Reported / Citable
Background
Defendant Alberto Garcia-Perez waived his right to appear before the U.S. District Court and instead appeared before United States Magistrate Judge Dustin Howell for a felony plea hearing. At that hearing, Garcia-Perez participated in the standard Rule 11 allocution process required by the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure, during which a defendant is questioned about the voluntariness and understanding of his guilty plea.
Following the magistrate judge’s hearing on June 25, 2026, Judge Dustin Howell filed a Report and Recommendation with the District Court recommending acceptance of Garcia-Perez’s guilty plea to Count One. Garcia-Perez did not object to this recommendation.
The Court’s Holding
On June 30, 2026, Senior U.S. District Judge David Alan Ezra reviewed the magistrate judge’s Report and Recommendation. After finding no opposition from the defendant, the District Court entered an order accepting Garcia-Perez’s guilty plea to Count One.
The acceptance of the plea was based upon the magistrate judge’s recommendation, which implicitly reflected that Garcia-Perez’s plea was entered knowingly, intelligently, and voluntarily in compliance with Rule 11 of the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure.
Key Takeaways
- The defendant’s guilty plea was accepted following the standard magistrate judge hearing and Rule 11 colloquy.
- The defendant waived his right to a hearing before the district judge, appearing instead before a magistrate judge.
- No legal objections were raised to the plea’s acceptance.
Why It Matters
This order completes a critical procedural step in federal criminal litigation by accepting the defendant’s guilty plea on the record. Acceptance of a guilty plea is typically a binding disposition that forecloses further litigation on guilt or innocence, leaving only sentencing as a remaining issue.
The case illustrates the routine use of magistrate judges to conduct felony plea hearings in federal court, a practice that allows district judges to efficiently manage dockets while ensuring Rule 11 safeguards are observed.