Filed: Aug. 18, 2005
Latest Update: Feb. 21, 2020
Summary: United States Court of Appeals Fifth Circuit F I L E D IN THE UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE FIFTH CIRCUIT August 17, 2005 Charles R. Fulbruge III Clerk No. 04-20366 Conference Calendar UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, Plaintiff-Appellee, versus RAMON ARTURO COLATOS-RIVAS, also known as Ramon Rivas Colatos-Rivas, also known as Ramon Rivas, Defendant-Appellant. - Appeal from the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas USDC No. 4:03-CR-441-1 - Before BENAVIDES, CLEMENT, an
Summary: United States Court of Appeals Fifth Circuit F I L E D IN THE UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE FIFTH CIRCUIT August 17, 2005 Charles R. Fulbruge III Clerk No. 04-20366 Conference Calendar UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, Plaintiff-Appellee, versus RAMON ARTURO COLATOS-RIVAS, also known as Ramon Rivas Colatos-Rivas, also known as Ramon Rivas, Defendant-Appellant. - Appeal from the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas USDC No. 4:03-CR-441-1 - Before BENAVIDES, CLEMENT, and..
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United States Court of Appeals
Fifth Circuit
F I L E D
IN THE UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS
FOR THE FIFTH CIRCUIT August 17, 2005
Charles R. Fulbruge III
Clerk
No. 04-20366
Conference Calendar
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,
Plaintiff-Appellee,
versus
RAMON ARTURO COLATOS-RIVAS,
also known as Ramon Rivas Colatos-Rivas,
also known as Ramon Rivas,
Defendant-Appellant.
--------------------
Appeal from the United States District Court
for the Southern District of Texas
USDC No. 4:03-CR-441-1
--------------------
Before BENAVIDES, CLEMENT, and PRADO, Circuit Judges.
PER CURIAM:*
Ramon Arturo Colatos-Rivas (Colatos) appeals from his
sentence for illegal reentry following deportation. For the
reasons that follow, Colatos’s sentence is affirmed.
Colatos argues that the district court erred by
characterizing his state conviction for possession of a
controlled substance as an aggravated felony. He contends that a
prior conviction must qualify as a felony under federal law in
*
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this opinion should not be published and is not precedent except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. 04-20366
-2-
order to be an aggravated felony under the guidelines. Colatos’s
argument is foreclosed. See United States v. Hernandez-Avalos,
251 F.3d 505, 510 (5th Cir. 2001).
Colatos contends that Almendarez-Torres v. United States,
523 U.S. 224 (1998), had been undermined by subsequent Supreme
Court decisions and should be overruled. Colatos concedes that
his argument is foreclosed, but he raises the issue to preserve
it for further review. Colatos’s argument is foreclosed. See
United States v. Dabeit,
231 F.3d 979, 984 (5th Cir. 2000).
Colatos contends that his sentence is unconstitutional
because it was imposed pursuant to the formerly mandatory
Sentencing Guidelines. He contends that his sentencing under the
formerly mandatory Sentencing Guidelines was plainly erroneous
and reversible pursuant to United States v. Booker,
125 S. Ct.
738 (2005); that the Booker error was structural in nature, thus
excusing him from showing prejudice; that the Booker error was
prejudicial because his presentation at sentencing might have
been different had he known the guidelines were not binding, and
because the district court might have imposed a different
sentence after hearing a different sentencing presentation; and
that, even if the Booker error was not structural, it should be
presumed prejudicial.
Colatos’s contention is reviewed under the plain error
standard. See United States v. Valenzuela-Quevedo,
407 F.3d 728,
732-33 (5th Cir. 2005), petition for cert. filed (July 25, 2005)
No. 04-20366
-3-
(No. 05-5556). Colatos cannot demonstrate that the plain error
he has identified “affected the outcome of the district court
proceedings.” See
id. at 733 (internal quotation marks and
citation omitted). The district court rejected Colatos’s
arguments for a downward departure based on his criminal history
score overrepresenting the seriousness of his criminal history,
his childhood disease, his mother leaving him at an early age,
and his cultural assimilation. The district court assigned
reasons for rejecting those arguments, and none of the district
court’s reasons indicated that it might have considered a lower
sentence but for the mandatory sentencing scheme.
AFFIRMED.