USA v. Edilberto Zelaya, No. 10-20111 (5th Cir. 2010)

Annotate this Case
Download PDF
Case: 10-20111 Document: 00511234388 Page: 1 Date Filed: 09/15/2010 IN THE UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS United States Court of Appeals FOR THE FIFTH CIRCUIT Fifth Circuit FILED No. 10-20111 Summary Calendar September 15, 2010 Lyle W. Cayce Clerk UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, Plaintiff - Appellee v. EDILBERTO AYESTAS ZELAYA, also known as Ediberto Isae Ayestas, also known as Edilberto Isae Ayestas Zelaya, also known as Edilberto Ayesta, also known as Edilberto Isae Ayestas-Zelaya, also known as Edilberto AyestasZelaya, Defendant - Appellant Appeal from the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas USDC No. 4:09-CR-268-1 Before DAVIS, SMITH, and SOUTHWICK, Circuit Judges. PER CURIAM:* Edilberto Ayestas Zelaya pled guilty to illegal reentry following deportation after conviction of an aggravated felony, in violation of 8 U.S.C. §§ 1326(a), (b)(1), and was sentenced to twenty-three months in prison. Ayestas Zelaya appeals his sentence, arguing that the district court erred when it increased his offense level by eight levels pursuant to U.S.S.G. § 2L1.2(b)(1)(C). * 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 R. 47.5, the court has determined that this opinion should not be published and is not precedent except under the limited circumstances set forth in 5TH CIR .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: 10-20111 Document: 00511234388 Page: 2 No. 10-20111 Date Filed: 09/15/2010 Ayestas Zelaya argues his second state conviction for simple possession did not constitute an aggravated felony but concedes that his argument is foreclosed by United States v. Cepeda-Rios, 530 F.3d 333, 335-36 (5th Cir. 2008). After Ayestas Zelaya filed his brief, however, the Supreme Court held in an immigration proceeding that when a defendant has been convicted of a simple possession offense that has not been enhanced based on the fact of a prior conviction, he has not been convicted under [8 U.S.C.] § 1229b(a)(3) of a felony punishable as such under the Controlled Substances Act. Carachuri-Rosendo v. Holder, 130 S. Ct. 2577, 2589 (2010). The Supreme Court noted that [t]he mere possibility that the defendant s conduct, coupled with facts outside of the record of conviction, could have authorized a felony conviction under federal law is insufficient . . . . Id. Ayestas Zelaya now moves, without opposition, to vacate and remand for resentencing. IT IS ORDERED that, in light of Carachuri-Rosendo, Ayestas Zelaya s motion to vacate his sentence and to remand his case to the district court for resentencing is GRANTED. The motion to issue the mandate forthwith is also GRANTED. 2

Some case metadata and case summaries were written with the help of AI, which can produce inaccuracies. You should read the full case before relying on it for legal research purposes.

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.