Reported / Citable
Background
The case was referred by general order to U.S. Magistrate Judge Matthew H. Watters to take Ellis Anthony Fairbanks’s felony guilty plea. Fairbanks appeared with counsel on August 7, 2026.
After advising Fairbanks of his right to have a district judge take the plea and conducting the required Rule 11 colloquy, the magistrate judge found that Fairbanks understood the charge, penalties, and rights he was waiving. Fairbanks pleaded guilty without a plea agreement to Count One, illegal reentry into the United States.
The Court’s Holding
Judge Watters found that Fairbanks’s plea was knowing, voluntary, and supported by a sufficient factual basis, and that Fairbanks was competent to plead guilty. The magistrate judge also found Fairbanks guilty of the charge to which he pleaded.
Because the document is a findings and recommendation, it does not finally accept the plea. It recommends that the district judge accept Fairbanks’s guilty plea and enter a judgment of guilt; sentencing is reserved for the presiding district judge.
Key Takeaways
- Fairbanks pleaded guilty without a plea agreement to Count One, illegal reentry into the United States.
- The magistrate judge found the Rule 11 requirements satisfied and the plea supported by a factual basis.
- The recommendation is subject to objections within 14 days and awaits action by the district judge.
Why It Matters
The ruling illustrates the magistrate-judge role in taking felony guilty pleas by consent and issuing findings for a district judge’s final disposition. The recommendation clears the case for the district judge to decide whether to accept the plea and proceed to sentencing.