The following excerpt is from U.S. v. Harris, 36 F.3d 1103 (9th Cir. 1994):
Whether a sentence is illegal is a question of law reviewed de novo. United States v. Fowler, 794 F.2d 1446, 1449 (9th Cir.1986), cert. denied, 479 U.S. 1094 (1987). An illegal sentence includes a sentence in excess of the permissible statutory penalty for the crime. Id.
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