Case Name: UNITED STATES of America, Plaintiff-Appellee v. Francisco TORRES-LOPEZ, also known as Francisco Javier Torres-Lopez, Defendant-Appellant
Court: United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit
Jurisdiction: United States
Decision Date: 2010-04-23
Citations: 375 F. App'x 425
Docket Number: No. 09-50647
Parties: UNITED STATES of America, Plaintiff-Appellee v. Francisco TORRES-LOPEZ, also known as Francisco Javier Torres-Lopez, Defendant-Appellant.
Judges: Before SMITH, PRADO, and HAYNES, Circuit Judges.
Reporter: West's Federal Appendix
Volume: 375
Pages: 425–426

Head Matter:
UNITED STATES of America, Plaintiff-Appellee v. Francisco TORRES-LOPEZ, also known as Francisco Javier Torres-Lopez, Defendant-Appellant.
No. 09-50647
Conference Calendar.
United States Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit.
April 23, 2010.
Joseph H. Gay, Jr., Assistant U.S. Attorney, U.S. Attorney’s Office, San Antonio, TX, for Plaintiff-Appellee.
Alfred Van Sumpter, Law Office of Alfred V. Sumpter, Del Rio, TX, for Defendant-Appellant.
Francisco Torres-Lopez, Lexington, KY, pro se.
Before SMITH, PRADO, and HAYNES, Circuit Judges.

Opinion:
PER CURIAM:
The attorney appointed to represent Francisco Torres-Lopez has moved for leave to withdraw and has filed a brief in accordance with Anders v. California, 386 U.S. 738, 87 S.Ct. 1396, 18 L.Ed.2d 493 (1967). Torres-Lopez has filed a response. The record is insufficiently developed to allow consideration at this time of Torres-Lopez's claims of ineffective assistance of counsel; such claims generally "cannot be resolved on direct appeal when [they have] not been raised before the district court since no opportunity existed to develop the record on the merits of the allegations." United States v. Cantwell, 470 F.3d 1087, 1091 (5th Cir.2006) (internal quotation marks and citation omitted). Our independent review of the record, counsel's brief, and Torres-Lopez's response discloses no nonfrivolous issue for appeal. Accordingly, counsel's motion for leave to withdraw is GRANTED, counsel is excused from further responsibilities herein, and the APPEAL IS DISMISSED. See 5th Cir. R. 42.2. Torres-Lopez's motion to strike counsel's brief and for the appointment of new counsel is DENIED. Cf. United States v. Wagner, 158 F.3d 901, 902-03 (5th Cir.1998). His motion for leave to file a supplemental brief is GRANTED.
Pursuant to 5th Cir R. 47.5, the court has determined that this opinion should not be published and is not precedent except under the limited circumstances set forth in 5th Cir R. 47.5.4.