U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, 2020

United States v. Jose Fernandez-Vargas

United States v. Jose Fernandez-Vargas
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit · Decided June 25, 2020

United States v. Jose Fernandez-Vargas

Opinion

Case: 19-11142 Document: 00515466998 Page: 1 Date Filed: 06/25/2020

IN THE UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE FIFTH CIRCUIT United States Court of Appeals Fifth Circuit FILED No. 19-11142 June 25, 2020 Summary Calendar Lyle W. Cayce Clerk UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, Plaintiff-Appellee v. JOSE HILARIO FERNANDEZ-VARGAS, Defendant-Appellant

Appeal from the United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas USDC No. 3:18-CR-621-1

Before CLEMENT, ELROD, and OLDHAM, Circuit Judges.

PER CURIAM: * Jose Hilario Fernandez-Vargas appeals his 48-month, within guidelines range sentence for illegal reentry by a deported alien. Fernandez-Vargas contends that his sentence violates the Fifth and Sixth Amendments insofar as he was sentenced beyond the two-year maximum statutory sentence of 8 U.S.C. § 1326(a) based on a prior felony conviction that was not listed in the indictment, admitted by him, or found by a jury beyond a reasonable doubt.

* 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 R. 47.5, the court has determined that this opinion should not be published and is not precedent except under the limited circumstances set forth in 5TH CIR.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.

Case: 19-11142 Document: 00515466998 Page: 2 Date Filed: 06/25/2020

No. 19-11142 He concedes that this issue is foreclosed by Almendarez-Torres v. United States, 523 U.S. 224 (1998), but he seeks to preserve the issue for future review.

The Government moves for summary affirmance or, alternatively, for an extension of time in which to file a merits brief.

The parties are correct that Fernandez-Vargas’s argument is clearly foreclosed by Almendarez-Torres. See United States v. Pineda-Arrellano, 492 F.3d 624, 625 (5th Cir. 2007); United States v. Wallace, 759 F.3d 486, 497 (5th Cir. 2014); see generally Groendyke Transp., Inc. v. Davis, 406 F.2d 1158, 1162 (5th Cir. 1969). Accordingly, the Government’s motion for summary affirmance is GRANTED. The Government’s alternative motion for an extension of time is DENIED. The judgment is AFFIRMED.

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