T hi s di s pos i t i on i s notappr opr i a t e f orpubl i c a t i on and i s notpr e c e de nt * e xc e pta s pr ovi de d by N i nth C i r c ui tR ul e 36- 3.

T he pa ne l una ni m ous l yc onc l ude s thi s c a s e i s s ui t abl e f orde c i s i on ** w ith o u t o r a l a r g u m e n t. See F ed. R . A pp . P . 34 (a )( 2).

T he H onor abl e T hom a s F . H oga n, S e ni orU ni t e d S t a t e s D i s tr i c tJ udge ** * f orthe U . S . D i s tr i c tC ourtf orthe D i s tr i c tof

C ol um bi a , s i tt i ng by de s i gna t i on. NOT F OR P UB L I CAT I ON UN I TE D STATE S C OU RT OF APPE ALS FOR T HE NI NTH CI RC UI T UN I T E D S T AT E S OF AME R I C A, P l ai nt i ff

- A pp el l ee , v. M ARTI N A LVAREZ - RODRI GU EZ , a. k. a. D el fi no S ot el o-O rt ega, D e f

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N e va da P hi l i p M . P r o, D i s tr i c tJ udge , P r e s i di ng S ubm i tt e d J ul y13, 2010 ** S a n F r a n c is c o , C a lif

o rn ia B e f or e : F E RN A N D E Z a nd T A L L M A N , C i r c ui tJ udge s , a nd H O G A N , S e ni or U ni t ed S t at es D i stri ctJudg e. *** 

# FI LED JU L 16 2010 M OLLY C. DW Y ER, CLERK U . S. C O U R T OF APPE ALS2

D ef endant -A pp el l antM art i n A l vare z- R od ri gu ez (“ A l vare z” ) w as conv i ct ed a f t e raj ury tr i a l of

c ons pi r a c y t o di s tr i but e ac ontr ol l e d s ubs t a nc e i n vi ol a t i on of 21 U . S . C . §§ 846 a nd 841( a ) ( 1) , ( b) ( 1) ( A ) ( vi i i ) , tw o c ount s of pos s e s s i on w i th i nt e nt t o d i stri bu t e acontrol l ed subst ance i n v i ol at i on of 21 U . S . C . § 8 41 (a )( 1), ( b ) ( 1 ) ( A ) ( v i i i ) , b e i n g af e l o n i n p o s s e s s i o n o f

af i r e a rm i n v i o l a t i o n o f

1 8 U . S. C. § § 9 2 2 ( g ) ( 1 ) a n d 9 2 4 ( a ) ( 2 ) , a n d b e in g a n ille g a l a lie n in p o s s e s s io n o f af ir e a rm in v io la tio n o f

1 8 U .S .C . § § 9 2 2 ( g ) ( 5 ) ( A ) a n d 9 2 4 ( a ) ( 2 ) . A lv a r e z w a s s e n te n c e d to th r e e te rm s o f

lif e im p r is o n m e n t a n d tw o te rm s o f 1 2 0 m o n th s im p r is o n m e n t, a ll sen t en ces t o b e serv ed co n cu rren t l y. A lv a r e z ap p e a ls h is c o n v ic tio n a r g u in g ( 1 ) th a t h e w a s d e p r iv e d o f h is S ix th A m endm entri gh tt o cou nsel w hen h i s three m ot i on s t o sub st i tut e c ou nsel w er e deni ed, and (2) the adm i ss i on of hi s l ett ert o the A ss i st antU ni t ed S t at es A tt orney o r ig in a llya s s ig n e d to h is c a s e w a s p la in e rr o rr e q u ir in g r e v e r s a l o f h is c o n v ic tio n . W e h a v e j u r i s d i c t i o n u n d e r2 8 U . S. C. § 1 2 9 1 , a n d w e a f f i rm. T he part i es ar e f

am i l i arw i th the fa ct s of the ca se so w e do n otre peatthem he r e . T he di s tr i c tc ourtdi d notabus e i t s di s c r e t i on i n de ny i ng A l va r e z ’ s m ot i ons to s u b s titu te c o u n s e l. See U ni ted Stat es v. Mendez- Sa nchez , 563 F . 3d 935, 942 (9 th C i r. 2 0 0 9 ) (sett i n g fo rth th e st an d ard o f rev i ew an d th e est ab l i sh ed t est re qu i ri ng us t o con si der the t i m el i ness of the m ot i on , the adequacy of the di stri ct3

c o u rt’s in q u iry , a n d w h e th e rth e c o n f lic t le d to ac o m p le te b r e a k d o w n in c om m uni c a t i on w i th c ouns e l ( c i t i ng Un i te d S ta te s v . P r i me , 431 F . 3d 1147, 1154 ( 9 th C ir . 2 0 0 5 ) ) ) . F i r s t , onl y the f

i r s tm ot i on w a s a r guabl yt i m e l y , a s i tw a s m a de ap p r o x im a te lytw o m o n th s b e f o r e tr ia l w a s s c h e d u le d to b e g in . Se e i d. H ow ever , consi deri ng the l ar ge vo l um e of di sc ov ery i nv ol ved i n the ca se , a c on t i nu ance l i kel y s t i l l w ou l d h ave been nece ss ary s o thatnew coun se l coul d p roperl y pre pare f o rtr ia l. S e c ond, the c ourtm a de the appr opr i a t e i nqui r i e s i nt o A l va r e z ’ s r e a s ons f or r e q u e s tin g s u b s titu te c o u n s e l o n a ll th r e e o c c a s io n s . Se e i d. ( “ T he i nqui rym us tbe

‘ a de qua t e t o c r e a t e as uf f i c i e ntba s i s f

orr e a c hi ng a n i nf

orm e d de c i s i on. ’ ” ( quot i ng U n i ted S ta tes v. Mu sa , 22 0 F . 3d 10 96 , 11 02 (9th C i r. 20 00 )) ). T hi rd, there w as no tan “ ext ensi ve, i rr ec on ci l abl e c on fl i ct ” betw ee n A l vare z a nd hi s c ouns e l s uc h tha tthe r e w a s “ as i gni f i c a ntbr e a kdow n i n c om m uni c a t i on thatsubst ant i al l y i nt er fe re d w i th the att orney- cl i entre l at i on shi p. ” I d. a t943 ( c ita tio n s o m itte d ) . A lv a r e z h a d a lr e a d ytw ic e o b ta in e d n e w c o u n s e l. Se e i d. A lv a r e z ’s a tto rn e y d e m o n s tr a te d n o a n im u s to w a r d A lv a r e z . Se e i d. M o st i m port a nt l y , the c onf

l i c ta r os e be c aus e A l va r e z r e f us e d t o go t o tr i a l ora c c e ptthe pl e ade a l of

f e r e d by the gove rnm e nt ; no ne w a tt orne yc oul d br e a k thi s de a dl oc k.4

Se e i d. at94 4 (st at i ng thatconfl i ctar i si ng fr om defe nd ant ’ s “ general un re as on abl enes s or m anufactured di sc on t ent ” w as i nsuffi ci entt o requi re s ubs t i tut i on of

c ouns e l ( quot i ng U

n ite d S ta te s v . Sm ith , 28 2 F . 3d 75 8, 76 4 (9th C i r. 2 0 0 2 ) ) ) . T he di s tr i c tc ourtdi d notc om m i tpl a i n e rr orw he n i ta l l ow e d the gove rnm e nt t o pl a c e i nt o e vi de nc e al e tt e r , w r i tt e n bythe de f e nda nta nd m a i l e d t o the A s s i s t a nt U ni t e d S t a t e s A tt orne y f orm e r l y a s s i gne d t o hi s c a s e , be ggi ng f oram or e l e ni e nt p le ab a r g a in . Se e U

ni te d State s v . Si oux , 362 F . 3d 1241, 1244 n. 5 ( 9th C i r . 2004) ( f i ndi ng pl a i n e rr orr e vi e w pr ope rw he n de f e nda ntdoe s notobj e c tt o a dm i s s i on of e vi de nc e a ttr i a l ) . E ve n a s s um i ng, f orthe s a ke of

a r gum e nt , tha ta dm i s s i on of the le tte rw a s e rr o r , c o n s id e r in g th e o v e rw h e lm in g e v id e n c e o f A lv a r e z ’s g u ilt it is c le a rth a t th e a d m is s io n o f th e le tte rd id n o t m a te r ia llya f f e c t th e v e r d ic t. See U ni te d State s v . B r

y an , 86 8 F . 2d 10 32 , 10 39 (9th C i r. 19 89 ) ( “ T here m ustbe a hi gh prob abi l i ty thatthe error m at er i al l y a ff ec t ed the verdi ct . ”) . AF F I RME D.