Filed: Oct. 24, 2006
Latest Update: Feb. 21, 2020
Summary: United States Court of Appeals Fifth Circuit F I L E D IN THE UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE FIFTH CIRCUIT October 24, 2006 Charles R. Fulbruge III Clerk No. 06-40227 Summary Calendar UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, Plaintiff-Appellee, versus ELIO GUERRERO-DELGADO, also known as Elio Delgado, also known as Aurelio Garcia-Lopez, Defendant-Appellant. - Appeal from the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas USDC No. 1:05-CR-853 - Before SMITH, WIENER, and OWEN, Circuit Ju
Summary: United States Court of Appeals Fifth Circuit F I L E D IN THE UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE FIFTH CIRCUIT October 24, 2006 Charles R. Fulbruge III Clerk No. 06-40227 Summary Calendar UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, Plaintiff-Appellee, versus ELIO GUERRERO-DELGADO, also known as Elio Delgado, also known as Aurelio Garcia-Lopez, Defendant-Appellant. - Appeal from the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas USDC No. 1:05-CR-853 - Before SMITH, WIENER, and OWEN, Circuit Jud..
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United States Court of Appeals
Fifth Circuit
F I L E D
IN THE UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS
FOR THE FIFTH CIRCUIT October 24, 2006
Charles R. Fulbruge III
Clerk
No. 06-40227
Summary Calendar
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,
Plaintiff-Appellee,
versus
ELIO GUERRERO-DELGADO, also known as Elio Delgado, also
known as Aurelio Garcia-Lopez,
Defendant-Appellant.
--------------------
Appeal from the United States District Court
for the Southern District of Texas
USDC No. 1:05-CR-853
--------------------
Before SMITH, WIENER, and OWEN, Circuit Judges.
PER CURIAM:*
Elio Guerrero-Delgado (“Guerrero”) appeals his guilty-plea
conviction and sentence for violating 8 U.S.C. § 1326(a) and
(b) by re-entering the United States without permission after
having been convicted of an aggravated felony and deported.
For the first time on appeal, Guerrero argues that the
district court erred by enhancing his sentence pursuant to
*
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this opinion should not be published and is not precedent except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.
No. 06-40227
-2-
§ 2L1.2(b)(1)(A)(ii) (2004) based on its determination that his
1995 conviction under TEX. PENAL CODE § 21.11(a)(1) for indecency
with a child was a crime of violence. In United States v.
Zavala-Sustaita,
214 F.3d 601, 604 (5th Cir. 2000), this court
held that the victim of a § 21.11(a)(2) offense, “‘a child
younger than 17 years,’ is clearly a ‘minor.’” It also held
that a violation of § 21.11(a)(2) was “sexual abuse of a minor”
as that term is used in its “ordinary, contemporary, [and]
common” meaning.”
Id. at 604-05. Although Guerrero was
convicted under § 21.11(a)(1), the language in § 21.11(a)
addressing the age of a victim applies to both subsections
(a)(1) and (a)(2), and the Zavala-Sustaita court’s holding is
therefore dispositive of this case. See § 21.11(a). In
addition, although Zavala-Sustaita involved an enhancement
imposed under a previous version of § 2L1.2, its reasoning
remains sound law and is applicable here. See United States
v. Izaguirre-Flores,
405 F.3d 270, 273-75 (5th Cir.) (quoting
Zavala-Sustaita, 214 F.3d at 604), cert. denied,
126 S. Ct. 253
(2005). Guerrero has not shown error, plain or otherwise.
United States v. Cotton,
535 U.S. 625, 631-32 (2005).
Guerrero also challenges the constitutionality of
§ 1326(b)’s treatment of prior felony and aggravated felony
convictions as sentencing factors rather than elements of the
No. 06-40227
-3-
offense that must be found by a jury, in light of Apprendi v.
New Jersey,
530 U.S. 466 (2000). The Government disagrees and
further asserts that Guerrero lacks standing to challenge the
constitutionality of § 1326(b).
Because Guerrero would be entitled to a lesser sentence if
his constitutional challenge were successful, he has standing.
See Henderson v. Stalder,
287 F.3d 374, 380 (5th Cir. 2002).
However, Guerrero’s constitutional challenge is foreclosed by
Almendarez-Torres v. United States,
523 U.S. 224, 235 (1998).
Although he contends that Almendarez-Torres was incorrectly
decided and that a majority of the Supreme Court would overrule
Almendarez-Torres in light of Apprendi, we have repeatedly
rejected such arguments on the basis that Almendarez-Torres
remains binding. See United States v. Garza-Lopez,
410 F.3d
268, 276 (5th Cir.), cert. denied,
126 S. Ct. 298 (2005).
Guerrero properly concedes that his argument is foreclosed in
light of Almendarez-Torres and circuit precedent, but he raises
it here to preserve it for further review.
The judgment of the district court is AFFIRMED.