United States v. 2020-10-29 | 19-50302 | USA V. GIOVANNY OCHOA | nonprecedential | memorandum disposition |

NOT FOR PUBLICATION

UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS

FOR THE NINTH CIRCUIT

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,

Plaintiff-Appellee,

v.

GIOVANNY OCHOA, AKA Blackie, AKA
Giovanni Ochoa, AKA Speedy, AKA
Sporty,

Defendant-Appellant.

No. 19-50302

D.C. No. 2:17-cr-00122-SJO-1

MEMORANDUM
*

Appeal from the United States District Court
for the Central District of California
S. James Otero, District Judge, Presiding

Submitted October 26, 2020
**

Before: McKEOWN, RAWLINSON, and FRIEDLAND, Circuit Judges.

Giovanny Ochoa appeals from the district court’s judgment and challenges
his guilty-plea conviction and 240-month sentence for conspiracy to distribute
methamphetamine, in violation of 21 U.S.C. §§ 841(a)(1), (b)(1)(A)(viii), and 846.

*
This disposition is not appropriate for publication and is not precedent
except as provided by Ninth Circuit Rule 36-3.

**
The panel unanimously concludes this case is suitable for decision
without oral argument. See Fed. R. App. P. 34(a)(2).
FILED

OCT 29 2020

MOLLY C. DWYER, CLERK
U.S. COURT OF APPEALS

2 19-50302
Pursuant to Anders v. California, 386 U.S. 738 (1967), Ochoa’s counsel has filed a
brief stating that there are no grounds for relief, along with a motion to withdraw
as counsel of record. We have provided Ochoa the opportunity to file a pro se
supplemental brief. No pro se supplemental brief or answering brief has been
filed.
Ochoa waived his right to appeal his conviction, with the exception of an
appeal based on a claim that his plea was involuntary. He also waived the right to
appeal most aspects of his sentence, provided the sentence imposed did not exceed
360 months. Our independent review of the record pursuant to Penson v. Ohio,
488 U.S. 75, 80 (1988), discloses no arguable grounds for relief as to the
voluntariness of Ochoa’s plea or any sentencing issues that fall outside the scope of
the appeal waiver. We, therefore, affirm as to those issues. Having found no
arguable issue as to the enforceability of the appeal waiver, we dismiss the
remainder of the appeal. See United States v. Watson, 582 F.3d 974, 988 (9th Cir.
2009).
Under the terms of the plea agreement, the government should have moved
at sentencing to dismiss the 21 U.S.C. § 851 Information filed on September 29,
2017. After this appeal was filed, the government moved for, and received, an
indicative ruling from the district court that, if this case were remanded, the court

3 19-50302
would grant the government’s motion to dismiss the Information. Accordingly, we
remand to permit the government to move to dismiss the § 851 Information.
Upon remand, the district court is directed to strike from supervised release
condition no. 7 in the written judgment the following language, which was not part
of the oral pronouncement: “and may not display any signs or gestures that
defendant knows evidence affiliation with the 18th Street Gang.” See United
States v. Hernandez, 795 F.3d 1159, 1169 (9th Cir. 2015) (remanding for the
district court to make the written judgment consistent with the unambiguous oral
pronouncement of sentence).
Counsel’s motion to withdraw is GRANTED.
AFFIRMED in part; DISMISSED in part; REMANDED with
instructions.