. Accordingly, we affirm the judgment. 

Imposition of Sentence

The probation report originally recommended a restitution fine of $1,200. The 

trial court indicated at the sentencing hearing that it had read the report. Defense counsel 

stated she had received and reviewed the report with defendant. At sentencing, defense 

counsel asked, because defendant “is currently serving a life term . . . that the Court 

impose a restitution fine of the statutory minimum of $200.” The People made no 

comment on the request to reduce the fine from $1,200 to $200. The trial court ordered 

defendant to “pay a restitution fine pursuant to . . . Section 1202.4 in the amount of $240, 

the minimum went up, to be paid forthwith.” The court also imposed and stayed a parole 

revocation restitution fine in the same amount pursuant to section 1202.45. At the end of 

the hearing, the trial court asked both counsel if there was “[a]nything else,” to which 

both responded, “No.” 

Analysis

Claims of error relating to sentences permitted by law but “imposed in a 

procedurally or factually flawed manner” are forfeited if not objected to in the trial court. 

The “unauthorized sentence exception” is a narrow exception to the forfeiture doctrine 

that applies where the sentence could not lawfully be imposed under any circumstances 

in a particular case. (People v. Garcia (2010) 185 Cal.App.4th 1203, 1218; People v. 

Scott (1994) 9 Cal.4th 331, 353-354.) 

Here, the sentence was “imposed in a procedurally or factually flawed manner” 

because the trial court made a mistake in assuming the minimum fine was $240 rather 

than $200.2 While the result was a slight increase to defendant’s restitution fine over his 

 

2 The offense was committed on March 29, 2011. Sentencing took place on 

November 9, 2012. Although the minimum fine was increased to $240 as of January 1, 
3

actual minimum fine, the fine imposed was within the statutory range and no one 

objected to the amount of the fine imposed. We note the $240 fine imposed was a 

significant reduction from the $1,200 fine recommended in the probation report. It is 

quite possible defense counsel made a tactical decision not to object to the imposition of 

a $240 fine, in lieu of the $1,200 recommendation, after the People did not comment 

earlier on the request for a reduction. By bringing the $40 difference to the trial court’s 

attention, it is possible the People would have argued against any reduction from the 

$1,200 recommendation and the trial court could have increased the fine. Based on the 

record, we conclude defendant’s claim of error is forfeited. 

DISPOSITION

The judgment is affirmed. 

 HOCH , J.

We concur:

 MURRAY , Acting P. J.

 DUARTE , J.

 

2012 (Stats. 2011, ch. 358, § 1), the minimum fine at the time defendant committed the 

offense was $200 (Stats. 1996, ch. 629, § 3, pp. 3465-3469).