Cameron v. United States

506 F. Supp. 2d 92, 2007 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 69085, 2007 WL 2660256
CourtDistrict Court, D. Puerto Rico
DecidedAugust 3, 2007
DocketCivil 06-1930 (JAG)
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 506 F. Supp. 2d 92 (Cameron v. United States) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. Puerto Rico primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Cameron v. United States, 506 F. Supp. 2d 92, 2007 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 69085, 2007 WL 2660256 (prd 2007).

Opinion

OPINION AND ORDER

GARCIA-GREGORY, District Judge.

Pending before the Court is a Motion to Dismiss filed by respondent Bureau of Prisons (hereafter “BOP”) and an answer *93 filed by petitioner Luis Hiram Ortiz Cameron (hereafter “petitioner”). Petitioner filed a complaint pro se, naming the United States of America, the United States Probation Office, BOP and petitioner’s pri- or defense counsel as respondents and seeking a court order for BOP to amend the use of the term “fugitive” in his pre-sentence investigation report. Petitioner served only the BOP with summons for this action. BOP moved to dismiss petitioner’s complaint under 12(b)(1) and 12(b)(6), contending that the Court lacks subject matter jurisdiction and that the complaint fails to state a claim upon which relief may be granted. The matter was referred to United States Magistrate-Judge Camille L. Velez-Rive for Report and Recommendation. Magistrate-Judge Velez-Rive indulged the pro se petitioner by applying the Fed.R.Civ.P. 8 standards leniently. She then construed the complaint as being argued upon two legal theories. First, a 28 U.S.C. 2241 habeas corpus action, and second, an action to correct petitioner’s pre-sentence investigation report under Fed.R.Crim.P. 32. The Magistrate-Judge issued a Report and Recommendation concluding that the complaint fails under either theory.

Petitioner timely objected to the Report and Recommendation. However, petitioner makes no specific objections regarding BOP’s motion to dismiss, nor to the Magistrate-Judge’s treatment of other issues. Instead, petitioner prays for the opportunity to amend the complaint and serve process on the other defendants. In light of petitioner’s stance as a pro se party, the Court will nonetheless exercise de novo review of the Report and Recommendation.

FACTUAL BACKGROUND

Petitioner was convicted by jury trial of conspiracy to distribute controlled substances on September 10, 1990. Petitioner alleges that page 4, paragraph 1 of the pre-sentence investigation report notes that petitioner remained a “fugitive” after a warrant was issued for his arrest. (Docket No. 1 at 2). On March 15, 1991, petitioner was sentenced in the United States District Court for the District of Puerto Rico to a term of 300 months and is currently serving his sentence in Yazoo City, Mississippi. (Docket No. 1 at 11).

On March 31, 2004, plaintiffs case manager, M. Figueroa, filed a request to the Regional Office stating that plaintiff was scored as a minimum security level inmate and an out-custody candidate. (Docket No. 1 at 25). Warden M. Pettiford denied both a primary request for transfer and subsequent request for administrative remedy on the basis of plaintiffs “fugitive” status noted on his pre-sentence investigation report. (Docket No. 1 at 29). After petitioner allegedly exhausted administrative remedies on September 19, 2006, he filed the instant complaint pro se.

DISCUSSION

A. Standard for Reviewing a Magistrate-Judge’s Report and Recommendation.

A district court may, on its own motion, refer a pending matter to a United States Magistrate-Judge for a report and recommendation. See 28 U.S.C. § 636(b)(1)(B); Fed. R.Civ.P. 72(b); Rule 503, Local Rules, District of Puerto Rico. Pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 72(b) and Local Rule 510.2, the adversely affected party may contest the report and recommendation by filing written objections “[w]ithin ten days of being served” with a copy of the order. 28 U.S.C. § 636(b)(1). The Court must then make a de novo determination of those portions of the report or specified proposed findings or recommendations to which objection is made. See United States v. Raddatz, 447 U.S. 667, 673, 100 S.Ct. 2406, 65 L.Ed.2d 424 (1980); Lopez *94 v. Chater, 8 F.Supp.2d 152, 154 (D.P.R.1998). The Court may accept, reject or modify, in whole or in part, the Magistrate-Judge’s recommendations. “Failure to raise objections to the Report and Recommendation waives [that] party’s right to review in the district court and those claims not preserved by such objections are precluded on appeal.” Davet v. Maccarone, 973 F.2d 22, 30-31 (1st Cir.1992) (citations omitted).

B. Petitioner’s objections to the Report and Recommendation.

Petitioner does not object to the Magistrate-Judge’s Report and Recommendation but rather argues that a ruling based solely on BOP’s response should not preclude all relief against other defendants. 1 Because the petitioner filed pro se, the Court looks to the Fed.R.Civ.P. Rule 72 standards leniently and reviews the Magistrate-Judges Report and Recommendation in its totality.

C. Motion to dismiss for lack of subject matter jurisdiction.

Petitioner seeks an order from the Court compelling BOP to discontinue the use of information in a pre-sentence investigation report. Petitioner contends that the use of the word “fugitive” in said report determines his custody and security classification. The Magistrate-Judge has properly reviewed this complaint as a Ha-beas Corpus petition under 28 U.S.C. § 2241. “The proper vehicle for attacking the execution of sentence, including the application of guidelines established by the Parole Board, is 28 U.S.C. § 2241.” U.S. v. DiRusso 535 F.2d 673 (1st Cir.1976). Under this analysis, the Magistrate-Judge correctly decided that this court lacks subject matter jurisdiction to entertain this case.

As stated in the Report and Recommendation, “[u]nder § 2241 motions must be brought before a district court which has jurisdiction over the prisoner or his custodian.” United States v. Glantz, 884 F.2d 1483, 1489 (1st Cir.1989). The court in Glantz

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
506 F. Supp. 2d 92, 2007 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 69085, 2007 WL 2660256, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/cameron-v-united-states-prd-2007.