Filed: Mar. 12, 2019
Latest Update: Mar. 03, 2020
Summary: Case: 18-40394 Document: 00514869332 Page: 1 Date Filed: 03/12/2019 IN THE UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE FIFTH CIRCUIT United States Court of Appeals Fifth Circuit FILED No. 18-40394 March 12, 2019 Summary Calendar Lyle W. Cayce Clerk UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, Plaintiff-Appellee v. HECTOR MARIO GALINDO, Defendant-Appellant Appeal from the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas USDC No. 5:07-CR-493-2 Before SOUTHWICK, HAYNES, and HO, Circuit Judges. PER CURIAM: *
Summary: Case: 18-40394 Document: 00514869332 Page: 1 Date Filed: 03/12/2019 IN THE UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE FIFTH CIRCUIT United States Court of Appeals Fifth Circuit FILED No. 18-40394 March 12, 2019 Summary Calendar Lyle W. Cayce Clerk UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, Plaintiff-Appellee v. HECTOR MARIO GALINDO, Defendant-Appellant Appeal from the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas USDC No. 5:07-CR-493-2 Before SOUTHWICK, HAYNES, and HO, Circuit Judges. PER CURIAM: * ..
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Case: 18-40394 Document: 00514869332 Page: 1 Date Filed: 03/12/2019
IN THE UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS
FOR THE FIFTH CIRCUIT
United States Court of Appeals
Fifth Circuit
FILED
No. 18-40394 March 12, 2019
Summary Calendar
Lyle W. Cayce
Clerk
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,
Plaintiff-Appellee
v.
HECTOR MARIO GALINDO,
Defendant-Appellant
Appeal from the United States District Court
for the Southern District of Texas
USDC No. 5:07-CR-493-2
Before SOUTHWICK, HAYNES, and HO, Circuit Judges.
PER CURIAM: *
Hector Mario Galindo, federal prisoner # 31028-179, was convicted of one
count of conspiring to possess more than five kilograms of cocaine with intent
to distribute and one charge of knowingly and intentionally possessing a
firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. The district court sentenced
him to serve a below-guidelines term of 150 months on the drug charge, to run
consecutively to 60 months on the firearms charge. Now, he moves for leave to
* 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 R. 47.5, the court has determined that this opinion should not
be published and is not precedent except under the limited circumstances set forth in 5TH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.
Case: 18-40394 Document: 00514869332 Page: 2 Date Filed: 03/12/2019
No. 18-40394
proceed in forma pauperis (IFP) on appeal from the denial of his 18 U.S.C.
§ 3582(c)(2) motion for a reduction of sentence, which invoked Amendment 782
to the Sentencing Guidelines, and for leave to refile his §3582(c) motion. We
will not grant the motion unless he shows that he has an arguable claim and
that his appeal is thus taken in good faith. See Baugh v. Taylor,
117 F.3d 197,
202 (5th Cir. 1997); United States v. Boutwell,
896 F.2d 884, 889-90 (5th Cir.
1990) (one-judge order); Howard v. King,
707 F.2d 215, 220 (5th Cir. 1983).
Although Amendment 782 to the Sentencing Guidelines amended the
drug quantity table set forth in U.S.S.G. § 2D1.1(c), effectively lowering most
drug-related base offense levels by two levels, the district court correctly
determined that Galindo was ineligible for § 3582(c)(2) relief because his 150-
months prison sentence is below the lowest sentence available to him under
the new Guidelines, and his original sentence was not based upon a reduction
for substantial assistance. See U.S.S.G. § 1B1.10(b)(2)(A); United States v.
Contreras,
820 F.3d 773, 775 (5th Cir. 2016) (“[T]he district court . . . cannot
reduce the defendant’s sentence below [the amended guideline range without
considering departures or variances unless] . . . the government moved for a
reduction based on the defendant’s substantial assistance to authorities.”).
Galindo has not shown that his appeal “involves legal points arguable on
their merits (and therefore not frivolous).”
Howard, 707 F.2d at 220 (internal
quotation marks and citations omitted). Accordingly, his motions for leave to
proceed IFP on appeal and to refile his § 3582(c) motion are DENIED, and the
appeal is DISMISSED. See
Baugh, 117 F.3d at 202 n.24; 5TH CIR. R. 42.2.
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