United States v. Tapia-Romero

T.G. NELSON, Circuit Judge:

In this opinion, we hold that the district court correctly concluded that the cost to society of imprisoning a defendant is not a factor to be considered in determining the appropriate length of a defendant’s term of imprisonment under 18 U.S.C. §§ 3553(a) and 3582(a). Accordingly, we affirm. 1

Background

Felipe Daniel Tapia-Romero pled guilty to being an illegal alien found in the United States after deportation. At sentencing, defense counsel argued that the district court should consider imposing a shorter term of imprisonment due to the cost of imprisoning…