Reported / Citable
Background
Felix Campos appeared with defense counsel before U.S. Magistrate Judge Dan N. MacLeMore to enter a guilty plea. The district judge had referred the plea proceeding to the magistrate judge, and Campos consented to pleading guilty before a magistrate judge.
During the hearing, the magistrate judge personally addressed Campos in open court. The judge advised him under Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 11 about the charge, possible penalties, his constitutional and statutory rights, and the consequences of pleading guilty.
The Court’s Holding
The magistrate judge found that Campos was competent, understood the charge and potential penalties, understood and wished to waive his rights, and entered the plea freely, knowingly, and voluntarily. The judge also found that Campos was satisfied with counsel and that a factual basis supported the plea.
Based on those findings, the magistrate judge recommended—not finally ordered—that the district judge accept the guilty plea and enter a judgment of guilt against Campos. The parties were given 14 days after service to file specific written objections.
Key Takeaways
- The magistrate judge concluded that Campos’s plea satisfied Rule 11’s competency, notice, waiver, voluntariness, and factual-basis requirements.
- The filing is a memorandum and recommendation, so acceptance of the plea and entry of judgment remain matters for the district judge.
- Failure to make timely, specific objections may waive de novo district-court review and generally limit appellate review to plain error.
Why It Matters
The recommendation documents the procedural safeguards supporting Campos’s guilty plea and provides the district judge with findings on which to decide whether to accept it. It also triggers the parties’ deadline to preserve objections to those findings and recommendations.