Ortega-Rodriguez v. United States, 507 U.S. 234, 5 (1993)

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238

ORTEGA-RODRIGUEZ v. UNITED STATES

Opinion of the Court

Reform Act of 1984, 18 U. S. C. § 3551 et seq., the District Court imposed a prison sentence of 21 months, to be served after the completion of the sentence on the cocaine offenses and to be followed by a 3-year term of supervised release.5

While petitioner was under indictment after his arrest, the Court of Appeals disposed of his two codefendants' appeals. The court affirmed one conviction, but reversed the other because the evidence was insufficient to establish guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.6 Also after petitioner was taken into custody, his attorney filed a "motion to vacate sentence and for resentencing," as well as a motion for judgment of acquittal. The District Court denied the latter but granted the former, vacating the judgment previously entered on the cocaine convictions.7 The District Court then resentenced

"(iv) a misdemeanor, a fine under this chapter or imprisonment for not more than one year, or both; and

"(B) if the person was released for appearance as a material witness, a fine under this chapter or imprisonment for not more than one year, or both.

"(2) A term of imprisonment imposed under this section shall be consecutive to the sentence of imprisonment for any other offense.

"(c) Affirmative Defense.—It is an affirmative defense to a prosecution under this section that uncontrollable circumstances prevented the person from appearing or surrendering, and that the person did not contribute to the creation of such circumstances in reckless disregard of the requirement to appear or surrender, and that the person appeared or surrendered as soon as such circumstances ceased to exist."

5 App. 58-63.

6 United States v. Mieres-Borges, 919 F. 2d 652 (CA11 1990), cert. denied, 499 U. S. 980 (1991). The difference in dispositions is explained by a post-arrest statement admitted against only one defendant, 919 F. 2d., at 660- 661, though the dissenting judge viewed the evidence as insufficient as to both appealing defendants, id., at 663-664. Petitioner represents that he is situated identically to the codefendant whose conviction was reversed, with nothing in the record that would support a distinction between their cases. The Government does not take issue with that representation, but maintains that the evidence is sufficient to support all three convictions. Brief for United States 28, n. 7.

7 App. 10.

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