Opinion ID: 173724
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Fernández

Text: The only suppression issue that Fernández pursues on appeal is his claim that the district court improperly refused to suppress his statement to Arnold at the Charlton Police Barracks. First, he contends that the court should have excluded his statement because the government failed to prove during the suppression hearing that Fernández affirmatively waived his Miranda rights before responding to agents' questions. Next, he claims that the court violated his right to due process by failing to rule on his motion to suppress until the third day of trial. We address each argument in turn.
Fernández does not take issue with the district court's findings that Arnold read Fernández his Miranda rights and that Fernández understood his rights, nor does he dispute the court's determination that the record contains no evidence that the [d]efendant's decision to answer... questions was influenced by intimidation, coercion, or deception[ ] ... Fernández-Roque, 2008 WL 2148750, at . Instead, he rests his argument entirely on the fact that the government did not prove at the suppression hearing that Fernández affirmatively waived his Miranda rights before he responded to questions. The problem with this argument is that it fails to take account of the fact that the court relied on Arnold's trial testimony that Fernández affirmatively waived his Miranda rights when it ultimately upheld its decision to admit Fernández's statement. Fernández-Roque, 2008 WL 2845044, at . Because Fernández does not challenge the district court's decision to rely on trial testimony to fill what Fernández claims is a gap in the suppression hearing record, he is in no position to argue that suppression is required because of the claimed gap. [2]
Fernández also presents an unconvincing claim that the district court committed reversible error in failing to rule on his motion to suppress before trial. Because Fernández raises this claim for the first time on appeal, we review it for plain error. United States v. Rodriguez-Lozada, 558 F.3d 29, 38 (1st Cir.2009). To satisfy the plain error standard, Fernández must show an error that was plain (i.e., obvious and clear under current law), prejudicial (i.e., affected the outcome of the district court proceedings), and that seriously impaired the fairness, integrity, or public reputation of the judicial proceedings. United States v. Rivera Calderon, 578 F.3d 78, 95 (1st Cir.2009), cert. denied, ___ U.S. ___, 130 S.Ct. 1107, ___ L.Ed.2d ___ (2010) (quoting United States v. Griffin, 524 F.3d 71, 76 (1st Cir. 2008)). Although Fernández points to the fact that Fed.R.Crim.P. 12(d) ordinarily requires a motion to suppress to be resolved before trial, he cites no case law to support his claim that a delayed suppression ruling can give rise to a due process violation. This failure alone has doomed other claims that were subject to plain error review. See, e.g., United States v. Marcano, 525 F.3d 72, 74 (1st Cir.2008); United States v. Caraballo-Rodriguez, 480 F.3d 62, 70 (1st Cir.2007). Moreover, Fernández has failed to present a persuasive argument that he was prejudiced by the timing of the court's suppression ruling. Without evidence of prejudice, Fernández simply cannot succeed on a claim that is subject to plain error review. See United States v. Perez-Cruz, 558 F.3d 50, 53 (1st Cir.2009), cert. denied, ___ U.S. ___, 130 S.Ct. 183, 175 L.Ed.2d 115 (2009).