Document ID: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-ca5-09-10538/USCOURTS-ca5-09-10538-0/pdf.json

Parties Involved:
Ernesto Hernandez-Perez
Appellant
United States of America
Appellee

Document Text:

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.

IN THE UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS

FOR THE FIFTH CIRCUIT

No. 09-10538

Summary Calendar

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,

Plaintiff-Appellee

v.

ERNESTO HERNANDEZ-PEREZ,

Defendant-Appellant

Appeal from the United States District Court

for the Northern District of Texas

USDC No. 1:08-CR-72-1

Before JOLLY, WIENER, and ELROD, Circuit Judges.

PER CURIAM:*

Defendant-Appellant Ernesto Hernandez-Perez appeals his 24-month

sentence for transporting illegal aliens for financial gain. The district court

enhanced the sentence pursuant to U.S.S.G. § 2L1.1(b)(6) after it determined

that Hernandez-Perez intentionally or recklessly created a substantial risk of

death or serious bodily injury to the aliens he transported. Hernandez-Perez

contends that the circumstances of his offense do not warrant the sentence

enhancement. 

United States Court of Appeals

Fifth Circuit

F I L E D

February 18, 2010

Charles R. Fulbruge III

Clerk

 Case: 09-10538 Document: 00511029816 Page: 1 Date Filed: 02/18/2010
No. 09-10538

2

We review a district court’s interpretation of the Guidelines de novo and

reviews its factual findings for clear error. See United States v. Solis-Garcia, 420

F.3d 511, 514 (5th Cir. 2005). It is undisputed that Hernandez-Perez

transported fifteen persons in a vehicle rated to carry seven passengers and that

thirteen of his passengers lacked safety restraints and were “lying on top of each

other” in the vehicle’s rear compartment. As the commentary to § 2L1.1 gives

“carrying substantially more passengers than the rated capacity of a motor

vehicle or vessel” as an example of reckless conduct that would support a

sentence enhancement under that Guideline, we perceive no error in HernandezPerez’s sentence. See § 2L1.1, comment. (n.5). 

AFFIRMED.

 Case: 09-10538 Document: 00511029816 Page: 2 Date Filed: 02/18/2010