2009 D e c i sion s O p inion s of the U nit e d S t at e s C our t of Appe al s for the Thir d C ir c uit 7-10-2009 

# U SA v . V ale ri ano O r t i z -F lores P r e c e de nt i al or N on-P r e c e de nt i al : N on-P r e c e de nt i al D ocke t N o . 08-3544

F o l low thi s a nd a dd it ion al work s at : http://d i git alc ommon s .l a w . vi l l a nova . e du/thir dc ir c uit_2009

Thi s de c i sion i s br ou ght t o you for f r e e a nd ope n a c c e s s b y the O p inion s of the U nit e d S t at e s C our t of Appe al s for the Thir d C ir c uit at V i l l a nova U nive r sity S choo l of L a

w Di git al Reposit ory

. It h as be e n a c c ept e d for inclusion in 2009 D e c i sion s b y a n author i z e d a dmini s tr at or of V i l l a nova U nive r sity S choo l of L a

w Di git al Reposit ory

. F or mor e inform at ion, p le as e c ont a ct Be n j amin . C arl s on@l a

w . vi l l a nova . e du . Re c omme nde d C it at ion
" U SA v . V ale r i a no Or t i z -Flor e s " (2009). 2009 D e cisio n s . P ape r 1029. http://d i git alc ommon s .l a

w . vi l l a nova . e du/thir dc ir c uit_2009/1029NOT P RE CE DE NT I AL UN I TED STATES CO UR T OF A PP EALS F O R T H E T H IR D C IR C U IT N o. 08- 3544 UNI TE D ST ATE S OF AM ERI CA

v. V A LER I A N O O RT I Z- FLO RE S,

A ppel l ant

O n A p p ea l from the U n it ed S tat es D istri ct C o u rt

fort he D i s t r i ctof D el aw ar e ( D . C . C r i m i nal N o. 1- 08- cr - 00022- 1 ) D i s t r i ctJ udge: H onor abl e Sue L. R obi ns on Subm i t t ed Pur s uantt o T hi r d C i r cui tL A R 34. 1( a)

J une 12, 2009 B efore: M cK E E , H A R D IM A N , and V A N A N T W E R P E N , C i rcui tJudg es. ( Fi l ed J ul y10, 2009)

OPI NI ON O F THE COURT V A N A N T W E R PE N , C i r cui tJ udge. A p p e llan t V a ler ian o O rtiz- F lo re s p lea d e d g u iltyto o n e c o u n t o f ill e g a l re e n tryin to t he U ni t ed St at es fol l ow i ng depor t at i on. O n A ugus t11, 2008, t he D i s t r i ctC our ti m pos ed2

a s ent ence of 21 m ont hs ’ i m pr i s onm entpl us t hr ee y ear s of s upervi s ed r el eas e. I n doi ng so, t he co urtoral l yi nfo rm ed A pp el l ant that, “[i ]f y ou are depo rt ed from t he U nit ed S t at es, y ou s hal l notunl aw ful l yr etur n t o t he U ni t ed St at es and the t erm of s upervi s i on w i l l be se rv e d in a c tiv e ly .” N e ith e r p a rtyto o k iss u e w ith th is s tate m e n t. O n A u g u s t 1 8 , 2 0 0 8 , th e D is tr ic t C o u rt is s u e d its w ri tte n ju d g m e n t o f s e n te n c e . T he sect i on of the j ud gm ent address i ng “S up ervi sed R el ease” st at es that, “[u]po n rel ease fr om i m pr i s onm ent , t he def endants hal l be on s upervi s ed r el eas e fora t erm of 3 Y E A R S. ” A ft erdi s cus s i ng a numberof “St andar d C ondi t i ons ” of s upervi s ed r el eas e, t he j udgm ent i ncl udes one “Spec i al C ondi t i o[n] of Super vi s i on”— “[t ] he def endant ’ s t erm of s upervi s ed r el eas e s hal l run i nact i ve i f the def endanti s depor t ed. Shoul d t he def endant re -e n te r t h e U n ite d S ta te s , it w ill b e c o n s id e re d v io la tio n [ s ic ] o f s u p e rv is e d re le a s e .” A ppel l antt akes i s s ue w i t h t he s peci al condi t i on of s upervi s ed r el eas e, w hi ch he cont ends i s di ffe r entfr om t he s peci al condi t i on announce d dur i ng t he s ent enci ng hear i ng— [u] ndert he or al condi t i on, t he t erm of s upervi s ed r el eas e runs i nact i vel yand then expi r es aft ert he thr ee y ear s . U ndert he w r i t t en j udgm ent , t he t erm of s upervi s ed r el eas e i s t ol l ed dur i ng t he t i m e s penti n t he for ei gn countr y , and then r e- act i vat es upon defe ndant ’ s r etur n t o the U ni t ed St at es , even i f the r etur n occur s m or e than t hr ee y ear s aft err el eas e fr om pr i s on. Ap p e lla n t’s B r . at2- 3. T hi s C our tr ece nt l yhel d t hata condi t i on s uch as t hatdes cr i bed by A ppel l antexce eds t he D i s t r i ctC our t ’ s author i t yunder18 U . S. C . § 3583 and cons t i tut es p la in e rr o r. S e e U

n itedS ta tes v . C o le , - - - F. 3d -
- - - , N o. 08- 3201, 2009 W L 1495402 ( 3d3

C i r . 2009) . A ppel l antt hus r eques t s t hatw e r emand t o t he D i s t r i ctC our tw i t h i ns t ruct i ons to iss u e a re v ise d w ritten ju d g m e n t. T he G overnm entar gues t hatw e nee d notr emand, m ai nt ai ni ng t hatt her e i s no confl i ctbetw een the or al pr onouncementand the w r i t t en j udgm entbeca us e s upervi s ed
r el eas e that“run[s ] i nact i vel y , ” as s t at ed i n t he j udgm ent , i s t he s ame t hi ng as s upervi s ed re lea se th a t is “ se rv e d in a c tiv e ly ,” a s s tate d d u rin g th e se n ten c in g h e a rin g — th e u lti m a te re su lt u n d e r b o th th e o ra l p ro n o u n c e m e n t an d th e w ritten ju d g m e n t is th a t A p p e llan t, w hen out s i de of the U ni t ed St at es , w oul d s erve hi s t erm w i t houtact i ve s upervi s i on byt he p ro b a tio n o f

f ic e a n d th a t th e te rm w o u ld e x p ir e th re e y e a rs a f te r h is re le a s e f

ro m p ri s o n . A l t ernat i vel y , t he G overnm entas s er t s t hat , even i f the or al pr onouncementand the ju d g m e n t d if

f e r, t h e f a c t th a t f o rm e r c o n tr o ls o b v ia te s th e n e e d f o r r e m a n d . See U

ni t ed St at es v. C has m er , 9 5 2 F .2 d 5 0 , 5 2 (3 d C ir. 1 9 9 1 ) (“ [ W ]e . . . fo llo w th e ‘f irm ly es t abl i s hed and s et t l ed pr i nci pl e of f eder al cr i m i nal l aw t hatan or al l ypr onounced sen tenc e c o n tr o ls ov er a jud g m en t and co m m itm en t ord er w h en the tw o co n fli ct. ’” ( quot i ng U

ni t ed Stat es v. V

i l l ano , 8 1 6 F . 2 d 1 4 4 8 , 1 4 5 0 (10 th C ir . 1 9 8 7 ))) . I n r es pons e t o t he G overnm ent ’ s ar gum ent , A ppel l antnot es t hatt he w r i t t en j udgm ent , i n s t at i ng t hat , “[s ] houl d t he def endantr e- ent ert he U ni t ed St at es , i tw i l l be cons i der ed vi ol at i on [s i c] of s upervi s ed r el eas e, ” does notcont ai n t he or al prono un cem ent’ s three- y ear t i m e l i m i t , w i t ho ut w hich i l l egal r e-ent rycon st i tutes a vi ol at i on of s upervi s ed r el eas e w heneve ri toccur s . A ppel l antal s o ar gues t hat , even4

t hough t he or al pr onouncementi s contr ol l i ng, w e s houl d r emand t o el i m i nat e the ambi gui t yi n t he w r i t t en j udgm entl es ti tcaus e conf us i on i n t he futur e. I n an abunda nce of

caut i on, w e bel i eve thatt he w r i t t en j udgm ents houl d be r evi s ed fo r clari ty ’s sak e. T h e D istri ct C o u rt ’s w ri tt en jud g m en t, in stati n g that “[ t] h e d ef en d an t’ s t erm of s upervi s ed r el eas e s hal l run i nact i ve i f the def endanti s depor t ed. Shoul d t he defe ndantr e- ent erthe U ni t ed St at es , i tw i l l be cons i der ed vi ol at i on [s i c] of s upervi s ed
r el eas e, ” coul d be r ead i n t w o w ay s . T he fi r s ts ent ence pr ovi des t hatt he s upervi s ed
r el eas e per i od runs i nact i vel yi f A ppel l anti s depor t ed and then pr es um abl yexpi r es aft er t he pr evi ous l ydel i neat ed thr ee- y eart erm of s upervi s ed r el eas e ends . T he s econd s ent ence , how ever , i f r ead i n i s ol at i on, coul d be i nt erpr et ed as s t at i ng t hata r eentr y , no m a tte r h o w f

a r i n to th e f

u tu re it o c c u rs , w o u ld c o n s titu te a v io la tio n o f s u p e rv is e d re le a s e . G i ven thi s ambi gui t y , w e bel i eve i ti s appr opr i at e t o r emand so thatt he D i s t r i ctC our tcan cl ar i fyi t s condi t i on of s upervi s ed r el eas e. Suppor t i ng t hi s deci s i on i s t he fa ctt hatt he
w r i t t en j udgm enti n t hi s cas e i s w or ded i n a manners ubs t ant i al l ys i m i l art o t hatw hi ch
w as found t o cons t i tut e pl ai n err ori n C o le . A ccor di ngl y , w e w i l l vaca t e the cha l l enged c o n d iti o n o f

su p e rv ise d re lea se , an d re m a n d f o r f u rth e r p ro c e e d in g s c o n sis ten t w ith th is opi ni on and ourdeci s i on i n C ol e.