UNITED STATES OF AMERICA v. RIVERA-RODRIQUEZ

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IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
FOR THE MIDDLE DISTRICT OF GEORGIA
COLUMBUS DIVISION
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 	:
:
v. 	: 	Case No. 4:25-cr-7 (CDL)
:
ERNESTO RIVERA-RODRIGUEZ, 	:
:
Defendant. 	:
ORDER ON COMPETENCY TO STAND TRIAL
Defendant Ernesto Rivera-Rodriguez appeared on November 19, 2025, with counsel, for a
hearing to determine his mental competence to stand trial, pursuant to 18 U.S.C. § 4247(d). By
order of the Court dated August 6, 2025, (Doc. 35), Defendant was committed to the custody of the
Attorney General and was subsequently referred to the Federal Detention Center in Miami,
Florida, for purposes of psychological evaluation. Following that evaluation, a written Forensic
Evaluation was prepared and submitted to the Court for review. (Doc. 38). The Evaluation
concludes that Defendant is not currently suffering from a mental disease or defect rendering him
unable to understand the nature and consequences of the proceedings against him or to assist
properly in his defense.
At the hearing, Defendant was afforded an opportunity to raise any objections to the
evaluation and to testify or present any additional evidence in relation to his mental competency.
Neither Defendant nor the Government expressed any objections to the written evaluation. Based
on that evaluation, the Court finds by a preponderance of the evidence that Defendant is not
currently suffering from a mental disease or defect that would render him mentally incompetent to
the extent that he would be unable to understand the nature of the proceedings against him or to
assist properly in his defense. In the absence of any evidence of such mental disease or defect,
Case 4:25-cr-00007-CDL-CHW Document 41 Filed 11/20/25 Page 1 of 2

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Defendant is competent to proceed with his defense and to participate in a trial or any other
proceedings necessary for the resolution of this case.
SO ORDERED, this the 20th day of November, 2025.
s/ Charles H. Weigle
Charles H. Weigle
United States Magistrate Judge
Case 4:25-cr-00007-CDL-CHW Document 41 Filed 11/20/25 Page 2 of 2