United States v. Michel-Diaz
United States v. Michel-Diaz
Opinion
IN THE UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE FIFTH CIRCUIT
No. 00-50282 Conference Calendar
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,
Plaintiff-Appellee,
versus
SAUL MICHEL-DIAZ,
Defendant-Appellant.
-------------------- Appeal from the United States District Court for the Western District of Texas USDC No. EP-99-CR-1791-1-H -------------------- December 13, 2000
Before DAVIS, STEWART, and PARKER, Circuit Judges.
PER CURIAM:*
Saul Michel-Diaz (Michel) appeals his sentence for illegal
reentry after deportation. He asserts that the district court
committed reversible error under FED. R. CRIM. P. 34(c)(3)(A) by
failing to verify at sentencing whether Michel had read his
presentence investigation report and discussed it with counsel.
Because the record does not establish that Michel was familiar
with the report, the district court erred in not questioning
Michel about whether he had read the report and discussed it with
* 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 R. 47.5, the court has determined that this opinion should not be published and is not precedent except under the limited circumstances set forth in 5TH CIR.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. No. 00-50282 -2-
counsel. See United States v. Victoria,
877 F.2d 338, 340(5th
Cir. 1989).
Michel contends that this failure is not subject to
harmless-error analysis but requires that his sentence be vacated
and remanded for resentencing. He has not attempted to establish
prejudice, and he does not argue that he did not review the
presentence report or discuss it with counsel. Because the issue
of noncompliance was not raised in the district court, review is
for plain error. United States v. Vasquez,
216 F.3d 456, 458-59(5th Cir. 2000), petition for cert. filed (U.S. Sept. 25, 2000)
(No. 00-6282). Michel has failed to show that the district
court’s failure to ask him on the record whether he had read the
presentence report was plainly erroneous because he has not shown
that the error affected his substantial rights. See United
States v. Calverley,
37 F.3d 160, 162-64(5th Cir. 1994)(en
banc). Michel’s conviction and sentence are therefore AFFIRMED.
Michel and the Government have moved to file supplemental
briefs addressing the applicability of Apprendi v. New Jersey,
120 S. Ct. 2348(2000). He concedes that he is raising this
issue only to preserve for Supreme Court review the question
whether Apprendi overruled Almendarez-Torres v. United States,
523 U.S. 224(1998). This is an attempt to raise a new argument,
which is not the purpose of supplementation on appeal. 5TH CIR.
R. 28.5; FED. R. APP. P. 28(j). Consequently, the motions are
DENIED.
AFFIRMED; MOTIONS DENIED.
Reference
- Status
- Unpublished