Document ID: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-ca5-14-40847/USCOURTS-ca5-14-40847-0/pdf.json

Parties Involved:
Cesar Cardona-Lopez
Appellant
United States of America
Appellee

Document Text:

IN THE UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS

FOR THE FIFTH CIRCUIT

No. 14-40847

Summary Calendar

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,

Plaintiff-Appellee

v.

CESAR CARDONA-LOPEZ,

Defendant-Appellant

Appeal from the United States District Court

for the Southern District of Texas

USDC No. 2:14-CR-51

Before DAVIS, CLEMENT, and COSTA, Circuit Judges.

PER CURIAM:*

Cesar Cardona-Lopez pleaded guilty to two counts of transportation of 

an undocumented alien. He was sentenced to concurrent terms of 21 months 

of imprisonment. He argues that the district court clearly erred in adjusting 

his sentence for transporting aliens in a way that created a substantial risk of 

death or serious bodily injury. Citing United States v. Solis-Garcia, 420 F.3d 

511 (5th Cir. 2005), and United States v. Zuniga-Amezquita, 468 F.3d 886 (5th 

* 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

May 8, 2015

Lyle W. Cayce

Clerk

 

Case: 14-40847 Document: 00513035957 Page: 1 Date Filed: 05/08/2015
No. 14-40847

Cir. 2006), he argues that his passengers had access to oxygen, were protected 

from the weather, could communicate with the driver, and could exit the 

vehicle quickly. Because the danger posed if an accident occurred was no 

greater than a passenger not wearing a seatbelt, Cardona-Lopez asserts, the 

adjustment to his sentence was not warranted. 

This court reviews the district court’s application of the Sentencing 

Guidelines de novo and its findings of fact for clear error. United States v. 

Cuyler, 298 F.3d 387, 389 (5th Cir. 2002). It is undisputed that Cardona-Lopez 

was transporting 14 individuals in a vehicle rated to carry seven passengers 

and that nine of his passengers were unrestrained in the cargo area of the 

minivan. Unlike the defendant in Solis-Garcia, Cardona-Lopez was “carrying 

substantially more passengers than the rated capacity of a motor vehicle.” See

U.S.S.G. § 2L1.1(b)(6), comment. (n.5). Moreover, Cardona-Lopez does not 

dispute that he was speeding on a busy section of Highway 77 while 

transporting the unrestrained passengers. In light of these additional 

aggravating factors, the district court’s application of the § 2L1.1(b)(6) 

adjustment was not erroneous. 

AFFIRMED.

2

Case: 14-40847 Document: 00513035957 Page: 2 Date Filed: 05/08/2015