United States v. Jose Pulido-Mendez ( 2020 )


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  •      Case: 19-50833   Document: 00515375854   Page: 1   Date Filed: 04/08/2020
    IN THE UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS
    FOR THE FIFTH CIRCUIT
    United States Court of Appeals
    Fifth Circuit
    No. 19-50833
    FILED
    April 8, 2020
    Summary Calendar
    Lyle W. Cayce
    Clerk
    UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,
    Plaintiff-Appellee
    v.
    JOSE ARNULFO PULIDO-MENDEZ,
    Defendant-Appellant
    __________________________________________________________________
    Consolidated with No. 19-50834
    UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,
    Plaintiff-Appellee
    v.
    JOSE ARNULFO PULIDO-MENDEZ, also known as Jose Arnulfo P M, also
    known as Jose Arnulfo Pulido, also known as Jose Pulido-Mendez, also known
    as Jose Mendez-Pulido, also known as Jose Arnulfo Mendez-Pulido,
    Defendant-Appellant
    Appeals from the United States District Court
    for the Western District of Texas
    USDC No. 4:18-CR-242-1
    USDC No. 4:19-CR-221-1
    Case: 19-50833      Document: 00515375854         Page: 2    Date Filed: 04/08/2020
    No. 19-50833
    c/w No. 19-50834
    Before WIENER, COSTA, and ENGELHARDT, Circuit Judges.
    PER CURIAM: *
    Jose Arnulfo Pulido-Mendez appeals from a judgment revoking his
    previously-imposed supervised release and a judgment of conviction on his
    guilty plea to illegal reentry, in violation of 
    8 U.S.C. § 1326
    . He argues that
    the enhancement of his sentence based on his prior conviction pursuant to
    § 1326(b)(1), which increased the statutory maximum term of imprisonment to
    10 years and the statutory maximum term of supervised release to three years
    for his new illegal reentry offense, is unconstitutional because his prior
    conviction is treated as a sentencing factor rather than an element of the
    offense that must be alleged in the indictment and found by a jury beyond a
    reasonable doubt. He concedes that the issue is foreclosed by Almendarez-
    Torres v. United States, 
    523 U.S. 224
     (1998), but he seeks to preserve the issue
    for further review. The Government moves for summary affirmance, urging
    that Pulido-Mendez’s argument is foreclosed.
    The parties are correct that Pulido-Mendez’s argument is foreclosed by
    Almendarez-Torres. See United States v. Wallace, 
    759 F.3d 486
    , 497 (5th Cir.
    2014); United States v. Rojas-Luna, 
    522 F.3d 502
    , 505-06 (5th Cir. 2008).
    Accordingly, the Government’s motion for summary affirmance is GRANTED,
    see Groendyke Transp., Inc. v. Davis, 
    406 F.2d 1158
    , 1162 (5th Cir. 1969), the
    Government’s alternative motion for an extension of time to file a brief is
    DENIED, and the judgments of the district court are AFFIRMED.
    * 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.
    2