Court Opinion

ID: 9364744
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-01-20 01:00:41.001546+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T17:15:39.843195
License: Public Domain

Case: 22-50101         Document: 00516617315             Page: 1      Date Filed: 01/19/2023

              United States Court of Appeals
                   for the Fifth Circuit
                                      ____________
                                                                                United States Court of Appeals
                                                                                         Fifth Circuit
                                       No. 22-50101
                                     Summary Calendar                                  FILED
                                     ____________                               January 19, 2023
                                                                                  Lyle W. Cayce
   United States of America,                                                           Clerk

                                                                      Plaintiff—Appellee,

                                             versus

   Ludwin Artemio Santizo-Escobedo,

                                               Defendant—Appellant.
                      ______________________________

                      Appeal from the United States District Court
                           for the Western District of Texas
                              USDC No. 2:19-CR-2886-1
                      ______________________________

   Before Higginbotham, Graves, and Ho, Circuit Judges.
   Per Curiam: *
          Ludwin         Artemio      Santizo-Escobedo        appeals     his     90-month
   within-guidelines sentence following his jury trial conviction for assaulting a
   federal officer with a dangerous weapon. He argues first that the district
   court erred in denying him a downward departure under U.S.S.G. § 5K2.12
   for coercion or duress, given the facts of this case. However, as the
   Government correctly argues, we lack jurisdiction to review that denial
          _____________________
          *
              This opinion is not designated for publication. See 5th Cir. R. 47.5.
Case: 22-50101      Document: 00516617315          Page: 2     Date Filed: 01/19/2023

                                    No. 22-50101

   because nothing in the record indicates that the court mistakenly believed
   that it lacked the authority to depart downward. See United States v. Alaniz,
   726 F.3d 586, 627 (5th Cir. 2013).
          Next, Santizo-Escobedo contends that his sentence is greater than
   necessary under 18 U.S.C. § 3553(a) and thus substantively unreasonable.
   We review the substantive reasonableness of his sentence for abuse of
   discretion because he preserved this argument in the district court, and we
   apply a presumption of reasonableness to his within-guidelines sentence. See
   Holguin-Hernandez v. United States, 140 S. Ct. 762, 766-67 (2020); United
   States v. Naidoo, 995 F.3d 367, 382 (5th Cir. 2021). The record reflects that
   the district court considered his history and characteristics at sentencing,
   including his lack of criminal history, and his argument essentially asks us to
   reweigh those factors, which we will not do. See United States v. Martinez,
   921 F.3d 452, 483 (5th Cir. 2019). We have also rejected the argument that
   a sentence under a guidelines provision that is not based on empirical data is
   substantively unreasonable. See United States v. Miller, 665 F.3d 114, 119-21
   (5th Cir. 2011).    Further, as Santizo-Escobedo correctly concedes, his
   argument that we should not apply our usual presumption of reasonableness
   to his within-guidelines sentence is foreclosed.          See United States v.
   Mondragon-Santiago, 564 F.3d 357, 366-67 (5th Cir. 2009). In sum, he has
   not rebutted the presumption that his within-guidelines sentence is
   reasonable. See Naidoo, 995 F.3d at 382.
          AFFIRMED.

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