United States v. Jones

Case: 25-30337 Document: 56-1 Page: 1 Date Filed: 02/11/2026

United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit United States Court of Appeals ____________ Fifth Circuit FILED No. 25-30337 February 11, 2026 Summary Calendar Lyle W. Cayce ____________ Clerk United States of America, Plaintiff—Appellee, versus Mario Dewayne Jones, Jr., Defendant—Appellant. ______________________________ Appeal from the United States District Court for the Western District of Louisiana USDC No. 3:23-CR-276-3 ______________________________ Before Elrod, Chief Judge, and Smith and Stewart, Circuit Judges.

Per Curiam:* Mario Dewayne Jones, Jr., challenges the sentence imposed following his guilty plea conviction for conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute methamphetamine. For the first time on appeal, he argues that the district court erred by failing to apply a minor-role adjustment pursuant to U.S.S.G. § 3B1.2(b). Our review is for plain error only. See United States v. _____________________ * This opinion is not designated for publication. See 5th Cir. R. 47.5.

Case: 25-30337 Document: 56-1 Page: 2 Date Filed: 02/11/2026

No. 25-30337

Rodriguez-Leos, 953 F.3d 320, 324 (5th Cir. 2020). Here, the district court’s decision not to award a minor-role adjustment was “plausible in light of the record as a whole,” especially considering Jones’s admissions in the factual basis and the unrebutted facts in the presentence report that were adopted by the court. United States v. Torres-Hernandez, 843 F.3d 203, 207 (5th Cir. 2016) (internal quotation marks and citation omitted); see United States v. Bello-Sanchez, 872 F.3d 260, 264-65 (5th Cir. 2017); United States v. Caldwell, 448 F.3d 287, 290 (5th Cir. 2006). Accordingly, Jones fails to show reversible error. See Puckett v. United States, 556 U.S. 129, 135 (2009).

We may review a judgment sua sponte for clerical errors and remand for the limited purpose of correcting those errors under Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 36. See United States v. Illies, 805 F.3d 607, 610 (5th Cir. 2015). In this case, the written judgment incorrectly states that Jones was convicted of a conspiracy involving marijuana. The record shows that he was found guilty of conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute methamphetamine. Accordingly, this case is REMANDED to the district court for the limited purpose of correcting the clerical error in the written judgment. See Fed. R. Crim. P. 36. In all other respects, the judgment is AFFIRMED.