Opinion ID: 2786699
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Venue for Fraud Claim

Text: Mr. Taylor argues on appeal the district court also should have considered his fraud claim against Jammie L. Bielefielt,7 who allegedly lives and works in Oklahoma and concealed her identity and position as the chief psychologist of the BOP to defraud Mr. Taylor into marriage in 1994. The district court correctly deemed venue improper for this claim. Mr. Taylor’s initial complaint states that he and Ms. Bielefielt married in Illinois. The complaint gives no indication she lived or worked in Oklahoma at that time or that venue in the Northern 7 Ms. Bielefielt’s name is spelled differently throughout Mr. Taylor’s filings; we spell her name as it appears on the caption. -7- District of Oklahoma would be proper for any reason. In subsequent filings, Mr. Taylor suggests Ms. Bielefielt may currently work for the BOP in Oklahoma City and El Reno. But Mr. Taylor’s claim against Ms. Bielefielt arose from an allegedly fraudulent marriage performed in Illinois, and not from conduct in Oklahoma. And even if Ms. Bielefielt currently lives in Oklahoma City or El Reno, both cities are in the Western District of Oklahoma, making venue in the Northern District of Oklahoma improper.8 See 28 U.S.C. § 1391(b).