Document ID: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-ca5-03-41232/USCOURTS-ca5-03-41232-0/pdf.json

Parties Involved:
Valentin Maldonado-Alameda
Appellant
United States of America
Appellee

Document Text:

* Pursuant to 5TH CIR. R. 47.5, the court has determined

that this opinion should not be published and is not precedent

except under the limited circumstances set forth in 5TH CIR.

R. 47.5.4.

United States Court of Appeals

Fifth Circuit

FILED

April 21, 2004

Charles R. Fulbruge III

Clerk

IN THE UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS

FOR THE FIFTH CIRCUIT

 

No. 03-41232

Conference Calendar

 

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,

Plaintiff-Appellee,

versus

VALENTIN MALDONADO-ALAMEDA,

Defendant-Appellant.

--------------------

Appeal from the United States District Court

for the Southern District of Texas

USDC No. B-03-CR-459-1

--------------------

Before JOLLY, JONES, and SMITH, Circuit Judges.

PER CURIAM:*

 Valentin Maldonado-Alameda (Maldonado) appeals the 70-month

sentence imposed following his plea of guilty to a charge of

attempted reentry into the United States after deportation, a

violation of 8 U.S.C. § 1326. He contends that the felony

conviction that resulted in his increased sentence under 8 U.S.C.

§ 1326(b)(2) was an element of the offense that should have been

charged in the indictment.

Maldonado acknowledges that his argument is foreclosed by

the Supreme Court’s decision in Almendarez-Torres v. United

 Case: 03-41232 Document: 005129170 Page: 1 Date Filed: 04/21/2004
No. 03-41232

-2-

States, 523 U.S. 224 (1998), but he seeks to preserve the issue

for Supreme Court review in light of the decision in Apprendi v.

New Jersey, 530 U.S. 466 (2000). 

Apprendi did not overrule Almendarez-Torres. See Apprendi,

530 U.S. at 489-90; United States v. Dabeit, 231 F.3d 979, 984

(5th Cir. 2000). Since Maldonado’s argument is foreclosed, the

judgment of the district court will be AFFIRMED.

AFFIRMED.

 Case: 03-41232 Document: 005129170 Page: 2 Date Filed: 04/21/2004