United States v. Marrufo-Gutierrez
United States v. Marrufo-Gutierrez
Opinion of the Court
ON REMAND FROM THE UNITED STATES SUPREME COURT
This matter is before us on remand from the United States Supreme Court for reconsideration in light of its recent opinion in United States v. Booker.
I. BACKGROUND
Marrufo-Gutierrez pled guilty to and was convicted of being in the United States unlawfully following deportation, in violation of 8 U.S.C. § 1326. This offense carries a maximum penalty of two years’ imprisonment and one year of supervised release. Marrufo-Gutierrez had a prior conviction for illegal reentry, which under § 1326(b)(1) triggered an increase in the statutory maximum term of imprisonment and supervised release. It also resulted in a four-level enhancement to the Guidelines offense level, which, combined with Marrufo-Gutierrez’s criminal history score, produced a Guidelines sentencing range of 21 to 27 months. The district court imposed a sentence of 27 months’ imprisonment to be followed by three years’ supervised release. Marrufo-Gutierrez objected to the sentence on the ground that it exceeded the statutory maximum, which objection the district court overruled.
Marrufo-Gutierrez appealed his conviction and sentence, arguing that because the indictment did not state a § 1326(b)(1) offense because it did not allege a prior conviction, his sentence exceeded the statutory maximum in violation of the Constitution. In the alternative he challenged the constitutional validity of § 1326(b)(1). In his brief on appeal Marrufo-Gutierrez acknowledged that his arguments were foreclosed by precedent, but raised them only to preserve them for possible review
II. DISCUSSION
A. Standard of Review
Marrufo-Gutierrez raised his Booker claim for the first time in his supplemental petition for certiorari. Therefore, we will not review his Booker claim absent “extraordinary circumstances.”
Under plain error review, we will not remand for resentencing unless there is “(1) error, (2) that is plain, and (3) that affects substantial rights.”
B. Merits
In his supplemental letter brief, Marrufo-Gutierrez concedes that “the district court imposed [a] sentence at the top of [the Guidelines] range, and it gave no indication that it would have given a lower sentence in an advisory system.” He further acknowledges that he cannot satisfy the plain error standard we articulated in Mares, but expresses his disagreement with that decision in order to preserve a challenge for possible Supreme Court review. Mares is the settled law of this circuit and we may revisit it only en banc or following a Supreme Court decision that effectively overturns it.
As there exist no extraordinary circumstances or other grounds for relief, Marrufo-Gutierrez’s sentence is AFFIRMED. The Government’s motion to reinstate our prior affirmance is DENIED as moot.
Pursuant to 5th Cir. R. 47.5, the court has determined that this opinion should not be published and is not precedent except under the limited circumstances set forth in 5th Cir. R. 47.5.4.
. 543 U.S. 220, 125 S.Ct. 738, 160 L.Ed.2d 621 (2005).
. United States v. Marrufo-Gutierrez, 110 Fed. Appx. 432 (5th Cir. 2004) (unpublished opinion).
. United States v. Taylor, 409 F.3d 675, 676 (5th Cir. 2005).
. Id.
. Id.
. United States v. Cotton, 535 U.S. 625, 631, 122 S.Ct. 1781, 152 L.Ed.2d 860 (2002).
. Id.
. United States v. Mares, 402 F.3d 511, 521 (5th Cir. 2005).
. Id. (quoting United States v. Dominguez Benitez, 542 U.S. 74, 124 S.Ct. 2333, 159 L.Ed.2d 157 (2004)).
. Id. at 522.
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.