FILED U.S. COURT OF AP P EALS E LEVEN T HC IRC U IT AUGUST 18, 2008 THOMAS K. KAH

N CLERK [ 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

________________________ N o. 08- 10459 N on -A rgum entC al endar

________________________ D. C. Do c k e tNo . 9 8 - 0 8 1 4 8 - CR - KLR 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 T E R R A N C E W E L L O N S , 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 orthe S outhe rn D i s tr i c tof F l or i da

_________________________ ( A u gu s t 18, 2008) B efo re D U B IN A , 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

T er ra n ce W ello n s ap p ea ls p ro se th e d istrict co u rt’s o rd erd en yin g W ello n s’s m ot i on t o d i sm i ss hi s i nd i ctm ent . W el l on s argues thatthe courtl ac ked subj ec t m a tte rju r is d ic tio n to try , c o n v ic t, a n d s e n te n c e h im b e c au s e th e r e w a s a“d e f e c t” in h is in d ic tm e n t. F o rth e r e a s o n s s e t f o rth m o r e f

u lly b e lo w , w e a f

f irm . I. G ener al l y, w e r evi ew a di stri ctcourt ’ s deni al of a m ot i on t o d i sm i ss an i ndi c tm e ntf

orabus e of

di s c r e t i on. S e e U ni t e d S t a t e s v. E va ns , 476 F . 3d 1176, 1 1 7 8 (1 1 th C ir.), cer t. d en ied , 1 2 8 S .C t. 1 9 3 (2 0 0 7 ). H o w ev er , a d istrict co u rt’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 re vi ew . ” U ni t ed S t at es v. P er ez , 95 6 F . 2d 10 98 , 11 01 (11th C i r. 19 92 ). A m o tio n a lle g in g ad e f e c t in a n in d ic tm e n t m u s t n o rm a lly b e f ile d p r e - tr ia l,

“ buta ta ny t i m e w hi l e the c a s e i s pe ndi ng, the c ourtm a y he a rac l a i m tha tthe 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 ff ense . ” F e d .R .C r im .P . 1 2 ( b ) ( 3 ) ( B ) ( e m p h a s is a d d e d ) . I n W e llo n s ’s c a s 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 nts e ve n y e a r s a f t e rw e a f f i rm e d hi s c onvi c t i ons a nd f i ve y e a r s a f

t e rw e a f f i rm e d the di s tr i c tc ourt ’ s de ni a l of hi s 28 U . S . C . § 2255 m o t i o n t o v acat e, setasi d e, o r co rrecth i s sen t en ce. S ee W el l o n s v . U n i t ed S t at es, 48 F e d. A ppx. 328 ( 11th C i r . 2002) . T hus , W e l l ons ’ s c a s e w a s not“ pe ndi ng” w ith in th e m e a n in g o f

R u le 1 2 ( b ) ( 3 ) ( B ) , a n d , th e r e f o r e , th e d is tr ic t c o u rt p r o p e r ly3

deni ed the m ot i on . S ee U ni t ed S t at es v. P att on , 30 9 F . 3d 10 93 , 10 94 (8th C i r. 2 0 0 2 ) ( h o ld in g th a t d is tr ic t c o u rt c o rr e c tly d e n ie d ap o s t- c o n v ic tio n m o tio n to di s m i s s a n i ndi c tm e ntw he r e the de f e nda nt ’ s c a s e tha tl e d t o hi s c onvi c t i on a nd se nt ence w as no l on ger pendi ng ). M or e ove r , a s m e nt i one d above , W e l l ons ha d a l r e a dy f i l e d one § 2255 m ot i on tha tw a s de ni e d by the di s tr i c tc ourta nd a f f i rm e d by us . S e e W e l l ons v. U ni t ed S t at es , 48 F ed. A pp x. 32 8 (11 th C i r. 20 02 ). T hu s, t o the ext entthat W el l on s’ s m ot i on coul d b e c on strued as a § 22 55 m ot i on , hi s m ot i on w as n o n e th e le s s p r o p e r ly d e n ie d b e c au s e W e llo n s im p r o p e r ly h a s a tte m p te d to ci rc um ventfe dera l habeas re qu i re m ent s. S ee 28 U . S . C . § 2 25 5(h), cr oss- re fe re nci ng 28 U . S . C . § 2 24 4 (re qu i ri ng that , before an appl i cantm ayfi l e a s e c ond ors uc c e s s i ve § 2255 m ot i on i n the di s tr i c tc ourt , the appl i c a ntm us tm ove the c ourtof

appe a l s f

ora n or de rauthor i z i ng the di s tr i c tc ourtt o c ons i de rs uc h a m ot i on ). In l i g h to f th e fo reg o i n g , th e d i stri ctco u rti s AF F I RME D.