Court Opinion

ID: 9882149
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-10-05 16:00:46.276028+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T15:00:39.617972
License: Public Domain

United States Court of Appeals
                             For the Eighth Circuit
                         ___________________________

                                 No. 23-1440
                         ___________________________

                              United States of America

                         lllllllllllllllllllllPlaintiff - Appellee

                                            v.

                                     Jose Ruiz, Jr.

                       lllllllllllllllllllllDefendant - Appellant
                                       ____________

                     Appeal from United States District Court
                     for the Southern District of Iowa - Eastern
                                   ____________

                          Submitted: September 28, 2023
                             Filed: October 5, 2023
                                 [Unpublished]
                                 ____________

Before LOKEN, SHEPHERD, and GRASZ, Circuit Judges.
                          ____________

PER CURIAM.

       Jose Ruiz, Jr. appeals after he pleaded guilty to possessing with the intent to
distribute controlled substances pursuant to a plea agreement that includes an appeal
waiver. Because he was on supervised release for two prior offenses when he
committed the offense, the district court1 held a combined sentencing and revocation
hearing, during which it revoked Ruiz’s terms of supervised release, and imposed
consecutive sentences for the instant offense and the supervised-release revocations.
His counsel has moved to withdraw, and has filed a brief under Anders v. California,
386 U.S. 738 (1967), raising challenges to the validity of Ruiz’s plea and the sentence
imposed for the instant offense. Ruiz has filed a supplemental pro se brief, raising
similar challenges to his plea and also challenging his revocation sentences.

      As to Ruiz’s new criminal conviction, to the extent that he is challenging the
voluntariness of his guilty plea, we conclude that he is precluded from making this
argument on appeal, as he did not move to withdraw his plea in the district court,
even after he was given the opportunity to do so. See United States v. Harrison, 37
F.4th 495, 500 (8th Cir. 2022). While the original plea agreement notified Ruiz of
the incorrect mandatory minimum term of supervised release, Ruiz agreed to an
amended plea agreement on the record. See United States v. Greatwalker, 285 F.3d
727, 730 (8th Cir. 2002). We enforce the appeal waiver as to the sentencing
challenge raised by counsel. See United States v. Scott, 627 F.3d 702, 704 (8th Cir.
2010); United States v. Andis, 333 F.3d 886, 889-92 (8th Cir. 2003) (en banc).

       We also conclude the district court did not err in imposing the revocation
sentences, as the record reflects that the court properly considered the appropriate
sentencing factors. See United States v. Beckwith, 57 F.4th 630, 632 (8th Cir. 2023)
(per curiam). While Ruiz argues that one of his revocation sentences exceeds the
statutory maximum revocation prison term if combined with his prior revocation
sentences, that argument is foreclosed by this court’s precedent. See United States
v. Lewis, 519 F.3d 822, 824-25 (8th Cir. 2008).

      1
        The Honorable Stephanie M. Rose, Chief Judge, United States District Court
for the Southern District of Iowa.

                                         -2-
       To the extent Ruiz raises an ineffective-assistance-of-counsel claim, we decline
to review such a claim on direct appeal. See United States v. Wohlman, 651 F.3d
878, 887 (8th Cir. 2011).

       We have also independently reviewed the record under Penson v. Ohio, 488
U.S. 75 (1988), and have found no non-frivolous issues for appeal outside the scope
of the appeal waiver. Accordingly, we grant counsel’s motion to withdraw, we affirm
the revocation sentences, and we dismiss the remainder of the appeal.
                       ______________________________

                                         -3-