FI LED U. S . COURT OF AP PE ALS E L E V E N T H C IR C U IT M ar c h 22, 2007 T HOM AS K. KAHN CL E RK [ DO NO T P UB L I S H] I N THE UN I TE D STATE S C OU RT OF APPE ALS F O R T H E E L E V E N T H C IR C U IT

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________________________ D . C . D ocketN o. 90 -002 71 -C R -T -N U N I T E D S T A T E S O F A M E R I C A , P la in tif f - A p p e lle e , v ersu s A L J O S E P H F E L D E R , S R ., D e f e n d a n t- A p p e lla n t.

________________________ A pp ea l fr om the U ni t ed S t at es D i stri ctC ou rt f o rth e M i d d l e D i s tr i c to f A l ab a ma

_________________________ ( M ar c h 22, 2007) B efo re W IL S O N , P R Y O R an d F A Y , C i rcu i tJu d g es. P E R C U R I A M:2

A l J o s e p h F e ld e r , S r ., w h o w a s c o n v ic te d o f tw o c o u n ts o f

p o s s e s s io n w ith the i nt e ntt o di s tr i but e c oc a i ne a nd one c ountof us i ng a nd c a rry i ng f

i r e a rm s dur i ng an d in re lati o n to th e c o m m issio n o f d ru g o ff en se s, ap p ea ls th e d istrict co u rt’s de ni a l of hi s pr o s e pos t - c onvi c t i on m ot i on t o di s m i s s hi s i ndi c tm e nt . F orthe r e a s o n s d i s c u s s e d mo r e f u l l y b e l o w , w e a f

f i rm. M or e tha n 14 y e a r s a f

t e rthi s C ourta f

f i rm e d F e l de r ’ s c onvi c t i ons a nd s e n t e n c e , a n d o v e r1 3 y e a r s a f t e rth e S u p r e m e C o u rtd e n i e d c e rt i o r a r i r e v i e w, F el der f i l ed a m ot i on t o d i sm i ss hi s i nd i ctm ent , ar gu i ng thatthe i nd i ctm entfa i l ed t o charge the offens e of m anufacturi ng and d i stri bu t i ng coca i ne. T he di stri ctcourt d e n i e d w i th o u to p i n i o n th e mo t i o n t o d i s mi s s th e i n d i c tme n t . D u r i n g th e s a me t i m e a s F e l de rf

i l e d the i ns t a ntm ot i on, he a l s o ha d f i l e d a28 U . S . C . § 2255 pet i t i on i n the di stri ctcourt . T he di stri ctcourtgrant ed i n p artand d eni ed i n p art Fe l d e r ’ s § 2 2 5 5 p e t i t i o n b e c au s e Fe l d e rw a s a c tu a l l y i n n o c e n to f th e f i r e a rms char ge, bu thi s r em ai ni ng § 2 25 5 cl ai m s w er e unt i m el y. T hi s C ou rtdeni ed F el der ac e rtif ic a te o f ap p e a lab ility ( “C O A ” ) o n S e p te m b e r5 , 2 0 0 6 . O n app ea l , F el der i dent i fi es no source of subj ec tm att erj uri sdi ct i on that w o u ld h a v e e m p o w e r e d th e d is tr ic t c o u rt to c o n s id e rth e m e r its o f h is m o tio n to di s m i s s the i ndi c tm e nt . H e ne ve rthe l e s s a r gue s tha thi s i ndi c tm e ntw a s de f e c t i ve be c aus e i tf

a i l e d t o c ha r ge hi m w i th the c r i m e s of di s tr i but i ng a nd m a nuf a c tur i ng3

c oc a i ne . H e a s s e rt s tha thi s of f e ns e c onduc ts upport e d ac ha r ge of di s tr i but i ng a nd m a n u f a c tu r in g c o c a in e , a n d , th u s , h is in d ic tm e n t s h o u ld h a v e c h a r g e d h im w ith thos e c r i m e s . H e the r e f or e c onc l ude s tha t , be c aus e hi s i ndi c tm e ntw a s de f e c t i ve f o rf a i l u r e t o c h a r g e a n o f

f e n s e , th a td e f

e c ts tr i p p e d th e c o u rto f j u r i s d i c t i o n . He c ont e nds tha thi s a l l e ga t i on of aj ur i s di c t i ona l de f

e c ti n the i ndi c tm e ntc oul d ha ve b e e n r a is e d a t a n y tim e . F e ld e ra ls o m a k e s ar g u m e n ts r e g a r d in g p r o c e d u r a l d e f au lt a n d s ta te s th a t th e c o u rt’s ru lin g in h is h ab e a s p r o c e e d in g w a s e rr o n e o u s . A di s tr i c tc ourt ’ s s ubj e c tm a tt e rj ur i s di c t i on “ i s aque s t i on of l a w a nd, the r e f or e , s ubj e c tt o de novo r e vi e w . ” U ni t e d S t a t e s v. P e r e z , 956 F . 2d 1098, 1101 ( 11th C i r . 1992) . G e ne r a l l y , am ot i on a l l e gi ng ade f e c ti n a n i ndi c tm e ntm us tbe fi l ed pre-tri al , “ bu tatany t i m e w hi l e the ca se i s pendi ng , the courtm ayheara cl ai m thatthe i nd i ctm ent. . . fa i l s t o i nv ok e the court ’ s j uri sdi ct i on or t o st at e an o f f e n s e .” F e d .R .C r im .P . 1 2 ( b ) ( 3 ) ( B ) . I n F e ld e r ’s c a s e , h e f ile d h is m o tio n to di sm i ss hi s i nd i ctm ent14 ye ar s a ft erw e had aff i rm ed hi s c on vi ct i on s, and 1 3 years a f t e rth e Su p r e me Co u rtd e n i e d c e rt i o r a r i r e v i e w . Fe l d e rv . U n i t e d St a t e s , 5 1 0 U . S. 882, 114 S . C t . 228, 126 L . E d. 2d 183 ( 1993) . T hus , F e l de r ’ s c a s e w a s not “p e n d in g ” w ith in th e m e a n in g o f R u le 1 2 ( b ) ( 3 ) ( B ) w h e n h e f ile d h is m o tio n to di s m i s s , a nd the di s tr i c tc ourtpr ope r l y de ni e d the m ot i on be c aus e i tw a s w i thout s ubj e c tm a tt e rj ur i s di c t i on t o e nt e rt a i n i t . S e e U ni t e d S t a t e s v. P a tt on, 309 F . 3d4

1093, 1094 ( 8th C i r . 2002) ( hol di ng tha tdi s tr i c tc ourtc orr e c t l y de ni e d a po st -c on vi ct i on m ot i on t o d i sm i ss an i nd i ctm entw here the defendant ’ s c as e that le d to h is c o n v ic tio n a n d s e n te n c e w a s n o lo n g e rp e n d in g ) . M o r e o v e r , F e ld e r ’s § 2 2 5 5 p e titio n w a s p e n d in g a t th e tim e h e f ile d h is m ot i on t o di s m i s s hi s i ndi c tm e nt , a nd tha tpe t i t i on ha s s i nc e be e n de ni e d by the di stri ctcourtand w e dec l i ned t o g ranta C O A . T hu s, t o the ext entthatF el der r a i s e s i n the i ns t a ntappe a l a r gum e nt s c onc e rni ng hi s § 2255 pr oc e e di ngs , he i m pr ope r l y ha s a tt e m pt e d t o c i r c um ve ntf e de r a l habe a s r e qui r e m e nt s . S e e 28 U . S . C . § 2 25 5, cr oss- re fe re nci ng 28 U . S . C . § 2 24 4 (re qu i ri ng that , before an appl i c a ntm a y f

i l e as e c ond ors uc c e s s i ve § 2255 pe t i t i on i n the di s tr i c tc ourt , the appl i cantm ustm ov e the courtof appeal s f or an order autho ri zi ng the di stri ctcourt t o con si der s uch a m ot i on ). U pon r e vi e w of

the r e c or d, c ons i de r a t i on of the pa rt i e s ’ br i e f

s , a nd i n l i ght o f th e f o r e g o in g , th e d is tr ic t c o u rt’s d e n ia l o f F e ld e r ’s p o s t- c o n v ic tio n m o tio n to d is m is s h is in d ic tm e n t is AF F I RME D.