Court Opinion

ID: 2645159
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2013-12-06 21:06:43.878041+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T09:04:07.173832
License: Public Domain

FILED
                            NOT FOR PUBLICATION                             DEC 06 2013

                                                                         MOLLY C. DWYER, CLERK
                     UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS                       U.S. COURT OF APPEALS

                             FOR THE NINTH CIRCUIT

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,                        No. 13-50246

               Plaintiff - Appellee,             D.C. No. 3:12-cr-05197-LAB

  v.
                                                 MEMORANDUM*
RAFAEL ESQUIVEL-CASTANEDA,

               Defendant - Appellant.

                    Appeal from the United States District Court
                      for the Southern District of California
                     Larry A. Burns, District Judge, Presiding

                           Submitted November 19, 2013**

Before:        CANBY, TROTT, and THOMAS, Circuit Judges.

       Rafael Esquivel-Castaneda appeals from the district court’s judgment and

challenges the 12-month sentence imposed following his guilty-plea conviction for

bringing in illegal aliens without presentation and aiding and abetting, in violation

          *
             This disposition is not appropriate for publication and is not precedent
except as provided by 9th Cir. R. 36-3.
          **
             The panel unanimously concludes this case is suitable for decision
without oral argument. See Fed. R. App. P. 34(a)(2).
of 8 U.S.C. § 1324(a)(2)(B)(iii) and 18 U.S.C. § 2. We have jurisdiction under 28

U.S.C. § 1291, and we affirm.

      Esquivel-Castaneda contends that the district court erred by imposing a two-

level increase for using a minor to commit the crime under U.S.S.G. § 3B1.4. We

review for clear error. See United States v. Preciado, 506 F.3d 808, 810 (9th Cir.

2007) (per curiam). The district court did not clearly err in finding that

Esquivel-Castaneda affirmatively used his children in his crime. See id. (evidence

that defendant “brought children along to a previously planned crime supports a

finding that the minors were used to avoid detection”).

      AFFIRMED.

                                           2                                 13-50246