United States v. Efrain Velasquez-Mercado

EDITH H. JONES, Circuit Judge:

Efrain Velasquez-Mercado appeals his sentence of thirty-six months in prison for bringing undocumented aliens into the United States and illegally transporting them. At issue is whether the district court made sufficient findings to depart upward from the Federal Sentencing Guidelines. Concluding that the district court’s findings of fact are sufficient and its departure is reasonable, we affirm.

BACKGROUND

Velasquez is a Salvadoran national. In January, 1988 he and a codefendant led into this country a large group of undocumented aliens. Velasquez assembled one of…