United States v. Ramos ( 2002 )


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  •                  IN THE UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS
    FOR THE FIFTH CIRCUIT
    No. 02-40221
    Summary Calendar
    UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,
    Plaintiff-Appellee,
    versus
    CRUZ RAMOS,
    Defendant-Appellant.
    Appeal from the United States District Court
    for the Southern District of Texas
    (L-01-CR-838-ALL)
    December 3, 2002
    Before BARKSDALE, DEMOSS, and BENAVIDES, Circuit Judges.
    PER CURIAM:*
    Cruz Ramos appeals his guilty-plea conviction for transporting
    undocumented aliens within the United States in violation of 
    8 U.S.C. § 1324
     & 
    18 U.S.C. § 2
    .         Ramos contends: the factual basis
    was insufficient to support his guilty plea; and the district court
    misadvised     him   regarding   the   nature   of    his   plea   because   the
    indictment alleged only that the aliens “entered” the United States
    and that he furthered such violation.                Ramos asserts that the
    *
    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    that this opinion should not be published and is not precedent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.
    factual basis did not support that he assisted the aliens’ entry
    into the   United   States   because    their   entry   had   already   been
    completed at the time he transported them.
    FED. R. CRIM. P. 11(f) requires the district court to ensure
    there is a factual basis for the plea by comparing “(1) the conduct
    to which the defendant admits with (2) the elements of the offense
    charged in the indictment or information” to ensure that the
    defendant’s conduct falls within the charge.            United States v.
    Marek, 
    238 F.3d 310
    , 315 (5th Cir.) (en banc) (citation omitted),
    cert. denied, 
    122 S. Ct. 37
     (2001). Rule 11(c) requires the
    district court to advise the defendant of, and to determine that he
    understands, among other things, “the nature of the charge to which
    the plea is offered[.]”      See FED. R. CRIM. P. 11(c)(1).      Ramos did
    not object to any claimed Rule 11 error. Therefore, his challenges
    are reviewed only for plain error.       See United States v. Vonn, 
    122 S. Ct. 1043
    , 1046 (2002).
    Current law does not support Ramos’ reading of the meaning of
    the term entry and/or entered as it is used in § 1324(a)(1)(A)(ii).
    Therefore, the district court did not commit plain error.               See
    United States v. Calverley, 
    37 F.3d 160
    , 162 (5th Cir.), cert.
    denied, 
    513 U.S. 1196
     (1995)(en banc); United States v. Hull, 
    160 F.3d 265
    , 272 (5th Cir.), cert. denied, 
    526 U.S. 1136
     (1998).
    AFFIRMED.
    2