Case Name: UNITED STATES of America, Plaintiff-Appellee v. Estela LERMA-CASTILLO, Defendant-Appellant
Court: United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit
Jurisdiction: United States
Decision Date: 2007-07-27
Citations: 241 F. App'x 214
Docket Number: No. 06-51355
Parties: UNITED STATES of America, Plaintiff-Appellee v. Estela LERMA-CASTILLO, Defendant-Appellant.
Judges: Before JOLLY, DENNIS, and PRADO, Circuit Judges.
Reporter: West's Federal Appendix
Volume: 241
Pages: 214–216

Head Matter:
UNITED STATES of America, Plaintiff-Appellee v. Estela LERMA-CASTILLO, Defendant-Appellant.
No. 06-51355
Summary Calendar.
United States Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit.
July 27, 2007.
Joseph H. Gay, Jr., Assistant U.S. Attorney, U.S. Attorney’s Office, Western District of Texas, San Antonio, TX, for Plaintiff-Appellee.
Andre C. Poissant, El Paso, TX, for Defendanb-Appellant.
Before JOLLY, DENNIS, and PRADO, Circuit Judges.

Opinion:
PER CURIAM:
Estela Lerma-Castillo appeals the 51-month sentence imposed following her convictions for importing, and possessing with intent to distribute, 50 kilograms or more of marijuana, in violation of 21 U.S.C § 841(a)(1), 952(a), and 960(a)(1). Her sentence is within the applicable advisory sentencing guideline range.
Lerma-Castillo does not challenge the guideline range that the district court considered in determining her sentence. She instead argues that the presumption of reasonableness afforded within-Guidelines sentences under United States v. Mares, 402 F.3d 511 (5th Cir.2005), and its progeny, violates United States v. Booker, 543 U.S. 220, 125 S.Ct. 738, 160 L.Ed.2d 621 (2005). Id. at 7-13. This argument is confuted by the Supreme Court's recent decision in Rita v. United States, - U.S. -, 127 S.Ct. 2456, 2462-63, 168 L.Ed.2d 203 (2007), which held that a "court of appeals may apply a presumption of reasonableness to a district court sentence that reflects a proper application of the Sentencing Guidelines."
Lerma-Castillo, who was 62-years-old when sentenced, alternatively argues that her sentence is unreasonable because the district court failed to properly account for her age and lack of criminal history. This court has jurisdiction to "determine whether the district court's imposition of a guideline sentence instead of a non-guideline sentence was reasonable." United States v. Nikonova, 480 F.3d 371, 375 (5th Cir.2007), petition for cert. filed, No. 06-11834 (U.S. May 21, 2007). Lerma-Castillo's criminal history category score under the Sentencing Guidelines reflected her lack of criminal history. The district court expressly stated that it had considered, inter alia, Lerma-Castillo's particular circumstances and the factors of 18 U.S.C. § 3553(a). The district court was not required to provide a more explicit state ment of its § 3558(a) rationale. See Rita, 127 S.Ct. at 2468-69; Mares, 402 F.3d at 519.
Lerma-Castillo's sentence is reasonable, see Booker, 543 U.S. at 262-65, 125 S.Ct. 738; Mares, 402 F.3d at 518-19, and the district court's judgment is AFFIRMED.
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.