U.S. v. Corro-Balbuena, CORRO-BALBUEN

• Decision Date: 25 August 1999
• Docket Number: No. 98-20514,D,CORRO-BALBUEN,98-20514
• Citation: 187 F.3d 483
• Parties: (5th Cir. 1999) UNITED STATE OF AMERICA, Plaintiff-Appellee, v. ATENOGENESefendant-Appellant
• Court: U.S. Court of Appeals — Fifth Circuit

Page 483

187 F.3d 483 (5th Cir. 1999)

UNITED STATE OF AMERICA, Plaintiff-Appellee, v. ATENOGENES CORRO-BALBUENA, Defendant-Appellant.

No. 98-20514

UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE FIFTH CIRCUIT

Aug. 25, 1999.

Appeal from the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas

Before WIENER, DeMOSS, and PARKER, Circuit Judges.

DeMOSS, Circuit Judge:

Corro-Balbuena appeals the sentence imposed following his guilty plea to being found present in the United States without permission after deportation, in violation of 8 U.S.C. 1326(a). Corro-Balbuena pleaded guilty and was sentenced, on his own motion and over the government's objection, without a presentence report or formal recommendation from the probation officer. The district court assigned a total of seven criminal history points; five points were assigned for prior convictions, see U.S.S.G. 4A1.1(a)-(c), and two points were assigned because Corro-Balbuena committed the instant 1326 offense while under a criminal justice sentence, see U.S.S.G. 4A1.1(d). The district court overruled Corro-Balbuena's objection to the number of criminal history points assigned. On appeal, Corro-Balbuena challenges only those two criminal history points assigned on the basis of 4A1.1(d). Having reviewed the district court's interpretation of the sentencing guidelines de novo and its application ofthe guidelines to the facts for clear error, see United States v. Cho, 136 F.3d 982, 983 (5th Cir. 1998), we affirm.

BACKGROUND

On October 9, 1991, Corro-Balbuena was convicted in Texas state court on a misdemeanor charge of carrying a weapon, and sentenced to ten days confinement in the Harris County, Texas jail. On October 21, 1991, Corro-Balbuena was deported to Mexico through Brownsville, Texas.

On February 19, 1994, Corro-Balbuena was apprehended in Houston, Texas by immigration service officers assigned to a violent gang task force. On March 2, 1994, Corro-Balbuena was deported to Mexico through Brownsville, Texas.

On March 19, 1994, Corro-Balbuena was once again apprehended in Houston, Texas by immigration service officers assigned to a violent gang task force. On March 30, 1994, Corro-Balbuena was deported to Mexico through Brownsville, Texas.

Sometime between March 1994 and July 1994 Corro-Balbuena, having been previously deported, reentered the United States without obtaining permission to do so from the Attorney General of the United States. On July 11, 1994, Corro-Balbuena was convicted in Texas state court for failure to identify himself to a police officer and driving while intoxicated. Corro-Balbuena was sentenced to ten days confinement on the failure to identify charge. Corro-Balbuena was sentenced to 180 days confinement on the DWI charge, but that sentence was probated to one year probation. On September 15, 1994, while still under a sentence of probation, Corro-Balbuena was deported to Mexico through Brownsville, Texas.

Sometime between September 1994 and March 1995, while he was still under a sentence of probation, Corro-Balbuena once again illegally reentered the United States without obtaining permission from the Attorney General. On February 24, 1995, the state filed a motion to revoke Corro-Balbuena's probation. On March 10, 1995, Corro-Balbuena was arrested in Texas for auto theft. On April 27, 1995, Corro-Balbuena was convicted in Texas state court of auto theft and was sentenced to 140 days confinement.

Corro-Balbuena maintains that he voluntarily returned to Mexico after completing the 140 day sentence, and that he then remained in Mexico until November 1997, when he illegally reentered the United States without permission for at least the fifth time. As of January 29, 1998, Corro-Balbuena was being held in the Harris, County, Texas jail on an unresolved charge that he was driving with a suspended license. That same day, Corro-Balbuena's illegal presence in the United States was discovered by the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS). On January 30, 1998, Corro-Balbuena was found guilty on the charge that he was driving with a suspended license and was sentenced to 45 days confinement and a $100 fine.

In March 1998, the government filed its complaint against Corro-Balbuena for violation of 8 U.S.C. 1326. Corro-Balbuena pleaded guilty to the charge and judgment was entered on June 15, 1998. This appeal ensued.

ANALYSIS

Title 8 U.S.C. 1326(a) provides, in relevant part, that any alien who:

(1)has been denied admission, excluded, deported, or removed or has departed the United States while an order of exclusion, deportation, or removal is outstanding, and thereafter

(2) enters, attempts to enter, or is at any time found in, the United States, unless (A) prior to his reembarkation at a place outside the United States or his application for admission from foreign contiguous territory, the Attorney General has expressly consented to such alien's reapplying for admission; or (B) with respect to an alien previously denied admission and removed, unless such alien shall establish that he was not required to obtain such advance consent under this chapter or any prior Act,

shall be fined or imprisoned or both as set forth in the statutory sections that follow.

Sentencing guideline 4A1.1(d) provides that two points should be added to a defendant's criminal history score "if the defendant committed the instant offense while under any criminal justice sentence, including probation, parole, supervised release, imprisonment, work release, or escape status." Application note 4 to that guideline provides that "[...