Court Opinion

ID: 9907293
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-12-06 01:00:28.297714+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T09:58:43.118113
License: Public Domain

Case: 22-40787         Document: 00516990917             Page: 1      Date Filed: 12/05/2023

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

                                             FILED
                                      ____________
                                                                                December 5, 2023
                                       No. 22-40787                                   Lyle W. Cayce
                                      ____________                                         Clerk

   United States of America,

                                                                       Plaintiff—Appellee,

                                             versus

   Carlos Javier Zelaya-Guerra,

                                               Defendant—Appellant.
                      ______________________________

                      Appeal from the United States District Court
                          for the Southern District of Texas
                                USDC No. 2:22-CR-98-1
                      ______________________________

   Before Clement, Engelhardt, and Oldham, Circuit Judges.
   Per Curiam: *
          Carlos Javier Zelaya-Guerra appeals the district court’s denial of his
   Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 29(a) motion for judgment of acquittal
   following his conviction for one count of unlawful possession of a firearm and
   ammunition by an undocumented alien, in violation of 18 U.S.C.
   § 922(g)(5)(A). Zelaya-Guerra argues that the district court erred in denying
   his motion for acquittal contending there is insufficient evidence establishing

          _____________________
          *
              This opinion is not designated for publication. See 5th Cir. R. 47.5.
Case: 22-40787       Document: 00516990917          Page: 2    Date Filed: 12/05/2023

                                     No. 22-40787

   that he “knew he was in the country unlawfully” at the time of the offense.
   Rehaif v. United States, 139 S. Ct. 2191, 2200 (2019).
            We review de novo claims regarding the denial of a motion for
   judgment of acquittal, but we afford great deference to the jury verdict.
   United States v. Ragsdale, 426 F.3d 765, 770-71 (5th Cir. 2005). “Moving for
   a judgment of acquittal is considered to be a challenge to the sufficiency of
   the evidence.” United States v. Zamora-Salazar, 860 F.3d 826, 831 (5th Cir.
   2017).
            After “viewing the evidence in the light most favorable to the verdict
   and drawing all reasonable inferences from the evidence to support the
   verdict,” Ragsdale, 426 F.3d at 770-71, we conclude that the evidence,
   including Zelaya-Guerra’s nervous behavior, inconsistent statements, and
   statements evincing his knowledge that his adjustment of status was ongoing
   during the pertinent traffic stop, was sufficient to establish that Zelaya-
   Guerra knew at the time of offense that he was in the country unlawfully. See
   Rehaif, 139 S. Ct. at 2200; see also United States v. Diaz-Carreon, 915 F.2d 951,
   954–55 (5th Cir. 1990). Because the jury verdict was rational based on this
   evidence, the district court did not err by denying the motion for judgment
   of acquittal. See United States v. Frye, 489 F.3d 201, 207 (5th Cir. 2007).
            AFFIRMED.

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