Cloretha White v. William Taylor

Filing

Opinion issued by court as to Appellant Cloretha Lavern White. Decision: Affirmed. Opinion type: Non-Published. Opinion method: Per Curiam. The opinion is also available through the Court's Opinions page at this link http://www.ca11.uscourts.gov/opinions.

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[DO NOT PUBLISH]

IN THE UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS
FOR THE ELEVENTH CIRCUIT
________________________
No. 15-12853
Non-Argument Calendar
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D.C. Docket No. 4:11-cv-00312-MP-CJK

CLORETHA LAVERN WHITE,
Petitioner-Appellant,
versus
WILLIAM T. TAYLOR,
Respondent-Appellee.
________________________
Appeal from the United States District Court
for the Northern District of Florida
________________________
(January 20, 2016)
Before JORDAN, JULIE CARNES and FAY, Circuit Judges.
PER CURIAM:

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Cloretha Lavern White, a federal prisoner proceeding pro se, appeals
dismissal of her 28 U.S.C. § 2241 habeas corpus petition for lack of jurisdiction.
We affirm.
I. FACTUAL AND PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND
In 1996, a grand jury charged White with (1) conspiracy to (a) commit
carjacking, (b) use and carry firearms in relation to a crime of violence, (c) obstruct
commerce by robbery, (d) transport stolen goods in interstate commerce, and
(e) possess with the intent to distribute cocaine (Count 1); (2) carjacking with
intent to cause death and serious bodily harm (Count 6); (3) using and carrying a
firearm in connection with the carjacking in Count 6 (Count 7); (4) robbery of
Mayor’s Jewelers in Lakeland Florida (Count 8); (5) using and carrying a firearm
in connection with the robbery in Count 8 (Count 9); (6) possession with intent to
distribute cocaine (Count 11); and (7) transportation of stolen goods (Count 13).
Regarding the Mayor’s robbery in Count 8, the indictment alleged two of White’s
codefendants committed the robbery, while she was the getaway driver.
Concerning Count 1, the indictment alleged White and her codefendants used the
carjacked vehicles as getaway cars during jewelry-store robberies, then sold the
stolen merchandise to purchase cocaine. The indictment further alleged White and
a codefendant robbed at gunpoint the Maier and Berkele jewelry store in
Alpharetta, Georgia, as one of the overt acts in furtherance of the conspiracy.
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At trial, White was found guilty on Counts 1, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 13. Concerning
Count 6, the carjacking charge, White’s judgment stated she was convicted of
“carjacking resulting in death” and cited 18 U.S.C. § 2119, but it did not specify
the subsection of the statute under which she was convicted. R. at 154. White
received a sentence of life imprisonment for Counts 1, 6, 8, and 13, with a
consecutive sentence of five years for Count 7 and a sentence of 20 years for Count
9, to be served consecutively to the sentence for Count 7. White appealed and
asserted the evidence presented at trial was insufficient to support her convictions.
We affirmed.
White filed her first 28 U.S.C. § 2255 motion in March 1999; she asserted
several claims of ineffective assistance of counsel, two of which related to the
sufficiency of the evidence for Count 9, the firearm charge concerning the Mayor’s
robbery. She attempted to amend her § 2255 motion several times, but the district
judge denied her requests, because she repeatedly failed to follow the proper
procedure for presenting a proposed amendment. The judge denied White’s
§ 2255 motion. In discussing her claims regarding Count 9, the judge noted the
evidence of guilt was overwhelming and described testimony given at trial
regarding White’s involvement in the robbery of the Maier and Berkele jewelry
store. White subsequently filed a second § 2255 motion, which the district judge
dismissed as successive.
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White filed this 28 U.S.C. § 2241 petition in 2011 and challenged her
conviction and sentence on Count 6, the carjacking charge. White asserted she was
charged with simple carjacking under 18 U.S.C. § 2119(1), which carried a
maximum penalty of 15 years, but was convicted of and sentenced to life
imprisonment for carjacking resulting in death under 18 U.S.C. § 2119(3). She
further contended we misinterpreted § 2119 in affirming her carjacking conviction
on direct appeal.
In support of her claims, White cited Holloway v. United States, 526 U.S. 1,
119 S. Ct. 966 (1999), and Jones v. United States, 526 U.S. 227, 119 S. Ct. 1215
(1999). To satisfy the intent element of § 2119, Holloway held the government
need prove only the defendant possessed the conditional intent to harm or kill the
driver if necessary to steal the vehicle. Holloway, 526 U.S. 12, 119 S. Ct. at 972.
Jones explained § 2119 created three separate offenses with distinct elements that
must be proved to a jury beyond a reasonable doubt. Jones, 526 U.S. at 251-52,
119 S. Ct. at 1228. White stated she filed her original § 2255 motion before
Holloway and Jones were issued and subsequently sought to add claims based on
those cases, but the district judge refused to allow her proposed amendments.
Consequently, White argued she never had received a reasonable opportunity to
obtain a judicial determination on the legality of her conviction and sentence.

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White argued she was entitled to relief under § 2241 via the savings clause in
§ 2255(e).
White contended she satisfied the requirements for proceeding under the
savings clause, because (1) Holloway and Jones applied retroactively, (2) at the
time of her original § 2255 motion, we had an incorrect interpretation of § 2119,
and (3) Holloway and Jones demonstrated she was convicted of a nonexistent
crime and subjected to a sentence beyond the statutory maximum with which she
was charged. White also raised an actual-innocence claim concerning her
conviction for use of a firearm during a crime of violence in Count 9 of the
indictment. She alleged she did not use the firearm at issue in Count 9 or
participate in the related robbery and argued the judge in the § 2255 proceeding
relied on a different robbery in denying relief.
The government responded the district judge lacked jurisdiction to entertain
White’s petition, because she was ineligible to proceed under the savings clause.
White could not demonstrate her eligibility to proceed under § 2241, since the
savings clause does not apply where relief under § 2255 was unavailable as a result
of a procedural bar. Her motions to amend her initial § 2255 petition were denied
on procedural grounds: her failure to file a proper proposed amendment; therefore,
those denials could not serve as a basis for proceeding under the savings clause.

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The government further asserted Holloway and Jones did not apply
retroactively to cases on collateral review and did not establish White was
convicted of a nonexistent crime. Holloway had no bearing on whether White was
convicted of a nonexistent crime, because it merely clarified the intent required for
a conviction under § 2119. Similarly, Jones did not render the carjacking crime
nonexistent but clarified each subsection of § 2119 was a distinct crime. Finally,
the government contended White procedurally defaulted her claims by not raising
them on direct appeal.
The magistrate judge issued a report and recommendation (“R&R”) and
recommended White’s petition be dismissed. The magistrate judge first concluded
White’s argument regarding the § 2255 judge’s procedural treatment of her claims
in no way addressed her eligibility to proceed under the savings clause. Neither
Holloway nor Jones applied retroactively. The magistrate judge concluded
White’s claims being procedurally barred for purposes of a § 2255 motion did not
render § 2255 an inadequate or ineffective remedy, since White had not
demonstrated any of the requisite factors for proceeding under the savings clause.
Therefore, White could not bring her claims under § 2241.
The judge adopted the R&R over White’s objections and agreed she could
not proceed under the savings clause because Holloway and Jones did not apply
retroactively to cases on collateral review. The judge explained new substantive
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rules, such as decisions that narrow the scope of a criminal statute, generally apply
retroactively, while procedural rules typically do not. Jones was not retroactive,
because it set out a procedural rule regarding the manner of determining a
defendant’s guilt under the carjacking statute and did not restrict the scope of
punishable conduct covered by the statute. Similarly, Holloway was not
retroactive because it widened, rather than narrowed, the scope of § 2119, since it
allowed conviction where a defendant possessed only conditional intent to cause
death or serious injury. Consequently, the judge dismissed White’s petition with
prejudice for lack of jurisdiction. White filed a motion to alter or amend the
judgment, which the judge denied; this appeal followed.
On appeal, White contends the district judge erred in not allowing her to
amend her § 2255 motion, which prevented her from obtaining review of
meritorious claims. She also reiterates her arguments concerning her carjacking
and firearm charges, the retroactivity of Holloway and Jones, and her entitlement
to relief under the savings clause.
II. DISCUSSION
We review de novo whether a prisoner may bring a § 2241 petition under the
savings clause of § 2255(e). Bryant v. Warden, FCC Coleman-Medium, 738 F.3d
1253, 1262 (11th Cir. 2013). Collateral attacks on the validity of a federal
conviction or sentence generally must be brought under 28 U.S.C. § 2255. Sawyer
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v. Holder, 326 F.3d 1363, 1365 (11th Cir. 2003). Challenges to the execution of a
sentence, rather than the validity of the sentence itself, are properly brought under
§ 2241. Antonelli v. Warden, U.S.P. Atlanta, 542 F.3d 1348, 1352 (11th Cir.
2008).
The “savings clause” of § 2255 permits a federal prisoner, under very
limited circumstances, to file a habeas petition pursuant to § 2241. Sawyer, 326
F.3d at 1365. Under the savings clause, a court may entertain a § 2241 petition
attacking custody resulting from a federally imposed sentence if the petitioner
establishes the remedy provided under § 2255 is “inadequate or ineffective to test
the legality of his detention.” 28 U.S.C. § 2255(e); see also Sawyer, 326 F.3d at
1365. The fact the petitioner faced a procedural bar in her first § 2255 motion does
not render § 2255 inadequate. Bryant, 738 F.3d at 1272. The savings clause is a
jurisdictional provision; a petitioner therefore must show § 2255 is “inadequate or
ineffective” before the district judge has jurisdiction to review the § 2241 petition.
Williams v. Warden, Fed. Bureau of Prisons, 713 F.3d 1332, 1338-40 (11th Cir.
2013), cert. denied, 135 S. Ct. 52 (2014). The petitioner bears the burden of
demonstrating the § 2255 remedy is inadequate or ineffective to test the legality of
her detention. Bryant, 738 F.3d at 1262. An actual-innocence claim cannot open
the gateway to relief under the savings clause. Zelaya v. Sec’y, Fla. Dep’t of Corr,
798 F.3d 1360, 1372 (11th Cir. 2015). To proceed under § 2241, a federal prisoner
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first must show some procedural defect in § 2255 renders it inadequate to test the
legality of her conviction. Id.
When a prisoner has previously filed a § 2255 motion to vacate, she must
apply for and receive permission from this court before filing a successive § 2255
motion. 28 U.S.C. §§ 2244(b)(3), 2255(h). The restrictions on successive § 2255
motions do not render that section “inadequate or ineffective” within the meaning
of the savings clause. Gilbert v. United States, 640 F.3d 1293, 1308 (11th Cir.
2011) (en banc). Consequently, a petitioner, who has filed a previous § 2255
motion and been denied relief, may not circumvent the successive-motion rule
simply by filing a petition under § 2241. Id.
We first addressed the scope of the savings clause in Wofford v. Scott, 177
F.3d 1236 (11th Cir. 1999). In Wofford, we determined the savings clause applies
to a claim when (1) the claim is based on a retroactive decision of the Supreme
Court; (2) that decision establishes the petitioner was convicted of a nonexistent
offense; and (3) the claim was foreclosed by circuit precedent at the time it
otherwise should have been raised. Id. at 1244. Subsequently, we have recognized
the Wofford test is dicta as applied to challenges to convictions, because the
petitioner in Wofford sought to challenge his sentence, rather than his conviction.
Zelaya, 789 F.3d at 1370. Nevertheless, while acknowledging the Wofford test
may not be the only way to claim relief under the savings clause, we have
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continued to look to that test in determining whether a prisoner is entitled to relief
under the savings clause. Id. at 1371-72; see also Williams, 713 F.3d at 1341-44.
We further have stated the savings clause “at the very least, applies to actualinnocence claims due to a non-existent offense,” and moreover allows a petitioner
to bring a claim she erroneously was sentenced above the statutory maximum
penalty. Bryant, 738 F.3d at 1274, 1281.
The federal carjacking statute criminalizes the taking of a motor vehicle by
force or intimidation “with the intent to cause death or serious bodily harm.” 18
U.S.C. § 2119. The statute provides a maximum penalty of 15 years of
imprisonment for simple carjacking. See id. § 2119(1). Where serious bodily
injury results, the statutory maximum increases to 25 years of imprisonment, and
where death results, the defendant may be sentenced to any term of years, up to life
imprisonment, or to death. Id. § 2119(2)-(3). In Jones, the Supreme Court held
each subsection of § 2119 established a separate offense with distinct elements that
had to be charged by indictment and proved to a jury beyond a reasonable doubt.
Jones, 526 U.S. at 251-52, 119 S. Ct. at 1228. In Holloway, the Supreme Court
held the government need not prove the defendant had the unconditional intent to
cause death or serious bodily injury to satisfy the intent element of § 2119.
Holloway, 526 U.S. at 6-8, 12, 119 S. Ct. at 969-70, 972. The government need
prove, only at the moment the defendant demanded or took control of the vehicle,
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she possessed the intent seriously to injure or kill the driver if necessary to steal the
car. Id. at 12, 119 S. Ct. at 972.
When the Supreme Court announces a “new rule,” that rule applies to all
criminal cases still pending on direct review. Schriro v. Summerlin, 542 U.S. 348,
351, 124 S. Ct. 2519, 2522 (2004). Such a rule applies in limited circumstances to
convictions that already have become final. Id. New substantive rules, decisions
that narrow the scope of a criminal statute or constitutional determinations that
place certain conduct or classes of people beyond the government’s ability to
punish, generally apply retroactively to cases on collateral review. Id. at 351-52,
124 S. Ct. at 2522. These rules apply retroactively, because they carry the
significant risk the defendant has been convicted of “an act that the law does not
make criminal or faces a punishment that the law cannot impose upon him.” Id. at
352, 124 S. Ct. at 2522-23 (citation and internal quotation marks omitted). In
contrast, new procedural rules generally do not apply retroactively unless they are
“watershed rules of criminal procedure implicating the fundamental fairness and
accuracy of the criminal proceeding.” Id. at 352, 124 S. Ct. at 2523 (citation and
internal quotation marks omitted). In short, a substantive rule “alters the range of
conduct or the class or persons that the law punishes,” whereas a procedural rule
“regulates only the manner of determining the defendant’s culpability.” Id. at 353,
124 S. Ct. 2523 (emphasis omitted).
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The district judge did not err in concluding White failed to demonstrate her
eligibility to proceed under § 2241 via the savings clause. Regarding the firearm
charge in Count 9, White’s actual-innocence claim cannot open the gateway to
savings-clause relief, because she has not alleged any procedural defect in § 2255
that rendered it inadequate to challenge the legality of her conviction. Zelaya, 798
F.3d at 1372. White asserts she is factually innocent of the charge in Count 9; in
deciding her § 2255 motion, the judge erred in concluding the evidence supported
her conviction. White does not contend she was foreclosed from challenging her
conviction in Count 9 by binding circuit precedent either on direct appeal or in her
original § 2255 motion; she raised claims concerning the sufficiency of the
evidence supporting that charge in both her direct appeal and § 2255 motion. See
Zelaya, 798 F.3d at 1372; Wofford, 177 F.3d at 1244. Therefore, White “has not
been deprived of a genuine opportunity” to challenge her conviction as to Count 9.
Zelaya, 798 F.3d at 1372 (citation and internal quotation marks omitted).
White also did not show § 2255 was inadequate or ineffective to test the
legality of her carjacking conviction and sentence in Count 6. The judge correctly
concluded the procedural treatment of White’s § 2255 requests to amend had no
bearing on whether she was eligible to proceed under the savings clause, because it
did not pertain to any of the Wofford factors or otherwise demonstrate § 2255 itself
was inadequate to address her claims. See Zelaya, 798 F.3d at 1371-72; Wofford,
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177 F.3d at 1244. White’s reliance on Holloway and Jones is unavailing.
Holloway did not narrow the scope of § 2119 or place certain conduct beyond the
power of the government to punish; instead, it expanded the intent requirement to
permit conviction based on either a conditional or unconditional intent to cause
death or serious bodily harm. See Schriro, 542 U.S. at 351-52, 124 S. Ct. at 2522;
Holloway, 526 U.S. at 12, 119 S. Ct. at 972. Consequently, Holloway did not
establish a new substantive rule retroactively applicable to cases on collateral
review. See Schriro, 542 U.S. at 351-52, 124 S. Ct. at 2522; Wofford, 177 F.3d at
1244. At the time Holloway was decided, we had not opined on the correct
interpretation of the intent requirement of § 2119. Circuit precedent did not
foreclose White from raising a claim concerning the intent element of her
carjacking offense either on direct appeal or in her initial § 2255 motion. See
Zelaya, 798 F.3d at 1371; Wofford, 177 F.3d at 1244.
Jones similarly provides no relief for White. In holding each subsection of
§ 2119 created a distinct offense that must be charged in an indictment and proved
beyond a reasonable doubt, Jones altered only the manner of determining a
defendant’s culpability in a § 2119 prosecution. See Schriro, 542 U.S. at 353, 124
S. Ct. at 2523; Jones, 526 U.S. at 251-52, 119 S. Ct. at 1228. Jones is a procedural
rule and does not automatically apply retroactively to cases on collateral review.
Schriro, 542 U.S. at 352, 124 S. Ct. at 2523. Moreover, Jones does not fall within
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Schriro’s exception for the retroactive application of procedural rules. See id.
Jones simply applies to a particular statute the rule subsequently announced in
Apprendi v. New Jersey, 530 U.S. 466, 120 S. Ct. 2348 (2000), that any fact that
increases the penalty for a crime beyond the statutory maximum must be proved to
the jury beyond a reasonable doubt. See Jones, 526 U.S. at 251-52, 119 S. Ct. at
1228. We have held the rule announced in Apprendi does not apply retroactively
in the context of a § 2241 petition, since it is not a watershed rule of criminal
procedure warranting retroactive application. See Dohrmann v. United States, 442
F.3d 1279, 1281-82 (11th Cir. 2006). Jones likewise does not apply retroactively
and cannot supply a basis for White to proceed under the savings clause. Zelaya,
798 F.3d at 1371; Wofford, 177 F.3d at 1244. Because White failed to meet her
burden of showing § 2255 was inadequate or ineffective, the district judge did not
err in concluding she was ineligible to proceed under § 2241 via the savings clause.
Zelaya, 798 F.3d at 1373; Bryant, 738 F.3d at 1262; Wofford, 177 F.3d at 1244.
AFFIRMED.

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