Filed: Nov. 14, 1995
Latest Update: Mar. 02, 2020
Summary: UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS For the Fifth Circuit _ No. 95-20193 Summary Calendar _ UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, Plaintiff-Appellee, VERSUS MIGUEL ANGEL AGUILAR, Defendant-Appellant. _ Appeal from the United States District Court For the Southern District of Texas (CR-H-94-285-1) _ November 24, 1995 Before DAVIS, BARKSDALE, DeMOSS Circuit Judges. PER CURIAM:1 Aguilar pleaded guilty to conspiracy and possession with intent to distribute cocaine. His sentence includes 135 months' imprisonment and
Summary: UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS For the Fifth Circuit _ No. 95-20193 Summary Calendar _ UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, Plaintiff-Appellee, VERSUS MIGUEL ANGEL AGUILAR, Defendant-Appellant. _ Appeal from the United States District Court For the Southern District of Texas (CR-H-94-285-1) _ November 24, 1995 Before DAVIS, BARKSDALE, DeMOSS Circuit Judges. PER CURIAM:1 Aguilar pleaded guilty to conspiracy and possession with intent to distribute cocaine. His sentence includes 135 months' imprisonment and a..
More
UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS
For the Fifth Circuit
___________________________
No. 95-20193
Summary Calendar
___________________________
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,
Plaintiff-Appellee,
VERSUS
MIGUEL ANGEL AGUILAR,
Defendant-Appellant.
___________________________________________________
Appeal from the United States District Court
For the Southern District of Texas
(CR-H-94-285-1)
____________________________________________________
November 24, 1995
Before DAVIS, BARKSDALE, DeMOSS Circuit Judges.
PER CURIAM:1
Aguilar pleaded guilty to conspiracy and possession with
intent to distribute cocaine. His sentence includes 135 months'
imprisonment and a fine of $10,000 to be taken only from 50% of his
prison earnings.
Aguilar appeals the fine portion of his sentence on the ground
that the fine is indeterminate and contingent upon his prison
earnings. He also asserts that the district court erred by
modifying his sentence when he was not present. We find both
1
Local Rule 47.5 provides: "The publication of opinions
that have no precedential value and merely decide particular
cases on the basis of well-settled principles of law imposes
needless expense on the public and burdens on the legal
profession." Pursuant to that Rule, the Court has determined
that this opinion should not be published.
arguments to be without merit and AFFIRM.
At the sentencing hearing, the district court found that
although Aguilar did not have the present ability to pay a fine, he
could pay a fine if he worked in prison. Accordingly, the district
court ordered Aguilar to pay 50 percent of his prison earnings as
a fine.
Aguilar correctly notes that the district court did not state
a determined fine amount at the sentencing hearing. However, in
its written judgment, the district court corrected its error
pursuant to Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 35(c) and imposed a
fine of "50% of monthly prison earnings while incarcerated, not to
exceed $5,000 per Count ($10,000 total)."
As a result of the district court's correction, the fine is
sufficiently determinate. It is limited to $10,000 which can be
taken only from 50% of Aguilar's prison earnings. If 50% of his
prison earnings over the course of 135 months is less than $10,000,
that is all he must pay. Any remaining indeterminacy works only in
Aguilar's favor because it excuses him from having to pay the
balance of the $10,000 upon his release.
Next Aguilar argues that because there is a discrepancy
between the written judgment and the oral pronouncement of
sentence, the oral sentence must prevail. This, he argues, makes
the sentence indeterminate and contingent and requires us to vacate
the sentence and remand it to the district court. This argument is
without merit and ignores the fact that the rule that oral
pronouncements of a sentence prevail over written judgments only
applies to situations where the two actually conflict. Chapman v.
2
United States,
289 F.2d 539, 544 (5th Cir. 1961); United States v.
Daddino,
5 F.3d 262, 266 (7th Cir. 1993). Where, as in the instant
case, the written judgment clarifies the oral pronouncement rather
than conflicting with it, the written judgment will be upheld.
Finally, Aguilar argues that even if this court finds that the
district court corrected its error in the subsequent written
judgment, the case should still be remanded for resentencing so
that he will be afforded his right to be present during sentencing.
See United States v. Behrens,
375 U.S. 162, 165 (1963). However,
we find that Aguilar's presence at the time of the district court's
correction was not required because the modification of the
sentence did not make the sentence more onerous. See United States
v. Moree,
928 F.2d 654, 655-56 (5th Cir. 1991). The district
court's written judgment placed a limit on how much Aguilar would
have to pay. A fine of $10,000 taken only from 50% of Aguilar's
prison earnings is not more onerous than the fine of 50% of all
prison earnings which was imposed while Aguilar was present. For
these reasons, the judgment of the district court is AFFIRMED.
3