Opinion ID: 4023
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: The Alleged Government Breach

Text: Penev argues that the government breached his plea agreement by forwarding victim impact letters to the district court. A defendant is deprived of due process when the government breaches a plea agreement provision on which the defendant relied “in any significant degree” when entering the guilty plea. 6 Santobello v. New York, 404 U.S. 257, 262 (1971). Penev argues that Crime Victims’ Rights Act of 2004 (“CVRA”), 18 U.S.C. § 3771, “effectively compelled or encouraged the Government to circumvent the plea agreement through a victim-surrogate . . ..” Here, the plea agreement permitted the government to provide the district court with “all the information and evidence in its possession that the government deems relevant concerning the defendant’s background, character and involvement in the offense charged” as well as “the circumstances surrounding the charge.” The victim impact letters are encompassed within the information the government said it would provide. Accordingly, we conclude that the government did not breach its plea agreement with Penev. We have considered Penev’s remaining claims and find them to be without merit.