United States v. Gary William Minore, AKA Skip, United States of America v. Arthur Torsone, United States of America v. Prommateta Chinawat

FISHER, Circuit Judge.

In this appeal, we consider the significance of Apprendi v. New Jersey, 530 U.S. 466, 120 S.Ct. 2348, 147 L.Ed.2d 435 (2000), in a realm other than sentencing. Gary W. Minore challenges the validity of his conviction because the district court did not advise him during the plea colloquy that the government would be required to prove the amount of marijuana involved in the offense to the jury beyond a reason-, able doubt. Applying Apprendi in the context of Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 11(c)(1), we hold that before accepting a guilty plea, the district court must…