Reported / Citable
Background
The district court referred Jose Eduardo Anaya Morales’s guilty-plea proceeding to U.S. Magistrate Judge Christine L. Stetson for administration under Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 11. After conducting the Rule 11 hearing, Judge Stetson issued findings of fact and recommended that the court accept Anaya Morales’s plea.
Judge Stetson also recommended that the court adjudge Anaya Morales guilty on Count One of the indictment. That count charged him with reentry of a deported alien in violation of 8 U.S.C. § 1326(a) and (b). Neither party objected to the magistrate judge’s findings or recommendation.
The Court’s Holding
U.S. District Judge Marcia A. Crone adopted the magistrate judge’s findings of fact and recommendation. The court accepted Anaya Morales’s guilty plea.
In accordance with the plea and the adopted recommendation, the court adjudged Anaya Morales guilty on Count One of the indictment for violating 8 U.S.C. § 1326(a) and (b).
Key Takeaways
- The district court adopted the magistrate judge’s unopposed findings and recommendation concerning the guilty plea.
- The court accepted Anaya Morales’s plea after the magistrate judge conducted a Rule 11 hearing.
- Anaya Morales was adjudged guilty of reentry of a deported alien under 8 U.S.C. § 1326(a) and (b).
Why It Matters
The order formally resolves the plea and guilt-adjudication stage of the prosecution. It also illustrates the procedure by which a district court may refer administration of a Rule 11 guilty plea to a magistrate judge and then adopt the resulting findings and recommendation when no objections are filed.