UNITED STATESDISTRICT COIJRT

SOUTH ERN DISTRICT OF FLORIDA

CASENO. 22-20422-CR-Mm DLEBROOKS(s)

UM TED STATES OF AM ERICA

VS.

ISM AEL SOTO AROCH O ,

Defendant.

PLEA AGREEM ENT

TheUnitedStatesAttorney'sOfficefortheSouthernDistdctofFlorida(GthisOffice''land

IsmaelSotoArocho(hereinafterrefen'edtoasthetdefendanf')enterintothefollowingagreement:

1. Thedefendantagreestoplead guiltytoCotmtTw ooftheSupersedingIndictm ent,

which cotmtchargesthedefendant* 111Attem pttoPossesswithIntenttoDistributeaControlled

SubstanceinViolation ofTitle21,UnitedStatesCode,Section846.

Tids Oo ce agrees to seek dism issalof Counts One,Tllree,and Fotzr ofthe

SupersedingIndictm ent,astothisdefendant,aftersentencing.

The defendantis aware thatthe sentence willbe im posed by the Courtafter

considering the advisory FederalSentencing Guidelines and Policy Statements(hereinafter

çGsentencingGuidelines''). ThedefendantacknowledgesandlmderstandsthattheCourtwil

computean advisorysentencetmdertheSentencing Guidelinesandthattheapplicableguidelines

willbedeterminedbytheCourtrelyinginpartontheresultsofapre-sentenceinvestigationbythe

Coud'sprobationoffice,whichinvestigationwillcomm enceaftertheguiltypleahasbeenentered.

The defendantisalso awarethat,tmdercertain circllm stances,the Courtm ay departfrom the

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advisory sentencing guidelinerangethatithascomputed,and may raiseorlowerthatadvisory

sentencetmdertheSentencing Guidelines. Thedefendantisfurtherawareandtmderstandsthat

theCourtisrequiredto considertheadvisory guidelinerangedetennined tmdertheSentencing

Guidelinesbutisnotbotmdtoimposeasentencewithinthatadvisoryrange;theCourtispermitted

totailorthelzltim atesentencei.nlightofotherstatutoryconcem s,andsuchsentencem aybeeither

m oresevereorlessseveretlùntheSentencingGuidelines'advisoryrange. Knowingthesefacts,

the defendantunderstands and acknowledgesthatthe Courthasthe authority to impose any

sentencewithin andup tothestamtozy m axim llm authorized by1aw fortheoffenseidentifiedin

paragraph 1and thatthe defendantm ay notwithdraw theplea solely asaresultofthesentence

'

1mPosed.

4.

m inimllm term of imprisonm entoften years and m ay im pose a statm ory maximllm term of

imprisonm entofuptolife,followedbyaterm ofsupelwisedreleaseofuptolife.Inadditiontoa

Thedefendantalso tmderstandsand acknowledgesthattheCotlrtm ustimposea

tennofimpzisonmentandsupervisedrelease,tv Courtmayimposeafineofupto$10,000,000

andm ayorderforfeitureandrestitm ion.

The defendant further tmderstands and acknowledges that,in addition to any

sentenceimposedtmderparagràph4ofthisagreement,aspecialassessmentinthenmountof$100

willbeimposed on thedefendant. The defendantagreesthatany specialassessmentimposed

shallbepaid atthetim e ofsentencing. Ifadefendantisfinancially lmableto pay the special

assessm ent,thedefendantagreestopresentevidenceto tllisOfficeandthe Courtatthetim eof

sentencingastothereasonsforthedefendant'sfailuretopay.

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6. ThisOfficereservestherighttoinfbrm theCourtandtheprobation officeofa11

factspedinenttothesentencingprocess,includinga1lrelevantinformationconcenlingtheoffenses

comm itted,whether charged c?r not,aswellas concerning the defendantand the defendant's

backgrotmd. Subjectonlytotheexpresstermsofanyagreed-uponsentencingrecommendations

containedinthisagreement,thisOfficefurtherreservestherighttom akeanyrecomm endationas

tothequalityand quantity ofptmishment.

ThisOfficeagreesthatitwillrecom mend atsentencingthattheCourtreduceby

'twolevelsthesentencingguidelinelevelapplicabletothedefendant'soffense,ptlrsuanttoSection

3E1.1(a)oftheSentencingGuidelines,baseduponthedefendant'srecognitionandaffirmative

and timely acceptance ofpersonalresponsibility.ThisOffice,however,willnotberequired to

makethisrecommendation ifthedefendant:(1)failsorrefusestomakea11,acctlrateand

completedisclosuretotheprobationofficeofthecircum stancessurrotmdingtherelevantoffense

conduct;(2)isfoundtohavemisrepresentedfactstothegovernmentpriortoenteringintothisplea

agreement;or(3)commitsanymisconductafterenteringintothispleaagreement,inclùdingbut

notlim itedtocom mittingastateorfederaloffense,violatingany term ofrelease,orm nkingfalse

statementsormisrepreseritationstoanygovernmentalentityorofficial.

8. Thedefendantisawarethatthesentencehasnotyetbeendeterm inedbytheCourt.

Thedefendantalsoisaw arethatanyestim ateoftheprobablesentencingrangeorsentencethatthe

defendantm ayreceive,whetherthatestim atecom esfrom thedefendant'sattorney,thisOffice,or

theprobationoffice,isaprediction,notaprom ise,andisnotbindingonthisOffice,theprobation

ofliceortheCourt.Thedefendantunderstandsfurtherthatany recomm endationthatthisOffice

m akestotheCottrtastosentencing,whetherpursuanttothisagreem entörotherwise,isnotbinding

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on the Cout'tand the Courtmay disregard therecomm endation in itsentirety. The defendant

tmderstands and acknowledges,as previously acknowledged in paragraph 3 above,that the

defendantm aynotwithdraw ilispleabased upontheCourt'sdecisionnottoacceptasentencing

recommendationmadebythedefendant,thisOftke,orarecommendationmadejointlybythe

defendantandthisOffice.

9. The defendantagrees,in an individualand any othercapacity,to forfeitto the

United States, voltmtatily and imm ediately, any right, title, and interest to any property

constitm ing,orderived from ,any proceedsobtained,directly orindirectly,asa resultofsuch

offense,and any property used,orintended to beused,in any m annerorpart,to comm itorto

facilitatethecommissionofsuchoffenseptlrsuantto21U.S.C.j853.

10. Thedefendantfurtheragreesthatforfeitureisindependentofanyassessment,fine,

cost,restitution,orpenalty thatm ay be imposed by the Court.The defendantknowingly and

voltmtarily agrees to waive al1constimtional,legal,and equitable defensesto the forfeiture,

including excessive finestm derthe Eighth Amendm entto the United States Constitm ion.In

addition,thedefendantagreestowaive:anyapplicabletimelimitsforafiministrativeorjudicial

forfeitureproceedings,therequirementsofFed.R.Crim.P.32.2and43(a),andanyappealofthe

forfeiture.

Thedefendantalsoagreestofullyandtruthflllydisclosetheexistence,nattlreand

locationofa11assetsin wllichthedefendanthasorhadany directorindirectfinancialinterestor

control,and any assetsinvolved in theoffenseofconviction. Thedefendantagreestotaltea11

stepsrequested bytheUnited Statesfortherecovery andforfeittzreofa11assetsidentifiedbythe

UnitedStatesassubjecttoforfeiture. Thisincludes,butisnotlimitedto,thetimelydeliveryupon

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requestofa11necessary and appropriate docllm entation to delivergood and m arketable title,

consentingtoal1ordersofforlkiture,andnotcontestingorimpedinginanywaywithanycrim inal,

civiloradministrativeforfeitureproceedingconcerningtheforfeiture.

Defendalatrecognizesthatpleading guiltymayhaveconsequenceswithrespectto

. the defendant'sim migration stam sifthe defendantisnotanatural-born citizen oftheUnited

States. Under federallaw,a broad range of crim es are rem ovable offenses,including the

offensets)to wlich defendantispleading guilty.In addition,tmdercertain circllmstances,

denaturalization m ay also be a consequence of pleading guilty to a crim e. Rem oval,

denaturalization,andothçrimmigrationconsequencesarethesubjectofaseparateproceeding,

however,anddefendanttmderstandsthatnoone,includingthedefendant'sattorney ortheCourt,

canpredictto acertaintytheeffectofthedefendant'sconviction on thedefendant'simmip ation

status. Defendantneverthelessaffil'm sthatthedefendantwantstopleadguiltyregardlessofany

imm igration consequencesthatthedefendant'spleamay entail,even iftheconsequence isthe

defendant'sdenau alizationandautom aticremovalfrom theUnitedStates.

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13. This is the entire agreem ent and tmderstanding between this Office and the

defendant. Therearenootheragreem ents,promises,representations,orlmderstandings.

D7AN ANTONIO GONZALEZ

UNITED STATES ATTORNEY

oate, //J/a3

Date: //J

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?

Date: / # Ap

By: - -

JULIA M .M AL Y

SPECI ASSISTANT U ..ATTORNEY

#A//

L OTT EB

ATT Y FOR D FENDANT

L

ISM AEL SOTO AROCHO

DEFENDANT

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