Document ID: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-ca5-03-40245/USCOURTS-ca5-03-40245-0/pdf.json

Parties Involved:
David Garcia-Juarez
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that this opinion should not be published and is not precedent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.

United States Court of Appeals

Fifth Circuit

FILED

April 7, 2004

Charles R. Fulbruge III

Clerk

IN THE UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS

FOR THE FIFTH CIRCUIT

 

No. 03-40245

Summary Calendar

 

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

Plaintiff - Appellee

v.

DAVID GARCIA-JUAREZ

Defendant - Appellant

--------------------

Appeal from the United States District Court

for the Southern District of Texas

USDC No. L-02-CR-1138-ALL

--------------------

Before KING, Chief Judge, and HIGGINBOTHAM and WIENER, Circuit

Judges.

PER CURIAM:*

David Garcia-Juarez appeals from his conviction of illegal

reentry following deportation. Garcia contends, for the first

time on appeal, that his sentence violated the relevant statutory

maximum of 8 U.S.C. § 1326(a) and that the district court erred

by imposing the 16-level crime-of-violence adjustment of U.S.S.G.

§ 2L1.2(b)(1)(A)(ii) because he was not actually convicted of

assault with a deadly weapon in Minnesota in 2000. He also

contends, for the first time on appeal, that the “felony” and

 Case: 03-40245 Document: 0051506389 Page: 1 Date Filed: 04/07/2004
No. 03-40245

-2-

“aggravated felony” provisions of 8 U.S.C. § 1326(b) are

unconstitutional in light of Apprendi v. New Jersey, 530 U.S. 466

(2000). 

A sentence that exceeds the statutory maximum is illegal and

constitutes plain error. United States v. Sias, 227 F.3d 244,

246 (5th Cir. 2000). Garcia was deported before his scheduled

sentencing date in Minnesota, and he has never been sentenced on

his Minnesota guilty plea. He was never formally adjudicated

guilty in Minnesota. See State v. Hoelzel, 639 N.W.2d 605, 609

(Minn. 2002). Garcia was not convicted in Minnesota for federal

immigration law purposes. See Moosa v. INS, 171 F.3d 994, 1001-

02 (5th Cir. 1999). As the government concedes, the district

court therefore erred by imposing the 16-level adjustment and by

sentencing Garcia to more than two years’ imprisonment. Because

the district court erred by sentencing Garcia under the

“aggravated felony” provision of 8 U.S.C. § 1326(b), we do not

reach the issue, raised for the first time on appeal, of the

constitutionality of 8 U.S.C. § 1326(b).

VACATED AND REMANDED.

 Case: 03-40245 Document: 0051506389 Page: 2 Date Filed: 04/07/2004