United States of America v. Juan Aldo Beltran Delgado
June 17, 2026·25-2520·Panel Decision·By James Taylor
The Eighth Circuit affirmed a below-Guidelines-range sentence imposed after the defendant pleaded guilty to drug and firearm offenses. The court granted counsel leave to withdraw following an Anders brief and an independent review of the record.
Juan Aldo Beltran Delgado appealed a below-Guidelines-range sentence imposed by the United States District Court for the Southern District of Iowa after pleading guilty to drug and firearm offenses. His counsel moved to withdraw and filed a brief under Anders v. California challenging the sentence as substantively unreasonable.
The court’s reasoning
The court concluded that the district court did not impose a substantively unreasonable sentence because it properly considered the factors listed in Section eighteen U.S.C. three thousand five hundred fifty-three A and did not err in weighing the relevant factors. The court independently reviewed the record pursuant to Penson v. Ohio and found no non-frivolous issues for appeal.
What it means going forward
The decision affirms the sentence and allows appointed counsel to withdraw from the case after an Anders review finds no meritorious grounds for appeal.
