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United States v. Cazaco, 06-8079 (2007)

Court: Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit Number: 06-8079 Visitors: 10
Filed: Jun. 26, 2007
Latest Update: Feb. 12, 2020
Summary: UNPUBLISHED UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE FOURTH CIRCUIT No. 06-8079 UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, Plaintiff - Appellee, versus LEONEL ROMEO CAZACO, a/k/a Jimmy Fingers, a/k/a Frank Nisbett, a/k/a James Romeo Nelson, a/k/a Phil, a/k/a Pod Supervisor Scott, Defendant - Appellant. Appeal from the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, at Richmond. Robert E. Payne, District Judge. (3:96-cr-0066-REP; 3:06-cv-00729-REP) Submitted: June 21, 2007 Decided: June 26, 2007
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                             UNPUBLISHED

                   UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS
                       FOR THE FOURTH CIRCUIT


                             No. 06-8079



UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,

                                               Plaintiff - Appellee,

          versus


LEONEL ROMEO CAZACO, a/k/a Jimmy Fingers,
a/k/a Frank Nisbett, a/k/a James Romeo Nelson,
a/k/a Phil, a/k/a Pod Supervisor Scott,

                                            Defendant - Appellant.


Appeal from the United States District Court for the Eastern
District of Virginia, at Richmond.    Robert E. Payne, District
Judge. (3:96-cr-0066-REP; 3:06-cv-00729-REP)


Submitted:   June 21, 2007                 Decided:   June 26, 2007


Before NIEMEYER, WILLIAMS, and SHEDD, Circuit Judges.


Dismissed by unpublished per curiam opinion.


Leonel Romeo Cazaco, Appellant Pro Se. Stephen Wiley Miller, David
John Novak, OFFICE OF THE UNITED STATES ATTORNEY, Richmond,
Virginia, for Appellee.


Unpublished opinions are not binding precedent in this circuit.
PER CURIAM:

           Leonel Romeo Cazaco seeks to appeal the district court’s

orders treating his Fed. R. Civ. P. 60(b) motions as successive 28

U.S.C. § 2255 (2000) motions, and dismissing them on that basis.

The orders are not appealable unless a circuit justice or judge

issues a certificate of appealability.         28 U.S.C. § 2253(c)(1)

(2000); Reid v. Angelone, 
369 F.3d 363
, 369 (4th Cir. 2004).               A

certificate of appealability will not issue absent “a substantial

showing of the denial of a constitutional right.”               28 U.S.C.

§   2253(c)(2)   (2000).   A   prisoner   satisfies    this   standard    by

demonstrating    that   reasonable   jurists   would     find   that     any

assessment of the constitutional claims by the district court is

debatable or wrong and that any dispositive procedural ruling by

the district court is likewise debatable.      Miller-El v. Cockrell,

537 U.S. 322
, 336-38 (2003); Slack v. McDaniel, 
529 U.S. 473
, 484

(2000); Rose v. Lee, 
252 F.3d 676
, 683-84 (4th Cir. 2001).        We have

independently reviewed the record and conclude that Cazaco has not

made the requisite showing.     Accordingly, we deny a certificate of

appealability and dismiss the appeal.

           Additionally, we construe Cazaco’s notice of appeal and

informal brief as an application to file a second or successive

motion under 28 U.S.C. § 2255.       United States v. Winestock, 
340 F.3d 200
, 208 (4th Cir. 2003).    In order to obtain authorization to

file a successive § 2255 motion, a prisoner must assert claims


                                 - 2 -
based on either: (1) a new rule of constitutional law, previously

unavailable, made retroactive by the Supreme Court to cases on

collateral review; or (2) newly discovered evidence, not previously

discoverable      by   due   diligence,   that   would   be    sufficient   to

establish    by    clear     and   convincing    evidence     that,   but   for

constitutional error, no reasonable factfinder would have found the

movant guilty of the offense.             28 U.S.C. §§ 2244(b)(2), 2255

(2000).   Cazaco’s claims do not satisfy either of these criteria.

Therefore, we deny authorization to file a successive § 2255

motion.

            We dispense with oral argument because the facts and

legal contentions are adequately presented in the materials before

the court and argument would not aid the decisional process.



                                                                      DISMISSED




                                     - 3 -

Source:  CourtListener

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