Reported / Citable
Background
The court referred Candance Williams’s guilty plea proceeding to a United States magistrate judge under Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 11.
After conducting the Rule 11 hearing, the magistrate judge recommended that the district court accept Williams’s plea and adjudge her guilty on Count One of the First Superseding Indictment. Neither party objected.
The Court’s Holding
Judge Amos L. Mazzant adopted the magistrate judge’s findings and recommendation, accepted Williams’s guilty plea, and found her guilty of Count One.
Count One charged conspiracy to possess with intent to manufacture and distribute methamphetamine, in violation of 21 U.S.C. § 846. The court deferred acceptance of the plea agreement until after reviewing the presentence report.
Key Takeaways
- The district court adopted the unopposed Rule 11 guilty-plea recommendation.
- Williams was adjudged guilty of a methamphetamine-distribution conspiracy under 21 U.S.C. § 846.
- The plea agreement remained pending until presentence-review proceedings.
Why It Matters
The order formally resolves guilt on the charged conspiracy count while preserving the court’s ability to evaluate the plea agreement after receiving the presentence report.