United States v. Luis Alfredo Parrales Bravo

── United States v. Luis Alfredo Parrales Bravo ── Case No.: 25-12347 Court: Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit Date: March 26, 2026 Category: NEW USCA11 Case: 25-12347 Document: 27-1 Date Filed: 03/26/2026 Page: 1 of 9 NOT FOR PUBLICATION In the United States Court of Appeals For the Eleventh Circuit ____________________ No. 25-12347 Non-Argument Calendar ____________________ UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, Plaintiff-Appellee, versus LUIS ALFREDO PARRALES BRAVO, Defendant-Appellant. ____________________ Appeal from the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida D.C. Docket No. 8:17-cr-00097-WFJ-TGW-3 ____________________ Before JORDAN, BRANCH, and KIDD, Circuit Judges. PER CURIAM: Luis Alfredo Parrales Bravo appeals the denial of his motion for a sentence reduction, pursuant to 18 U.S.C. § 3582(c)(2), based on a retroactive amendment to the Sentencing Guidelines that USCA11 Case: 25-12347 Document: 27-1 Date Filed: 03/26/2026 Page: 2 of 9 2 Opinion of the Court 25-12347 reduced his guidelines range.1 He argues that the district court abused its discretion in denying his motion by improperly weighing the 18 U.S.C. § 3553(a) factors and relying on other improper factors including his immigration status and the fact that he did not enter a plea agreement or cooperate with the government. After review, we affirm. I. Background In 2017, the United States Coast Guard intercepted a go-fast vessel displaying no indicia of nationality on the high seas. Parrales Bravo, a native and citizen of Ecuador, was one of four crew members on the vessel. Authorities discovered 46 bales of cocaine on the vessel weighing approximately 1,100 kilograms. A federal grand jury indicted Parrales Bravo on one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine while on board a vessel subject to the jurisdiction of the United States, and one count of possession with intent to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine while on board a vessel 1 On November 1, 2023, Amendment 821 to the Sentencing Guidelines went into effect. See U.S.S.G. supp. to app. C, amend. 821 (2023). As relevant here, that amendment applies retroactively and provides a two-level reduction in a defendant’s offense level if the defendant satisfies ten criteria, including that the defendant did not receive any criminal-history points. Id.; see also U.S.S.G. § 4C1.1(a). USCA11 Case: 25-12347 Document: 27-1 Date Filed: 03/26/2026 Page: 3 of 9 25-12347 Opinion of the Court 3 subject to the jurisdiction of the United States. 2 He entered an open plea of guilty to both counts. As relevant here, Parrales Bravo had no prior criminal history. His advisory guidelines range was 135 to 168 months’ imprisonment. He faced a statutory mandatory minimum of ten years’ imprisonment and a maximum of life. After considering the parties’ arguments, the guidelines, and the § 3553(a) sentencing factors, the district court imposed a sentence of 135 months’ imprisonment to be followed by five years of supervised release. Parrales Bravo appealed, challenging the substantive reasonableness of his sentence, and we affirmed. United