Document ID: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-ca5-14-10334/USCOURTS-ca5-14-10334-0/pdf.json

Parties Involved:
Vicente Salas
Appellant
United States of America
Appellee

Document Text:

IN THE UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS

FOR THE FIFTH CIRCUIT

No. 14-10334

Summary Calendar

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,

Plaintiff−Appellee,

versus

VICENTE SALAS,

Defendant−Appellant.

Appeal from the United States District Court

for the Northern District of Texas

No. 3:13-CR-296-1

Before SMITH, WIENER, and ELROD, Circuit Judges.

PER CURIAM:*

Vicente Salas appeals the 48-month sentence imposed on his conviction

of illegal reentry after deportation. Salas challenges the 12-level enhancement 

applied pursuant to U.S.S.G. § 2L1.2(b)(1)(A)(iii) based on his conviction of a 

firearms offense. He contends that the district court erred by relying on 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.

United States Court of Appeals

Fifth Circuit

FILED

March 31, 2015

Lyle W. Cayce

Clerk

 

Case: 14-10334 Document: 00512987118 Page: 1 Date Filed: 03/31/2015
No. 14-10334

presentence report’s characterization of the conviction as a firearms offense.

Because Salas failed to object to the enhancement in the district court, 

we review for plain error. See United States v. Chavez-Hernandez, 671 F.3d 

494, 497 (5th Cir. 2012). On appeal, the government supplemented the record 

with copies of Salas’s indictment, deferred adjudication order, and judicial confession from Salas’s Texas conviction of possession of a short-barrel firearm. 

We examine state-court documents that have been added as a supplement to 

the record in determining whether the enhancement was properly applied. 

United States v. Vargas-Soto, 700 F.3d 180, 183 (5th Cir. 2012). 

Under § 2L1.2(b)(1)(A)(iii), a defendant receives a 12-level enhancement 

for a firearms offense that is not assessed criminal history points. As relevant 

here, the commentary defines “firearms offense” as “[a]n offense under federal, 

state, or local law that prohibits the possession of a firearm described in 

26 U.S.C. § 5845(a).” § 2L1.2, comment. (n.1(B)(v)(II)). Under § 5845(a), the 

definition of a “firearm” includes a shotgun having a barrel or barrels under 

18 inches in length. § 5845(a)(1). 

Salas’s state-court indictment and the judicial confession show that the 

firearm was a shotgun with a barrel length of less than 18 inches. Because 

Salas was convicted of possessing a shotgun with a barrel length of less than 

18 inches, there is no clear or obvious error in the application of the enhancement, so the district court did not plainly err. See United States v. Diaz-Diaz, 

327 F.3d 410, 414−15 (5th Cir. 2003). 

AFFIRMED.

2

Case: 14-10334 Document: 00512987118 Page: 2 Date Filed: 03/31/2015