Opinion ID: 3046122
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Guilty Plea and Sentencing for Illegal Reentry

Text: In 2008 the District Court held a change-of-plea hearing, during which Morales 3 pled guilty to illegal reentry of a removed alien, in violation of 8 U.S.C. § 1326. The Presentence Report prepared by the Probation Office (the “PSR”) included Morales’s previous criminal convictions and his statement to Pennsylvania police officers that he did not fear harm if removed to Mexico. It calculated his recommended Sentencing Guidelines range between 77 and 96 months’ imprisonment, which included a 16-level increase to his offense level pursuant to Guidelines § 2L1.2 (“Unlawfully Entering or Remaining in the United States”). Morales filed one objection to the PSR, which he later withdrew at the sentencing hearing. At that hearing, Morales conceded that the recommended Guidelines range set out in the PSR was proper, but asserted that a sentence at the bottom of the range would be “sufficient” to achieve the statutory sentencing goals. Morales also made a short statement, indicating that he feared removal because of a “grudge against his family.” In response, the Government noted that Morales had lied repeatedly to authorities. He also offered no corroborating evidence beyond his statements and acknowledged that he had lied about his identity when arrested. At the end of the colloquy, the Court adopted the PSR and considered the applicable 18 U.S.C. § 3553(a) sentencing factors to determine that 90 months’ imprisonment was an appropriate sentence.