U.S. v. LOPEZ-GALVAN

MARK BENNETT, Chief Judge

I. INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND

In a one-count information filed on March 16, 2006, defendant Lorenzo Noel Lopez-Galvan is charged with being a previously deported alien who was found in the United States without the express consent of the Attorney General or his successor, the Secretary for Homeland Security, in violation of §§ 1326(a) and 1326(b). On March 20, 2006, defendant appeared before United States Magistrate Judge Paul A. Zoss and entered a plea of guilty to Count 1 of the information. On this same date, Judge Zoss filed a Report and Recommendation in which he recommends that defendant's guilty plea be accepted. No objections to Judge Zoss's Report and Recommendation were filed. The court, therefore, undertakes the necessary review of Judge Zoss's recommendation to accept defendant's plea in this case.

II. ANALYSIS

Pursuant to statute, this court's standard of review for a magistrate judge's Report and Recommendation is as follows:

A judge of the court shall make a de novo determination of those portions of the report or specified proposed findings or recommendations to which objection is made. A judge of the court may accept, reject, or modify, in whole or in part, the findings or recommendations made by the magistrate [judge].

28 U.S.C. § 636(b)(1). Similarly, Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 72(b) provides for review of a magistrate judge's Report and Recommendation on dispositive motions and prisoner petitions, where objections are made, as follows:

The district judge to whom the case is assigned shall make a de novo determination upon the record, or after additional evidence, of any portion of the magistrate judge's disposition to which specific written objection has been made in accordance with this rule. The district judge may accept, reject, or modify the recommended decision, receive further evidence, or recommit the matter to the magistrate judge with instructions.

FED. R. CIV. P. 72(b).

In this case, no objections have been filed, and it appears to the court upon review of Judge Zoss's findings and conclusions, that there is no ground to reject or modify them. Therefore, the court accepts Judge Zoss's Report and Recommendation of March 20, 2006, and accepts defendant's plea of guilty in this case to Count 1 of the information.

IT IS SO ORDERED.