Opinion ID: 2995295
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: The District Court’s Authority to

Text: Determine the Existence and Nature of a Prior Conviction. Garcia initially argues that the district court was without authority to make the finding that his 1988 burglary conviction was an aggravated felony for purposes of the maximum penalty enhancement of 8 U.S.C. sec. 1326. He argues that under Apprendi v. New Jersey, 530 U.S. 466 (2000), a prior criminal conviction, if it increases the maximum statutory sentence, must be treated as an element of the offense, included in the indictment, and established by the government beyond a reasonable doubt./4 Garcia has failed to present us with any case law, nor are we aware of any, requiring that the government charge his prior conviction in the indictment. Garcia acknowledges the direct conflict between his argument and the Supreme Court’s holding in Almendarez-Torres v. United States, 523 U.S. 224 (1998), and contends that Almendarez-Torres was overruled or limited by the Supreme Court’s subsequent decision in Apprendi. We disagree. In Apprendi, the Supreme Court summarized its holding as follows: Other than the fact of a prior conviction, any fact that increases the penalty for a crime beyond the prescribed statutory maximum must be submitted to a jury, and proved beyond a reasonable doubt. Apprendi, 530 U.S. at 490 (emphasis added). As the quoted passage makes clear, the Court in Apprendi held that prior convictions need not be charged nor sub mitted to a jury. Indeed, the Court made clear that Almendarez-Torres was a narrow exception to the general rule announced in Apprendi. Id. at 490. This ruling preserved the prior holding in Almendarez-Torres that under 8 U.S.C. sec. 1326, prior convictions are a sentencing factor, not an element of the crime, and need not be charged. Almendarez-Torres, 523 U.S. at 226-27; see also Dahler v. United States, 259 F.3d 763,765 (7th Cir. 2001) (holding that Apprendi did not overrule Almendarez-Torres). Thus, under Almendarez-Torres, prior convictions need not be included in the indictment, regardless of whether the existence of the prior conviction increases the maximum term of imprisonment. Almendarez-Torres, 523 U.S. at 235. The trial judge did not commit error on this issue and Garcia’s Apprendi challenge to his sentence is rejected.