James Cromitie v. Attorney General United States
James Cromitie v. Attorney General United States
Opinion
BLD-087 NOT PRECEDENTIAL
UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE THIRD CIRCUIT ___________
No. 20-2810 ___________
JAMES CROMITIE, Appellant
v.
ATTORNEY GENERAL UNITED STATES OF AMERICA; DIRECTOR FEDERAL BUREAU OF PRISONS; WARDEN ALLENWOOD FCI ____________________________________
On Appeal from the United States District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania (D.C. Civil Action No. 4-20-cv-00991) District Judge: Honorable Matthew W. Brann ____________________________________
Submitted for Possible Dismissal Pursuant to
28 U.S.C. § 1915(e)(2)(B) or Summary Action Pursuant to Third Circuit LAR 27.4 and I.O.P. 10.6 February 4, 2021 Before: AMBRO, SHWARTZ and PORTER, Circuit Judges
(Opinion filed February 9, 2021) _________
OPINION* _________
PER CURIAM
* This disposition is not an opinion of the full Court and pursuant to I.O.P. 5.7 does not constitute binding precedent. James Cromitie, a federal inmate incarcerated in Allenwood, Pennsylvania,
appeals from the order of the United States District Court for the Middle District of
Pennsylvania dismissing his
28 U.S.C. § 2241petition. Because the appeal presents no
substantial question, we will summarily affirm the judgment of the District Court. See 3d
Cir. L.A.R. 27.4; 3d Cir. I.O.P. 10.6.
In 2011, Cromitie was convicted in the United States District Court for the
Southern District of New York on federal terrorism-related charges. He filed a direct
appeal, which was unsuccessful. In October 2015, in the Southern District of New York,
Cromitie filed a motion pursuant to
28 U.S.C. § 2255to vacate or set aside his sentence,
claiming ineffective assistance of counsel. The Court denied the motion.
In June 2020, Cromitie filed a § 2241 petition in the Middle District of
Pennsylvania challenging his 2011 conviction. He claimed, among other things, that the
federal government lacked jurisdiction to charge, convict, or detain him, a resident of the
State of New York. See, e.g., § 2241 Pet., ECF No. 1 at 9. Determining that Cromitie
had failed to show that a § 2255 motion would be inadequate or ineffective to address his
claims, the District Court dismissed the petition for lack of jurisdiction. See
28 U.S.C. § 2255(e).
This appeal followed. We have jurisdiction pursuant to
28 U.S.C. § 1291and
28 U.S.C. § 2253(a). We review the District Court’s denial of habeas corpus relief de
novo, but we review factual findings for clear error. See Vega v. United States,
493 F.3d 310, 314(3d Cir. 2007). We agree with the District Court’s reasoning and dismissal of Cromitie’s § 2241
petition. As a general rule, a federal prisoner pursuing a collateral challenge to his
conviction or sentence must do so by filing a motion pursuant to § 2255 in the court that
sentenced him. See
28 U.S.C. § 2255(e); In re Dorsainvil,
119 F.3d 245, 249(3d Cir.
1997). If § 2255 is “inadequate or ineffective to test the legality of his detention,” a
prisoner may resort to ' 2241, the general habeas provision, instead. See U.S.C.
§ 2255(e). But to do so, he must meet two conditions: (1) he must assert a claim of actual
innocence based on being detained for conduct that has been decriminalized by
intervening United States Supreme Court precedent, and (2) he must be barred from
presenting such a challenge via § 2255. Cordaro v. United States,
933 F.3d 232, 239–40
(3d Cir. 2019).
Cromite satisfies neither condition. He does not allege that an intervening
Supreme Court decision has decriminalized the acts for which he was convicted, and he
could have raised his claims on direct appeal or in his § 2255 motion before the Southern
District of New York. Accordingly, we will affirm the District Court’s judgment.
Reference
- Status
- Unpublished