Court Opinion

ID: 9925669
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2024-01-22 19:00:41.236921+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T09:21:24.195775
License: Public Domain

Case: 22-40825         Document: 00517039548             Page: 1      Date Filed: 01/22/2024

              United States Court of Appeals
                   for the Fifth Circuit
                                      ____________                               United States Court of Appeals
                                                                                          Fifth Circuit

                                       No. 22-40825
                                                                                        FILED
                                                                                 January 22, 2024
                                     Summary Calendar
                                     ____________                                     Lyle W. Cayce
                                                                                           Clerk
   United States of America,

                                                                       Plaintiff—Appellee,

                                             versus

   Amos Sifuentes,

                                               Defendant—Appellant.
                      ______________________________

                      Appeal from the United States District Court
                          for the Southern District of Texas
                               USDC No. 1:22-CR-231-1
                      ______________________________

   Before Elrod, Oldham, and Wilson, Circuit Judges.
   Per Curiam:*
          Amos Sifuentes appeals the 70-month sentence imposed following his
   guilty plea conviction for the smuggling of goods from the United States to
   Mexico. He argues the district court erred in applying a base offense level of
   26 under U.S.S.G. § 2M5.2(a)(1) based on its finding that the offense did not
   involve “only (A) non-fully automatic small arms (rifles, handguns, or

          _____________________
          *
              This opinion is not designated for publication. See 5th Cir. R. 47.5.
Case: 22-40825      Document: 00517039548           Page: 2    Date Filed: 01/22/2024

                                     No. 22-40825

   shotguns), and the number of weapons did not exceed two, (B) ammunition
   for non-fully automatic small arms, and the number of rounds did not exceed
   500, or (C) both.” § 2M5.2(a)(2). Because he raised this argument in the
   district court, we review the district court’s application of the Guidelines
   de novo and its fact findings for clear error. United States v. Gomez-Alvarez,
   781 F.3d 787, 791 (5th Cir. 2015). “There is no clear error where the district
   court’s finding is plausible in light of the record as a whole.” United States v.
   Rico, 864 F.3d 381, 383 (5th Cir. 2017).
          The offense involved one 9-millimeter Glock pistol, 100 rounds of 9-
   millimeter ammunition, and four magazines, which were component parts
   that were prohibited items under 18 U.S.C. § 554, the export law at issue
   here. See United States v. Gonzalez, 792 F.3d 534, 537–39 (5th Cir. 2015)
   (holding that empty magazines for firearms meet the definition of “firearm
   components” under the statute). Because the offense involved a firearm,
   ammunition, and three additional component parts, the district court did not
   clearly err in finding that the offense did not fall within § 2M5.2(a)(2). See
   Gonzalez, 792 F.3d at 537-39; see also United States v. Diaz-Gomez, 680 F.3d
   477, 479–81 (5th Cir. 2012). Therefore, the district court did not err in
   applying a base offense level of 26 under § 2M5.2(a)(1).
          Sifuentes also filed motions to stay and to remand the case to the
   district court, challenging the validity of the amended indictment. In his
   reply brief, Sifuentes concedes that he waived this issue by entering an
   unconditional guilty plea. Accordingly, Sifuentes’s motions are DENIED
   as moot.
          AFFIRMED.

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