Court Opinion

ID: 9954959
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2024-03-27 15:00:53.014357+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T08:15:13.892661
License: Public Domain

Appellate Case: 23-4007     Document: 010111022660         Date Filed: 03/27/2024     Page: 1
                                                                                     FILED
                                                                         United States Court of Appeals
                       UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS                            Tenth Circuit

                              FOR THE TENTH CIRCUIT                             March 27, 2024
                          _________________________________
                                                                            Christopher M. Wolpert
                                                                                Clerk of Court
  UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,

        Plaintiff - Appellee,

  v.                                                            No. 23-4007
                                                     (D.C. No. 2:20-CR-00184-DAK-1)
  SAMUEL SOTO-CAMPOS,                                            (D. Utah)

        Defendant - Appellant.
                       _________________________________

                              ORDER AND JUDGMENT*
                          _________________________________

 Before PHILLIPS, KELLY, and ROSSMAN, Circuit Judges.**
                    _________________________________

        Defendant-Appellant Samuel Soto-Campos pled guilty to possession of

 methamphetamine with intent to distribute, 21 U.S.C. § 841(a)(1), (b)(1)(A)

 (Count I), and reentry of a previously removed alien, 8 U.S.C. § 1326 (Count IV),

 and was sentenced to 132 months’ imprisonment and five years’ supervised release.

 Count I carried a 10-year mandatory minimum sentence of imprisonment. On appeal,

 he argues that the district court erred in not recognizing his eligibility for safety-

        *
          This order and judgment is not binding precedent, except under the doctrines
 of law of the case, res judicata, and collateral estoppel. It may be cited, however, for
 its persuasive value consistent with Fed. R. App. P. 32.1 and 10th Cir. R. 32.1.
        **
          After examining the briefs and appellate record, this panel has determined
 unanimously that oral argument would not materially assist in the determination of
 this appeal. See Fed. R. App. P. 34(a)(2); 10th Cir. R. 34.1(G). The case is therefore
 ordered submitted without oral argument.
Appellate Case: 23-4007     Document: 010111022660          Date Filed: 03/27/2024   Page: 2

 valve relief from the mandatory minimum on Count I. Our jurisdiction arises under

 28 U.S.C. § 1291 and 18 U.S.C. § 3742(a) and we affirm.

        The district court decided that Mr. Soto-Campos was ineligible for safety

 valve relief because he was unable to satisfy all three criminal-history requirements

 listed in 18 U.S.C. §§ 3553(f)(1)(A), (B), and (C).1 We abated his appeal pending the

 Supreme Court’s resolution of Pulsifer v. United States, 601 U.S. __, 2024 WL

 1120879 (2024). The Supreme Court subsequently held that a defendant is eligible

 for safety-valve relief only if he meets all three conditions. Id. at *3. Although Mr.

 Campos could satisfy one of the conditions, specifically § 3553(f)(1)(C), he could not

 satisfy the other conditions, § 3553(f)(1)(A) and (B). Accordingly, the district court

 correctly determined that he was ineligible for the safety valve.

        AFFIRMED.

                                               Entered for the Court

                                               Paul J. Kelly, Jr.
                                               Circuit Judge

        1
          Mr. Soto-Campos also argued that he should have been excused from
 meeting the truthful disclosure requirement of 18 U.S.C. § 3553(f)(5) because the
 government did not provide him with intercepted phone calls and messages. The
 district court did not reach this issue.
                                              2