Moreno v. Snyder

44 F. App'x 688
Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit·Decided August 8, 2002·No. No. 02-5055·Published

Opinion

ORDER

Ines Frank Moreno, a federal prisoner proceeding pro se, appeals a district court order dismissing his petition for a writ of habeas corpus filed under 28 U.S.C. § 2241. This case has been referred to a panel of the court pursuant to Rule 34(j)(l), Rules of the Sixth Circuit. Upon examination, this panel unanimously agrees that oral argument is not needed. Fed. R.App. P. 34(a).

Moreno pleaded guilty in 1994 to possession with intent to distribute cocaine base. He was sentenced on November 1, 1995, to 40 years in prison, followed by five years of supervised release. Moreno did not appeal. He subsequently filed a motion to vacate sentence under 28 U.S.C. § 2255. The motion was denied on November 18, 1999, and, again, Moreno did not appeal. On March 4, 2001, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit denied Moreno’s motion under 28 U.S.C. § 2244 to file a second or successive § 2255 motion.

In his § 2241 petition, Moreno raised three grounds for relief: (1) he is actually innocent of 21 U.S.C. § 841(b)(1)(A); (2) the indictment was defective, lacking an essential element of the offense, and so his guilty plea was not knowingly or voluntarily made; and (3) § 841 is unconstitutional. In support of each of these issues, Moreno relies upon the Supreme Court’s holding in Apprendi v. New Jersey, 530 U.S. 466, 120 S.Ct. 2348, 147 L.Ed.2d 435 (2000). He further contends that § 2255 is an inadequate remedy because he filed his first motion to vacate prior to the intervening change of law announced in Apprendi.

[689] The district court denied Moreno’s § 2241 petition and dismissed the action with prejudice in an opinion and order entered on December 6, 2001. The district court based its decision on the rationale and legal authorities set forth in this court’s unpublished order, Perkins v. Thoms, 23 Fed.Appx. 256 (6th Cir.2001), cert, denied, — U.S.-, 122 S.Ct. 1557, 152 L.Ed.2d 480 (2002). In addition, citing United States v. Garcia, 252 F.3d 838 (6th Cir.2001), the district court concluded that Apprendi was inapplicable to Moreno’s case because he entered a guilty plea.

On appeal, Moreno continues to argue the merits of his grounds for relief and further asserts that the district court erred in failing to address the question of whether Moreno met the requirements for the “savings clause” in § 2255. See 28 U.S.C. § 2255¶ 5.

This court reviews de novo a district court judgment dismissing a habeas corpus petition filed under 28 U.S.C. § 2241. United States v. Peterman, 249 F.3d 458, 461 (6th Cir.), cert, denied, — U.S.-, 122 S.Ct. 493, 151 L.Ed.2d 404 (2001); Charles v. Chandler, 180 F.3d 753, 755 (6th Cir.1999). Review of the record in this case indicates that the district court properly dismissed Moreno’s § 2241 petition.

Pursuant to § 2241, a federal prisoner may bring a petition for a writ of habeas corpus challenging the execution of his sentence in the district court having jurisdiction over his custodian. Peterman, 249 F.3d at 461; Charles, 180 F.3d at 755-56. If, however, a federal prisoner seeks to challenge his conviction or the imposition of his sentence, he must file a motion to vacate under § 2255 in the district court in which he was sentenced. Peterman, 249 F.3d at 461; Charles, 180 F.3d at 755-56. Because Moreno’s petition constitutes a challenge to his conviction and the imposition of his sentence, § 2255, not § 2241, is the proper vehicle to employ.

Nonetheless, Moreno may be entitled to review of his claims under § 2241 if he is able to establish that § 2255 “is inadequate or ineffective to test the legality of his detention.” 28 U.S.C. § 2255¶ 5. The burden is upon the petitioner to prove that his remedy under § 2255 is inadequate or ineffective. Charles, 180 F.3d at 756. Moreno has not met this burden. It is well-settled that the remedy under § 2255 is not rendered inadequate or ineffective simply because a petitioner has been denied relief under § 2255, because he is procedurally barred from pursuing relief under § 2255, or because he has been denied permission to file a second or successive motion to vacate. Charles, 180 F.3d at 756. “The remedy afforded under § 2241 is not an additional, alternative or supplemental remedy to that prescribed under § 2255.” Id. at 758.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Moreno v. Snyder, 44 F. App'x 688 (6th Cir. 2002).

44 F. App'x 688 (Moreno v. Snyder) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

Related

Chester McCoy v. United States
266 F.3d 1245 (Eleventh Circuit, 2001)
Apprendi v. New Jersey
530 U.S. 466 (Supreme Court, 2000)
United States v. Henry Garcia
252 F.3d 838 (Sixth Circuit, 2001)
United States v. Darius M. Moss
252 F.3d 993 (Eighth Circuit, 2001)
In Re Michael A. CLEMMONS, Movant
259 F.3d 489 (Sixth Circuit, 2001)
Kevin Antonio Goode v. United States
305 F.3d 378 (Sixth Circuit, 2002)
United States v. Peterman
249 F.3d 458 (Sixth Circuit, 2001)
Perkins v. Thoms
23 F. App'x 256 (Sixth Circuit, 2001)
Quoc Thai Minh Thuy v. United States
534 U.S. 1032 (Supreme Court, 2001)