US v. Victor Hugo Cruz-Cortez

Filing

UNPUBLISHED PER CURIAM OPINION filed. Originating case number: 3:14-cr-00113-JRS-1 Copies to all parties and the district court/agency. [999631839].. [15-4034]

Appeal: 15-4034

Doc: 29

Filed: 07/31/2015

Pg: 1 of 4

UNPUBLISHED
UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS
FOR THE FOURTH CIRCUIT

No. 15-4034

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,
Plaintiff - Appellee,
v.
VICTOR HUGO CRUZ-CORTEZ,
Defendant - Appellant.

Appeal from the United States District Court for the Eastern
District of Virginia, at Richmond.
James R. Spencer, Senior
District Judge. (3:14-cr-00113-JRS-1)

Submitted:

July 20, 2015

Decided:

July 31, 2015

Before WILKINSON and HARRIS, Circuit Judges, and DAVIS, Senior
Circuit Judge.

Affirmed by unpublished per curiam opinion.

Geremy C. Kamens, Acting Federal Public Defender, Frances H.
Pratt, Valencia D. Roberts, Assistant Federal Public Defenders,
Alexandria, Virginia, for Appellant.
Stephen David Schiller,
Assistant United States Attorney, Richmond, Virginia, for
Appellee.

Unpublished opinions are not binding precedent in this circuit.

Appeal: 15-4034

Doc: 29

Filed: 07/31/2015

Pg: 2 of 4

PER CURIAM:
Victor

Hugo

Cruz-Cortez

(Cruz)

pled

guilty

to

illegal

reentry after having been removed following conviction for an
aggravated felony, in violation of 8 U.S.C. § 1326(a), (b)(2)
(2012),

and

On appeal,

was

counsel

California,

386

meritorious

issues

sentenced
has

U.S.

filed

738

for

to

months’

brief

a

41

pursuant

(1967),

appeal,

stating

but

that

raising

as

imprisonment.
to

Anders

there
an

are

issue

v.
no
for

review whether Cruz’s guilty plea is valid when there is no
recording of the guilty plea hearing.

Cruz was informed of his

right to file a pro se supplemental brief, but he has not done
so.

The Government declined to file a brief.

We affirm.

In this case, the magistrate judge conducted the guilty
plea colloquy pursuant to Fed. R. Crim. P. 11 and recommended
that the district court adopt its acceptance of Cruz’s guilty
plea.

Cruz,

magistrate

however,

judge’s

report

review of this issue.
Schronce,

727

F.2d

believe . . . that

failed
and

to

has

file

objections

therefore

waived

to

the

appellate

Fed. R. Crim. P. 59(b); United States v.
91,

the

93–94

(4th

[Federal

Cir.

1984)

Magistrates]

(“We
Act

do

not

can

be

interpreted to permit a party . . . to ignore his right to file
objections with the district court without imperiling his right
to raise the objections in the circuit court of appeals.”).

2

Appeal: 15-4034

Doc: 29

Filed: 07/31/2015

Pg: 3 of 4

Moreover, the challenge fails on the merits.
failed

to

challenge

the

validity

of

his

guilty

Because Cruz
plea

in

the

district court on the basis he now advances, our review is for
plain error only.

Fed. R. Crim. P. 52(b); Puckett v. United

States, 556 U.S. 129, 134-36 (2009); United States v. Martinez,
277 F.3d 517, 524-27 (4th Cir. 2002).

To establish plain error,

Cruz must demonstrate that an error was made, the error was
plain,

and

the

error

affected

his

substantial

rights.

United States v. Massenburg, 564 F.3d 337, 342-343 (4th Cir.
2009).

In the guilty plea context, a defendant meets his burden

to establish that a plain error affected his substantial rights
by showing a reasonable probability that he would not have pled
guilty but for the Rule 11 omission.

Id.

Although the absence in this case of a recording of the
guilty plea proceeding * constitutes a plain error by the district
court, see 28 U.S.C. § 753(b) (2012); Fed. R. Crim. P. 11(g);
United

States

United States

v.
v.

Hanno,
Gillis,

21

F.3d

42,

773

F.2d

549,

48
554

(4th
(4th

Cir.

1994);

Cir.

1985);

United States v. Gallo, 763 F.2d 1504, 1530 (6th Cir. 1985);
Herron

v.

United

States,

512

F.2d

439,

441

(4th

Cir.

1975)

(per curiam), the error did not affect Cruz’s substantial rights
*

The guilty plea proceeding was recorded, but, as a result
of mechanical problems with the recording, no transcript of the
proceeding is available.

3

Appeal: 15-4034

because

Doc: 29

Cruz

Filed: 07/31/2015

does

not

Pg: 4 of 4

suggest

—

and

the

record

contains

no

indication that — but for the district court’s plain error, Cruz
would not have entered his guilty plea.

Cruz thus fails to

establish plain error rendering his guilty plea invalid.
In

accordance

remainder

of

the

with

Anders,

record

in

meritorious issues for appeal.
court’s judgment.

we

this

also
case

have
and

reviewed

have

the

found

no

We therefore affirm the district

This court requires that counsel inform Cruz,

in writing, of the right to petition the Supreme Court of the
United

States

for

further

review.

If

Cruz

requests

that

a

petition be filed, but counsel believes that such a petition
would be frivolous, then counsel may move in this court for
leave to withdraw from representation.

Counsel’s motion must

state that a copy thereof was served on Cruz.
We dispense with oral argument because the facts and legal
contentions

are

adequately

presented

in

the

materials

before

this court and argument would not aid the decisional process.

AFFIRMED

4