Document ID: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-ca5-14-51226/USCOURTS-ca5-14-51226-0/pdf.json

Parties Involved:
Porfirio Lopez-Vences
Appellant
United States of America
Appellee

Document Text:

IN THE UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS

FOR THE FIFTH CIRCUIT

No. 14-51226

Summary Calendar

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,

Plaintiff-Appellee

v.

PORFIRIO LOPEZ-VENCES,

Defendant-Appellant

Appeal from the United States District Court

for the Western District of Texas

USDC No. 1:14-CR-267

Before ELROD, SOUTHWICK, and GRAVES, Circuit Judges.

PER CURIAM:*

Porfirio Lopez-Vences (Lopez), who was convicted of one count of illegal 

reentry, appeals his within-guidelines sentence of 24 months of imprisonment. 

This court reviews the substantive reasonableness of a sentence for an abuse 

of discretion. Gall v. United States, 552 U.S. 38, 51 (2007). “A discretionary 

sentence imposed within a properly calculated guidelines range is 

presumptively reasonable.” United States v. Campos-Maldonado, 531 F.3d 

 

* 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

August 5, 2015

Lyle W. Cayce

Clerk

 Case: 14-51226 Document: 00513142128 Page: 1 Date Filed: 08/05/2015
No. 14-51226

2

337, 338 (5th Cir. 2008). However, to the extent that Lopez failed to object to 

his sentence in the district court, this court reviews for plain error only. See 

United States v. Peltier, 505 F.3d 389, 391-92 (5th Cir. 2007).

We have rejected the arguments that U.S.S.G. § 2L1.2 improperly double 

counts prior convictions and that it lacks an empirical basis. United States v. 

Duarte, 569 F.3d 528, 529-31 (5th Cir. 2009). This court has also rejected 

substantive reasonableness challenges based on the alleged lack of seriousness 

of illegal reentry. United States v. Juarez-Duarte, 513 F.3d 204, 212 (5th Cir. 

2008); United States v. Aguirre-Villa, 460 F.3d 681, 683 (5th Cir. 2006). The 

district court sentenced Lopez within the guidelines range after listening to his 

mitigating arguments, and the “sentencing judge is in a superior position to 

find facts and judge their import under [18 U.S.C.] § 3553(a) with respect to a 

particular defendant.” United States v. Campos-Maldonado, 531 F.3d 337, 339 

(5th Cir. 2008). In short, Lopez has failed to show that the district court 

committed any error, plain or otherwise.

AFFIRMED.

 Case: 14-51226 Document: 00513142128 Page: 2 Date Filed: 08/05/2015