Document ID: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-azd-4_05-cr-00887/USCOURTS-azd-4_05-cr-00887-0/pdf.json

Parties Involved:
Joel Cortez-Barrera
Defendant
United States of America
Plaintiff

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IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

FOR THE DISTRICT OF ARIZONA

Joel Cortez-Barrera,

Petitioner, 

vs.

United States of America,

Respondent.

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CASE NO. 05-CV-634-TUC-FRZ

 05-CR-887-TUC-FRZ

ORDER

Petitioner has filed a “Motion for Time Reduction by an Inmate in Federal Custody,

(28 U.S.C. Section 2255).”

Rule 4(b) of the Rules Governing Section 2255 Proceedings for the United States

District Courts provides, in relevant part, that

[i]f it plainly appears from the motion, any attached exhibits,

and the record of prior proceedings that the moving party is not

entitled to relief, the judge must dismiss the motion and direct

the clerk to notify the moving party.

28 U.S.C. foll. § 2255.

Background

Pursuant to a plea agreement, Petitioner entered a plea of guilty to the Indictment,

which charged him with entering and being found in the United States after having been

denied admission, excluded, deported, and removed from the United States, and not having

obtained the express consent of the Attorney General or the Secretary of the Department of

Case 4:05-cr-00887-FRZ-CRP Document 21 Filed 11/01/05 Page 1 of 3
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Homeland Security to reapply for admission to the United States, in violation of 8 U.S.C.

§ 1326, enhanced by 8 U.S.C. § 1326(b)(2).

Pursuant to the plea agreement, Petitioner waived “any and all motions, defenses,

probable cause determinations, and objections which [he] could assert to the information or

indictment or to the Court’s entry of judgment against [him] and imposition of sentence upon

[him] providing the sentence is consistent with [the plea] agreement.” In addition, Petitioner

waived “any right to collaterally attack [his] conviction and sentence under Title 28, United

States Code, Section 2255, or any other collateral attack.”

The plea agreement provided for a sentencing range of 8-33 months, depending on

Petitioner’s criminal history, if the offense was a Level 16 offense. The Court imposed a

sentence of thirty-three months, within the sentencing range under the plea agreement for

Petitioner’s Criminal History Category VI.

Discussion

In his motion, Petitioner seeks a reduction of his sentence. He contends that his right

to equal protection is violated by the fact that deportable alien prisoners, unlike their United

States citizen counterparts, are ineligible for a one-year sentence reduction for attending a

drug treatment program during incarceration and early release to a half-way house. 

Petitioner’s claim for a sentence reduction is waived because, in the plea agreement,

Petitioner waived “any right to collaterally attack [his] conviction and sentence under Title

28, United States Code, Section 2255.”

Alternatively, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals rejected Petitioner’s argument in

McLean v. Crabtree, 173 F.3d 1176 (9th Cir. 1999). In that case, the Ninth Circuit found

that there was no equal protection violation and held that “excluding prisoners with detainers

from participating in community-based treatment programs, and consequently from sentence

reduction eligibility, is at least rationally related to the BOP’s legitimate interest in

preventing prisoners from fleeing detainers while participating in community treatment

programs.” Id. at 1186. 

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Conclusion

Accordingly,

IT IS ORDERED that Petitioner’s § 2255 Motion (U.S.D.C. document #19 in

CR-08-887-TUC-FRZ) is DENIED and this case (CV-05-634-TUC-FRZ) is DISMISSED.

IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that the Clerk of the Court SHALL SERVE a copy

of the Motion and this Order on Respondent and SHALL SERVE a copy of this Order on

Petitioner.

DATED this 28th day of October, 2005.

Case 4:05-cr-00887-FRZ-CRP Document 21 Filed 11/01/05 Page 3 of 3