IN THE UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS
FOR THE FIFTH CIRCUIT
No. 00-41007
Conference Calendar
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,
Plaintiff-Appellee,
versus
ARMANDO TINOCO-RAMIREZ,
Defendant-Appellant.
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Appeal from the United States District Court
for the Southern District of Texas
USDC No. B-00-CR-122-1
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April 12, 2001
Before JOLLY, HIGGINBOTHAM, and JONES, Circuit Judges.
PER CURIAM:*
Armando Tinoco-Ramirez appeals the 57-month sentence imposed
following his plea of guilty to a charge of being found in 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.
Tinoco-Ramirez acknowledges that his argument is foreclosed
by the Supreme Court’s decision in Almendarez-Torres v. United
States, 523 U.S. 224 (1998), but he seeks to preserve the issue
*
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that this opinion should not be published and is not precedent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. 00-41007
-2-
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 ___, 120 S. Ct. at 2362; United States v. Dabeit, 231
F.3d 979, 984 (5th Cir. 2000), petition for cert. filed, (U.S.
Jan. 26, 2001)(No. 00-8299). Tinoco-Ramirez’s argument is
foreclosed. The judgment of the district court is AFFIRMED.