Opinion ID: 173724
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Verdugo's Pomona Admission

Text: Verdugo argues that the court should have suppressed the statement that he made when he was arrested because the government failed to prove that he was advised of his Miranda rights before he made the statement. He also faults the court for failing to investigate whether his statement was voluntarily made. Neither argument has merit. Verdugo's first argument challenges the district court's decision to credit the testimony of Agents Naylor and Cardello, who both claimed during the suppression hearing that Verdugo waived his Miranda rights and agreed to speak with them when he was arrested. This argument challenges a credibility assessment made by the district court and such matters are reviewed only for clear error. United States v. Andrade, 551 F.3d 103, 109 (1st Cir.2008). Verdugo cannot possibly succeed under this deferential standard, because the district court had ample evidentiary support for its determination that Verdugo was advised of his Miranda rights. Verdugo's second argument fares no better. The court had no reason to make specific findings on the issue of voluntariness because Verdugo based his suppression argument solely on the agents' alleged failure to administer Miranda warnings. In any event, the only evidence in the record that in any way supports Verdugo's contention that his statement was involuntary comes from his own testimony, which the district court reasonably found to be incredible. Thus, the district court did not err in refusing to suppress Verdugo's Pomona admission.