United States v. Harvey
United States v. Harvey
Opinion of the Court
SUMMARY ORDER
ON CONSIDERATION WHEREOF, IT IS HEREBY ORDERED, ADJUDGED, AND DECREED that the judgment of said District Court be and it hereby is AFFIRMED.
Defendant-Appellant Venus Alexandra Harvey appeals from May 19, 2000 judgment of the United States District Court
On appeal, Harvey argues that his conviction is unconstitutional because the indictment did not allege that he had been convicted of an aggravated felony prior to his illegal reentry into the country. Because this fact was not alleged in the indictment, Harvey contends that his sentence was increased based upon a fact not charged in the indictment, in violation of Apprendi v. New Jersey, 530 U.S. 466, 120 S.Ct. 2348, 147 L.Ed.2d 435 (2000). Harvey argues that the court should have sentenced him according to 8 U.S.C. § 1326(a), for reentry absent a prior conviction for an aggravated felony, which carries a two year maximum, not according to 8 U.S.C. § 1326(b), for reentry after a prior conviction for an aggravated felony, which carries a twenty year maximum.
The Supreme Court rejected this argument in Almendarez-Torres v. United States, which held that the aggravated felony requirement of § 1326(b) is a sentencing enhancement, not an element, and that subsections (a) and (b) do not establish two separate crimes. 523 U.S. 224, 118 S.Ct. 1219, 140 L.Ed.2d 350 (1998). Further, the Supreme Court specifically exempted prior convictions from the holding of Apprendi. See Apprendi, 530 U.S. at 490, 120 S.Ct. 2348 (“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.”) (emphasis added). Finally, the Second Circuit has held that the rule of Almendarez-Torres still applies post -Apprendi. See United States v. Latorre-Benavides, 241 F.3d 262, 264 (2d Cir.) (per curiam) (finding that the issue is “squarely governed by Almendarez-Torres and is foreclosed” and that Apprendi “carved out an exception that is applicable to violations of § 1326”), cert. denied, 532 U.S. 1045, 121 S.Ct. 2013, 149 L.Ed.2d 1014 (2001).
Accordingly, the judgment of the district court is AFFIRMED.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- United States v. Venus Alexandra HARVEY, also known as Joseph Brown, also known as Dixon Patrick
- Cited By
- 1 case
- Status
- Published