Court Opinion

ID: 26400
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2010-04-25 08:51:52+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T09:02:52.665120
License: Public Domain

IN THE UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS
                       FOR THE FIFTH CIRCUIT

                            No. 01-50862
                        Conference Calendar

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,

                                         Plaintiff-Appellee,

versus

JOSE CASILLAS-OROSCO,
also known as Jose Casillas-Ramirez,

                                         Defendant-Appellant.

                        --------------------
           Appeal from the United States District Court
                 for the Western District of Texas
                    USDC No. EP-01-CR-371-ALL-DB
                        --------------------
                          December 12, 2001
Before HIGGINBOTHAM, BARKSDALE, and STEWART, Circuit Judges.

PER CURIAM:*

     Jose Casillas-Orosco appeals the 70-month term of

imprisonment imposed following his guilty plea conviction of

attempting to illegally reenter the United States after being

excluded in violation of 8 U.S.C. § 1326.     Casillas-Orosco

complains that his sentence was improperly enhanced pursuant to

8 U.S.C. § 1326(b)(2) based on his prior exclusion following an

aggravated felony conviction.   Casillas-Orosco argues that the

sentencing provision violates the Due Process Clause because it

permitted the sentencing judge to find, under a preponderance of

     *
        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that this opinion should not be published and is not precedent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.
                         No. 01-50862
                               -2-

the evidence standard, a fact which increased the statutory

maximum sentence to which he otherwise would have been exposed.

Casillas-Orosco thus contends that his sentence is invalid and

argues that it should not exceed the two-year maximum term of

imprisonment prescribed in 8 U.S.C. § 1326(a).    Casillas-Orosco

acknowledges that his argument is foreclosed by the Supreme

Court’s decision in Almendarez-Torres v. United States, 523 U.S.

224 (1998), but 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), cert. denied, 531 U.S. 1202 (2001).    Casillas-

Orosco’s argument is foreclosed.    The judgment of the district

court is AFFIRMED.

     The Government has moved for a summary affirmance in lieu of

filing an appellee’s brief.   In its motion, the Government asks

that the judgment of the district court be affirmed and that an

appellee’s brief not be required.    The motion is GRANTED.

     AFFIRMED; MOTION GRANTED.