Filed: Jul. 11, 2007
Latest Update: Feb. 21, 2020
Summary: F I L E D United States Court of Appeals Tenth Circuit UNITED STATES CO URT O F APPEALS July 11, 2007 TENTH CIRCUIT Elisabeth A. Shumaker Clerk of Court U N ITED STA TES O F A M ER ICA, Plaintiff-Appellee, No. 06-4182 v. (D. Utah) M ARK JOHN PYPER, (D.C. No. 2:05-CR-385-DB) Defendant-Appellant. OR D ER AND JUDGM ENT * Before KELLY, M U RPH Y, and O'BRIEN, Circuit Judges. After examining the briefs and appellate record, this panel has determined unanimously that oral argument would not materially
Summary: F I L E D United States Court of Appeals Tenth Circuit UNITED STATES CO URT O F APPEALS July 11, 2007 TENTH CIRCUIT Elisabeth A. Shumaker Clerk of Court U N ITED STA TES O F A M ER ICA, Plaintiff-Appellee, No. 06-4182 v. (D. Utah) M ARK JOHN PYPER, (D.C. No. 2:05-CR-385-DB) Defendant-Appellant. OR D ER AND JUDGM ENT * Before KELLY, M U RPH Y, and O'BRIEN, Circuit Judges. After examining the briefs and appellate record, this panel has determined unanimously that oral argument would not materially ..
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F I L E D
United States Court of Appeals
Tenth Circuit
UNITED STATES CO URT O F APPEALS
July 11, 2007
TENTH CIRCUIT Elisabeth A. Shumaker
Clerk of Court
U N ITED STA TES O F A M ER ICA,
Plaintiff-Appellee, No. 06-4182
v. (D. Utah)
M ARK JOHN PYPER, (D.C. No. 2:05-CR-385-DB)
Defendant-Appellant.
OR D ER AND JUDGM ENT *
Before KELLY, M U RPH Y, and O'BRIEN, Circuit Judges.
After examining the briefs and appellate record, this panel has determined
unanimously that oral argument would not materially assist 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.
M ark John Pyper pleaded guilty to manufacturing or attempting to
manufacture fifty grams or more of methamphetamine in violation of
21 U.S.C. § 841(a), (b)(1)(A)(viii). Pyper’s properly calculated advisory
*
This order and judgment is not binding precedent except under the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.
sentencing guideline range was 151 to 188 months. On the government’s Federal
Rule of Criminal Procedure 35(b) motion, however, the district court reduced
Pyper’s offense level by three levels, resulting in an advisory sentencing range of
108 to 135 months. The district court sentenced Pyper to 108 months’
imprisonment. In so doing, the district court, after analyzing the factors set out in
18 U.S.C. § 3553(a), specifically rejected Pyper’s request for a further downward
adjustment to his offense level or a below-guidelines-range sentencing variance.
Pyper’s counsel has filed a brief pursuant to Anders v. California,
386 U.S.
738 (1967), advising the court that Pyper’s appeal is wholly frivolous.
Accordingly, counsel also seeks permission to withdraw. In particular, counsel
notes a review of the plea colloquy clearly demonstrates Pyper’s guilty plea was
knowing and voluntary. Furthermore, counsel indicates the district court utilized
sentencing procedures and arrived at a sentence that complies with both the
procedural and substantive requirements of United States v. Booker,
543 U.S. 220
(2005).
Under Anders, counsel may “request permission to withdraw where counsel
conscientiously examines a case and determines that any appeal would be wholly
frivolous.” United States v. Calderon,
428 F.3d 928, 930 (10th Cir. 2005).
Counsel is required to submit an “appellate brief indicating any potential
appealable issues.”
Id. Once notified of counsel’s brief, the defendant may then
submit additional arguments to this court.
Id. W e “must then conduct a full
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examination of the record to determine whether defendant’s claims are wholly
frivolous.”
Id.
Pyper was given notice of the Anders brief and counsel’s motion to
withdraw, but did not file a brief of his own. The government likewise declined
to file a brief. Instead, it filed a letter notifying the court that, as part of his plea
agreement, Pyper specifically waived his right to file an appeal from any sentence
within a properly calculated advisory guidelines range. 1 Our resolution of the
case is, therefore, based on counsel’s Anders brief, the government’s letter in
response, and this court’s independent review of the record.
In United States v. Hahn,
359 F.3d 1315, 1325 (10th Cir. 2004) (en banc),
this court held it would enforce appeal waivers as long as three conditions were
met: (1) the matter on appeal falls within the scope of the waiver; (2) the
defendant-appellant knowingly and voluntarily waived his appellate rights; and
(3) enforcing the waiver will not result in a miscarriage of justice. Pursuant to
our obligation under Anders, this court has undertaken a searching review of the
record in this case. That review unequivocally demonstrates that the Hahn factors
favor enforcing Pyper’s waiver of appellate rights. Accordingly, this court
1
This court notes that the interests of judicial economy would have been
better served had the government filed a timely motion, pursuant to 10th Cir. R.
27.2(A)(i)(d), to enforce the appeal waiver, rather than waiting to provide such
notification only after counsel filed her Anders brief and motion to withdraw.
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GR ANTS counsel’s motion to withdraw and DISM ISSES the appeal on the basis
of Hahn.
ENTERED FOR THE COURT
M ichael R. M urphy
Circuit Judge
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