Document ID: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-ca5-03-41161/USCOURTS-ca5-03-41161-0/pdf.json

Parties Involved:
Mario Alberto Pena
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that this opinion should not be published and is not precedent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

March 17, 2004

Charles R. Fulbruge III

Clerk

IN THE UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS

FOR THE FIFTH CIRCUIT

 

No. 03-41161

Summary Calendar

 

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,

Plaintiff-Appellee,

versus

MARIO ALBERTO PENA,

Defendant-Appellant.

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

Appeal from the United States District Court

for the Southern District of Texas

USDC No. M-03-CR-276-1

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

Before SMITH, DeMOSS, and STEWART, Circuit Judges.

PER CURIAM:*

Mario Alberto Pena appeals following his guilty-plea

conviction and sentence for being a felon in possession of a

firearm, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(1). Pena challenges

the district court's upward departure on the basis that his

criminal history score under-represented his criminal history. 

Because Pena did not object to the district court's departure at

 Case: 03-41161 Document: 0051552639 Page: 1 Date Filed: 03/17/2004
No. 03-41161

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sentencing, our review is for plain error. See United States v.

Ravitch, 128 F.3d 865, 869 (5th Cir. 1997).

Pena argues that his sentence must be vacated because the

district court failed to state its reasons on the record for

rejecting an intermediate criminal history category before

departing upward from category IV to category VI. He also argues

that his criminal history category IV did not significantly

under-represent his criminal history. The district court held

that a departure was warranted because 1) the criminal history

score did not reflect Pena's likelihood for recidivism; 2) Pena

had an extensive juvenile record for which he received no

criminal history points; and 3) Pena had numerous convictions as

an adult but continued to violate the law in a violent manner. 

We conclude that there is no plain error in the district court's

departure. See United States v. Lambert, 984 F.2d 658, 662-63

(5th Cir. 1993)(en banc); U.S.S.G. § 4A1.3.

Pena also argues for the first time on appeal that the

Government breached the plea agreement because it did not orally

recommend that he be sentenced at the low end of the applicable

guideline range. The terms of Pena's plea agreement and the

Government's recommendation are set forth in the presentence

report, however, and there is no plain error. See United States

v. Reeves, 255 F.3d 208, 210 (5th Cir. 2001). 

AFFIRMED.

 Case: 03-41161 Document: 0051552639 Page: 2 Date Filed: 03/17/2004