United States v. Efrain Rodriguez-Candelaria

── United States v. Efrain Rodriguez-Candelaria ── Case No.: 25-11922 Court: Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit Date: April 02, 2026 Category: NEW USCA11 Case: 25-11922 Document: 25-1 Date Filed: 04/02/2026 Page: 1 of 6 NOT FOR PUBLICATION In the United States Court of Appeals For the Eleventh Circuit ____________________ No. 25-11922 Non-Argument Calendar ____________________ UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, Plaintiff-Appellee, versus EFRAIN RODRIGUEZ-CANDELARIA, a.k.a. Tony, Defendant-Appellant. ____________________ Appeal from the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida D.C. Docket No. 8:04-cr-00327-VMC-NHA-1 ____________________ Before JORDAN, LAGOA, and KIDD, Circuit Judges. PER CURIAM: USCA11 Case: 25-11922 Document: 25-1 Date Filed: 04/02/2026 Page: 2 of 6 2 Opinion of the Court 25-11922 Efrain Rodriguez-Candelaria appeals the district court’s de- nial of his motion for compassionate release, pursuant to 18 U.S.C. § 3582(c)(1)(A). For the reasons discussed below, we affirm. I. FACTUAL AND PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND In 2004, Rodriguez-Candelaria was found guilty following a bench trial of conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine, in violation of 21 U.S.C. §§ 841(b)(1)(A)(ii) and 846; possession of ammunition and a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense, in violation of 18 U.S.C. §§ 924(c)(1)(A) and 2; and possession of a firearm and ammunition as a convicted felon, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 922(g). The district court sentenced Rodriguez-Candelaria to a 420-month term of im- prisonment followed by 5 years of supervised release. He is pro- jected to be released on June 21, 2034. In August 2024, Rodriguez-Candelaria moved for compas- sionate release under 18 U.S.C. § 3582(c)(1)(A). He submitted (1) his inmate disciplinary record, which alleged that he was sanc- tioned in June 2010 for refusing to work; (2) his inmate education record, which reflected that he completed his GED and took courses in, among other things, drawing, parenting, and nutrition; (3) a character letter he wrote, in which he alleged that he worked a UNICOR job and embraced Christianity during his incarceration; and (4) character letters from his daughter, his mother, and two of his sisters. Rodriguez-Candelaria argued that compassionate release is appropriate because the underlying conviction would no longer USCA11 Case: 25-11922 Document: 25-1 Date Filed: 04/02/2026 Page: 3 of 6 25-11922 Opinion of the Court 3 qualify for career offender designation and thus the sentence he would receive today would be shorter than the sentence he re- ceived at sentencing. Rodriguez-Candelaria also notes his rehabil- itation efforts including the completion of his GED, his work in a UNICOR job since 2013, and his close relation to his family mem- bers who plan to house him upon his release. The district court denied Rodriguez-Candelaria’s motion for compassionate release. The district court determined that, under the § 3553(a) factors, his criminal history weighed against release. It observed that the seriousness of the offense conduct also weighed aga