USA v. Veliz

United States Court of Appeals
for the Fifth Circuit
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No. 25-40503
Summary Calendar
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United States of America,

Plaintiff—Appellee,

versus

Salma Galilea Veliz,

Defendant—Appellant.
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Appeal from the United States District Court
for the Southern District of Texas
USDC No. 5:24-CR-1526-1
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Before Haynes, Graves, and Ramirez, Circuit Judges.
Per Curiam:
*

A jury convicted Salma Galilea Veliz of conspiracy to transport an
alien within the United States for financial gain, transporting an alien within
the United States for financial gain, and bringing an alien to the United States
for financial gain. On appeal, Veliz argues that the district court erred when
it improperly limited defense counsel’s cross-examination of a witness (the

*
This opinion is not designated for publication. See 5th Cir. R. 47.5.
United States Court of Appeals
Fifth Circuit
FILED
August 14, 2026

Lyle W. Cayce
Clerk
Case: 25-40503 Document: 61-1 Page: 1 Date Filed: 08/14/2026

No. 25-40503
2
smuggled alien’s mother) and failed to give the jury a cautionary instruction
about accomplice testimony.
Veliz has not shown any abuse of discretion in the limitation on cross-
examination. See United States v. Davis, 393 F.3d 540, 548 (5th Cir. 2004).
As for the jury instruction, there was no evidence implicating the mother in
the scheme to smuggle her son into the United States, so the district court
did not abuse its discretion by refusing to give a cautionary jury instruction
on the weight of accomplice testimony. See United States v. Peterson, 977 F.3d
381, 390 (5th Cir. 2020). But even if it abused its discretion, Veliz has not
shown the requisite influence on the jury’s verdict. See United States v.
Bernal, 814 F.2d 175, 184 (5th Cir. 1987).
AFFIRMED.
Case: 25-40503 Document: 61-1 Page: 2 Date Filed: 08/14/2026