USA v. Chairez-Avila, No. 22-50624 (5th Cir. 2023)

Annotate this Case
Download PDF
Case: 22-50624 Document: 00516635723 Page: 1 Date Filed: 02/06/2023 United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit ____________ No. 22-50624 Summary Calendar ____________ United States Court of Appeals Fifth Circuit FILED February 6, 2023 Lyle W. Cayce Clerk United States of America, Plaintiff—Appellee, versus Mario Rodolfo Chairez-Avila, Defendant—Appellant, consolidated with _____________ No. 22-50629 _____________ United States of America, Plaintiff—Appellee, versus Mario Chairez-Avila, Defendant—Appellant. Case: 22-50624 Document: 00516635723 Page: 2 Date Filed: 02/06/2023 No. 22-50624 c/w No. 22-50629 Appeals from the United States District Court for the Western District of Texas USDC Nos. 4:19-CR-31-1, 4:22-CR-87-1 Before Stewart, Dennis, and Willett, Circuit Judges. Per Curiam: * Mario Rodolfo Chairez-Avila appeals his conviction and sentence for illegal reentry into the United States under 8 U.S.C. § 1326(a) and (b)(2), as well as the judgment revoking his term of supervised release for a prior offense. The latter challenge is unbriefed and thus abandoned. See United States v. Reagan, 596 F.3d 251, 254-55 (5th Cir. 2010). For the first time on appeal, Chairez-Avila contends that the recidivism enhancement in § 1326(b) is unconstitutional because it permits a sentence above the otherwise applicable statutory maximum established by § 1326(a) based on facts that are neither alleged in the indictment nor found by a jury beyond a reasonable doubt. Although Chairez-Avila acknowledges that this argument is foreclosed by Almendarez-Torres v. United States, 523 U.S. 224 (1998), he nevertheless seeks to preserve it for possible Supreme Court review and has filed an unopposed motion for summary disposition. Because Chairez-Avila is correct that his argument is foreclosed, see United States v. Pervis, 937 F.3d 546, 553-54 (5th Cir. 2019), summary disposition is appropriate, see Groendyke Transp., Inc. v. Davis, 406 F.2d 1158, 1162 (5th Cir. 1969). Accordingly, Chairez-Avila’s motion is GRANTED, and the district court’s judgments are AFFIRMED. _____________________ * This opinion is not designated for publication. See 5th Cir. R. 47.5. 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.