FILED U.S. COURT OF AP P EALS E LEVEN T HC IRC UIT NOV 8 , 2006 THOMAS K. KAH

N CLERK [ DO NO T P UB L I S H] I N THE UN I TE D STATE S C OU RT OF APPE ALS F O R T H E E L E V E N T H C IR C U IT

________________________ N o. 05- 14379 N on -A rgum entC al endar

________________________ D . C . D ocketN o. 04 -000 11 -C R -H L M -4 U N I T E D S T A T E S O F A M E R I C A , P la in tif f - A p p e lle e , v ersu s J E S U S E S P I N O Z A - G U E R R E R O , E l P o llo , D e f e n d a n t- A p p e lla n t.

________________________ A pp ea l fr om the U ni t ed S t at es D i stri ctC ou rt f o rth e N o rth e rn D is tr ic t o f G e o r g ia

_________________________ ( N ove m b e r 8, 2006) B efo re M A R C U S , W IL S O N an d P R Y O R , C i rcu i tJu d g es. P E R C U R I A M: J esu s E s pi noz a - G ue rr e r o appe a l s hi s c onvi c t i ons a nd 52- m onth s e nt e nc e f or c ons pi r a c y t o de f

r aud the U ni t e d S t a t e s bydi s tr i but i ng c ount e r f e i ti m m i gr a t i on2

d o cu m en t s, i n v i o l at i o n o f 1 8 U . S . C . § 3 7 1 ; p ro d u ct i o n o f i d en t i fi cat i o n d o cu m en ts w i th ou tl aw ful autho ri ty, i n v i ol at i on of 18 U . S . C . § 1 02 8(a) (1), (2), (6); pr oduc t i on of

f i ve orm or e i de nt i f

i c a t i on doc um e nt s o f the U . S . w i thoutl a w f ul au th o r ity , in v io la tio n o f 1 8 U .S .C . § 1 0 2 8 ( a ) ( 1 ) - ( 3 ) , ( 6 ) ; p o s s e s s io n w ith in te n t to di s tr i but e m e tha m phe t a m i ne , i n vi ol a t i on of 21 U . S . C . § 841( a ) (1 ) , ( b) ( 1) ( D ) ; a nd p o s s e s s io n w i th in te n t to d is tr ib u te m e th a m p h e ta m in e , in v io la tio n o f 2 1 U .S .C .§ 841( a ) ( 1) , ( b ) ( 1) ( B ) ( vi i i ) , ( b) ( 1) ( D ) . O n appe a l , E s pi noz a - G ue rr e r o a r gue s tha the w a s d e n ie d h is S ix th A m e n d m e n t r ig h t t o c o u n s e l b e c au s e th e c o u rt f a ile d to t i m el y app oi ntnew coun se l fol l ow i ng the j ury’ s guilty v er di ctand fai l ed t o i nform hi m of hi s r e s po ns i bi l i ty t o r a i s e a nyc l a i m of i ne f f e c t i ve a s s i s t a nc e of

c ounsel w i thi n the se ven-day p er io d setforth i n R ul e 33 o f the F eder al R ul es of C ri m i nal Pr o c e d u r e . W e a f

f i rm. A s E sp i n o za-G u errero reco g n i zes, b ecau se h e rai ses h i s cl ai m s fo r th e fi rst t i m e on appe a l , w e r e vi e w the m f oronl ypl a i n e rr or . S e e U ni t e d S t a t e s v. R od ri gu ez , 39 8 F . 3d 12 9 1, 12 98 (11th C i r. ), ce rt . deni ed, 12 5 S . C t . 29 35 (200 5).

“ A n appe l l a t e c ourtm a y notc orr e c ta n e rr orthe de f e nda ntf a i l e d t o rai se i n the d is tr ic t c o u rt u n le s s th e r e is : ( 1 ) e r r o r , ( 2 ) th a t is p la in , a n d ( 3 ) th a t a f f e c ts s ubs t a nt i a l r i ght s . ” R odri gue z , 398 F . 3d a t1298 ( quot a t i ons a nd i nt e rna l m a rks o m itte d ) . “I f a l l th r e e c o n d itio n s a r e m e t, a n ap p e lla te c o u rt m a yth e n e x e r c is e its3

di s c r e t i on t o not i c e af or f e i t e d e rr or , butonl yi f

( 4) the e rr ors e r i ous l ya f f e c t s the f a irn e s s , in te g r ity , o rp u b lic r e p u ta tio n o f ju d ic ia l p r o c e e d in g s .” I d .

“ U nde r18 U . S . C . § 3006A , a n i ndi ge nt d efe nda nti s e nt i t l e d t o ha ve coun se l ed re pres ent at i on w hen, i nt eral i a, the S i xth A m endm en t r eq u ir es or w hen the de f e nda nt‘ f

a c e s l os s o f l i be rtyi n ac a s e , a nd F e de r a l l a w r e qui r e s the appo i ntm entof coun se l . ’ ” U n it ed S t at es v. B er ger, 37 5 F . 3d 12 23 , 12 26 (11th C i r. 20 04 ) ( ci t i ng 18 U . S . C . § 3 00 6A (a )( 1)(H )- (I )) . “ A po st -c on vi ct i on , pr e- ap p ea l R u le 3 3 m o tio n is c o n s id e r e d p a r t o f ad e f e n d a n t’s d ir e c t ap p e a l, a n d th e S ix th A m e ndm e ntr i ghtt o c ouns e l a tt a c he s . ” B e r ge r , 375 F . 3d a t1226. R ul e 33 r e qui r e s tha t “ [a] nym ot i on f orane w tr i a l gr ounde d on a nyr e a s on other than n ew l y di sc ov er ed evi dence m ustbe fi l ed w i th in 7 d ay s a ft erthe verdi ct or fi nd i ng of gu i l ty. ” F ed . R . C rim . P . 33 (b)( 2); se e a l so U ni t ed S t at es v. C am pa, 4 5 9 F .3 d 1 1 2 1 , 1 1 5 4 ( 1 1 th C ir . 2 0 0 6 ) . T h e S u p r e m e C o u r t h a s h e ld th a t, ge ne r a l l y , i ne f

f e c t i ve - a s s i s t a nc e c l ai m s a r e be s tr a i s e d i n a28 U . S . C . § 2255 m ot i on . M as saro v. U ni t ed S t at es , 5 3 8 U .S . 50 0, 50 4-08 (200 3). T he C ou rt r e a s one d tha tthe ev i de nc e i ntr oduc e d a ttr i a l pr i m a r i l ype rt a i ns t o gui l tor i nnoc e nc e , a nd, the r e f

or e , the r e c or d on di r e c tappe a l w i l l n otdi s c l os e m a nyof the f a c t s ne c e s s a ry t o m a ke ade t e rm i na t i on r e ga r di ng the e f f e c t i ve ne s s of c ouns e l . I d. a t 5 0 5 .4

H er e, the di stri ctcourtdi d n otplain l y e rrby fa i l i ng t o i nform E spi no za G uerr er o o f hi s r i gh t s u n d er R u l e 33 and no tsua s po nt e app oi nt i ng hi m new c o u n s e l w ith in th e s e v e n - d a y tim e p e r io ds e t f o rth i n R u l e 3 3 s o th a t h e c o u ld a tt a c k h i s tr i a l c ouns e l i n aR ul e 33 m ot i on, ore ve n i n di r e c tappe a l . W he n the di stri ctcourtw as i nform ed of E sp i no za -G uerr er o’ s di ss at i sf ac t i on w i th h i s tri al coun se l , w hi ch w as af t erthe se ven-day peri od had al re ady e xp i re d, the di stri ct courti m m edi at el y app oi nt ed a new att orney f or pu rposes of pu rs ui ng E sp in o za G u e rr e r o ’s d ir e c t- ap p e a l r i g h ts . W e a ls o o b s e rv e th a t E s p in o z a - G u e rr e r o s till is abl e t o f i l e i ne f f e c t i ve - a s s i s t a nc e - of

- tr i a l c ouns el cl ai m s by w a yof §2255 m ot i on, w h i ch , i n an y ev en t , i s th e p referred m eth o d fo r rai si n g su ch cl ai m s. A c c o r d in g l y, f orthe r e a s ons s t a t e d above , w e a f f i rm E sp i n o za - G ue rr e r o’ s c onvi c t i ons a nd 52- m on th sent ence . AF F I RME D.