United States v. Trujillo-Gutierrez

Case: 21-50488 Document: 00516116027 Page: 1 Date Filed: 12/03/2021 United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit United States Court of Appeals Fifth Circuit FILED December 3, 2021 No. 21-50488 Lyle W. Cayce Summary Calendar Clerk United States of America, Plaintiff—Appellee, versus Bonifacio Eduardo Trujillo-Gutierrez, Defendant—Appellant. Appeal from the United States District Court for the Western District of Texas No. 4:20-CR-587-1 Before Smith, Stewart, and Graves, Circuit Judges. Per Curiam:* Bonifacio Trujillo-Gutierrez appeals his sentence for illegal reentry after removal in violation of 8 U.S.C. § 1326(a) and (b)(1). For the first time on appeal, Trujillo-Gutierrez contends that the sentence is unconstitutional because his indictment alleged only those facts sufficient for a conviction * Pursuant to 5th Circuit Rule 47.5, the court has determined that this opin- ion should not be published and is not precedent except under the limited circumstances set forth in 5th Circuit Rule 47.5.4. Case: 21-50488 Document: 00516116027 Page: 2 Date Filed: 12/03/2021 No. 21-50488 under § 1326(a) and did not include any allegations of a prior conviction necessary for the § 1326(b)(1) enhancement. Trujillo-Gutierrez concedes that this argument is foreclosed by Almendarez-Torres v. United States, 523 U.S. 224, 226−27 (1998), but seeks to preserve the issue for further review. The government has filed an unop- posed motion for summary affirmance, agreeing that the issue is foreclosed, and in the alternative, a motion for an extension of time to file a brief. As the government says and Trujillo-Gutierrez concedes, the sole issue raised on appeal is foreclosed by Almendarez-Torres. See United States v. Wallace, 759 F.3d 486, 497 (5th Cir. 2014); United States v. Pineda- Arrellano, 492 F.3d 624, 625−26 (5th Cir. 2007). Because the government’s position “is clearly right as a matter of law so that there can be no substantial question as to the outcome of the case,” Groendyke Transp., Inc. v. Davis, 406 F.2d 1158, 1162 (5th Cir. 1969), summary affirmance is proper. Accordingly, the motion for summary affirmance is GRANTED, and the judgment is AFFIRMED. The government’s alternative motion for an extension of time to file a brief is DENIED. 2