Court Opinion

ID: 2774248
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2015-01-28 21:00:45.931106+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T11:50:25.320323
License: Public Domain

NOT FOR PUBLICATION                         FILED
                     UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS                       JAN 28 2015
                                                                      MOLLY C. DWYER, CLERK
                                                                       U.S. COURT OF APPEALS
                             FOR THE NINTH CIRCUIT

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,                        No. 14-50171

             Plaintiff - Appellee,               D.C. No. 3:13-cr-03587-DMS

   v.
                                                 MEMORANDUM*
MARLENI DEL CARMEN
ARANA-CHAVARRIA,

             Defendant - Appellant.

                     Appeal from the United States District Court
                        for the Southern District of California
                      Dana M. Sabraw, District Judge, Presiding

                             Submitted January 21, 2015**

Before:       CANBY, GOULD, and N.R. SMITH, Circuit Judges.

        Marleni Del Carmen Arana-Chavarria appeals from the district court’s

judgment and challenges the 60-month sentence imposed following her guilty-plea

conviction for importation of methamphetamine, in violation of 21 U.S.C. §§ 952

        *
             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).
and 960. We have jurisdiction under 28 U.S.C. § 1291, and we affirm.

      Arana-Chavarria contends that the district court erred by failing to compare

her culpability to that of other participants in the drug smuggling organization when

it denied her a minor role adjustment under U.S.S.G. § 3B1.2(b). We review de

novo the district court's interpretation of the guidelines and for clear error the district

court’s factual determination that a defendant is not a minor participant. See United

States v. Hurtado, 760 F.3d 1065, 1068 (9th Cir. 2014). Contrary to

Arana-Chavarria’s contention, the record reflects that the court properly considered

Arana-Chavarria’s culpability relative to that of the average participant. See

U.S.S.G. § 3B1.2 cmt. n.3(A). Further, in light of the totality of the circumstances,

the district court did not clearly err in determining that Arana-Chavarria failed to

prove that she was entitled to the adjustment. See id. § 3B1.2 cmt. n.3(C); Hurtado,
760 F.3d at 1069.

      AFFIRMED.

                                            2                                      14-50171