Court Opinion

ID: 9393729
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-05-11 00:00:31.349328+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T17:18:55.164922
License: Public Domain

Case: 22-10706         Document: 00516746170             Page: 1      Date Filed: 05/10/2023

              United States Court of Appeals
                   for the Fifth Circuit
                                      ____________
                                                                                United States Court of Appeals
                                                                                         Fifth Circuit
                                       No. 22-10706
                                     Summary Calendar                                   FILED
                                     ____________                                     May 10, 2023
                                                                                  Lyle W. Cayce
   United States of America,                                                           Clerk

                                                                       Plaintiff—Appellee,

                                             versus

   Arturo Perez,

                                               Defendant—Appellant.
                      ______________________________

                      Appeal from the United States District Court
                          for the Northern District of Texas
                               USDC No. 3:12-CR-133-1
                      ______________________________

   Before King, Higginson, and Willett, Circuit Judges.
   Per Curiam: *
          Arturo Perez, federal prisoner #44470-177, appeals the denial of his
   motion for compassionate release under 18 U.S.C. § 3582(c)(1)(A)(i). With
   the assistance of the Federal Public Defender, Perez argues that the district
   court abused its discretion by justifying its denial of relief on the basis that he
   had successfully recovered from a prior COVID-19 infection and had been

          _____________________
          *
              This opinion is not designated for publication. See 5th Cir. R. 47.5.
Case: 22-10706     Document: 00516746170           Page: 2    Date Filed: 05/10/2023

                                    No. 22-10706

   vaccinated. He further argues that the district court abused its discretion by
   adopting a “blanket rule” that the availability of COVID-19 vaccines and
   therapeutics precluded a finding that health risks associated with COVID-
   19 infections constituted extraordinary and compelling reasons warranting
   compassionate release.
          We review the denial of a motion for compassionate release for abuse
   of discretion. United States v. Chambliss, 948 F.3d 691, 693 (5th Cir. 2020).
   Contrary to Perez’s contentions, the district court properly considered his
   recovery from an asymptomatic COVID-19 infection, as well as the
   availability of vaccines and therapeutics, when determining whether he
   presented extraordinary and compelling reasons warranting release. See
   United States v. Rodriguez, 27 F.4th 1097, 1099-1101 & n.2 (5th Cir. 2022);
   United States v. Thompson, 984 F.3d 431, 433-35 (5th Cir. 2021). Additionally,
   the district court did not adopt a blanket rule but rather considered these
   factors along with other individualized factors pertaining to Perez.
          Perez has failed to show that the district court abused its discretion in
   denying his motion for compassionate release. See Chambliss, 948 F.3d at 693.
   Accordingly, the judgment of the district court is AFFIRMED.

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