USA v. Jose Lara-Garcia, No. 15-40108 (5th Cir. 2019)
Annotate this CaseThis opinion or order relates to an opinion or order originally issued on December 5, 2016.
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Case: 15-40108 Document: 00514989382 Page: 1 Date Filed: 06/10/2019 IN THE UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE FIFTH CIRCUIT No. 15-40108 Summary Calendar United States Court of Appeals Fifth Circuit FILED June 10, 2019 Lyle W. Cayce Clerk UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, Plaintiff-Appellee v. JOSE LARA-GARCIA, Defendant-Appellant Appeal from the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas USDC No. 5:14-CR-9-1 Before DAVIS, HAYNES, and GRAVES, Circuit Judges. PER CURIAM: * Jose Lara-Garcia pleaded guilty to illegally reentering the United States after deportation. The district court sentenced him under 8 U.S.C. § 1326(b)(2) based upon the conclusion that his prior Texas conviction for aggravated assault constituted a crime of violence under 18 U.S.C. § 16 and thus, was an aggravated felony under 8 U.S.C. § 1101(a)(43)(F). For the first time on appeal, 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 R. 47.5, the court has determined that this opinion should not be published and is not precedent except under the limited circumstances set forth in 5TH CIR.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: 15-40108 Document: 00514989382 Page: 2 Date Filed: 06/10/2019 No. 15-40108 Lara-Garcia challenges the characterization of his prior conviction as a crime of violence. We review for plain error. See Puckett v. United States, 556 U.S. 129, 135 (2009). To prevail on plain error review, Lara-Garcia must identify (1) a forfeited error (2) that is “clear or obvious, rather than subject to reasonable dispute,” and (3) that affects his substantial rights. Puckett, 556 U.S. at 135. If he does so, we have the discretion to correct the error if it “seriously affect[s] the fairness, integrity or public reputation of judicial proceedings.” Id. (internal quotation marks and citation omitted). The law at the time of appeal governs our plain error appellate review. See Henderson v. United States, 568 U.S. 266, 273 (2013). Our published opinions in United States v. Reyes-Contreras, 910 F.3d 169, 182 (5th Cir. 2018), and United States v. Gomez Gomez, 917 F.3d 332, 33334 (5th Cir. 2019), now make clear that Texas aggravated assault is a crime of violence under § 16(a) and thus, is an aggravated felony for purposes of §§ 1101(a)(43)(F) and 1326(b)(2). See Henderson, 568 U.S. at 273; Puckett, 556 U.S. at 135; In Gomez Gomez, we also rejected the argument made by LaraGarcia that retroactively applying Reyes-Contreras violates due process. See Gomez Gomez, 917 F.3d at 334. The judgment of the district court is AFFIRMED. 2
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