Opinion ID: 2811391
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Conviction and Sentencing for Illegal Reentry

Text: Following the revocation hearing arising out of the October 23, 2013 arrest, Defendant was eventually indicted on one count of attempted illegal reentry, in violation of 8 U.S.C. §§ 1326(a) and (b)(2). Because Defendant had outstanding orders of removal, and thus, had “self-deported” from the United States in travelling into international waters, the Government alleged that, by motoring back toward Florida from the Bahamas, Defendant had attempted to illegally reenter the United States. 4 Defendant went to trial on this one charge before Judge Jose Martinez, and a jury found him guilty of attempted illegal reentry. Defendant had an offense level of 24 and was in criminal history category V, which yields a guidelines range of 92 4 The Government acknowledged that it had not pursued an alien smuggling charge, presumably because the Cuban immigrants were left in the Bahamas before Defendant’s return to Florida, but it noted that the evidence it offered at trial was “tantamount to proving alien smuggling.” The trial court later surmised that the Government did not pursue the alien smuggling charge because, instead of brining his Cuban passengers to the United States, Defendant had dropped them off in Bahamian territory and “maybe that was his plan . . . to leave them there all along.” 15 Case: 14-10591 Date Filed: 06/24/2015 Page: 16 of 24 to 115 months. The Government recommended a 115-month sentence, to run consecutively to the sentence imposed by Judge Moore on the supervised release violation. The court instead sentenced Defendant to 92 months imprisonment to be served consecutively to the sentences imposed by Judge Moore, followed by a three-year term of supervised release. 5 In imposing the sentence, the court noted that Defendant had not only repeatedly flouted the laws of the United States, but had engaged in very dangerous conduct that showed his abject disregard for the lives and safety of the Cuban migrants, and that he had done so solely to make money. Defendant has filed a notice of appeal to this Court concerning his conviction and sentence, but that matter is not before us today.