LISA G. WOOD, Chief District Judge.
Defendant Roy Anthony Pruitt ("Pruitt"), who is currently incarcerated at the Federal Correctional Institution Victorville in Adelanto, California, pled guilty in this Court to the charged offense of bank robbery, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 2113(a). On January 27, 2009, the Honorable Anthony A. Alaimo sentenced Pruitt to 78 months' imprisonment, and judgment was imposed on January 28, 2009. (Doc. Nos. 50, 52). Pruitt filed an appeal, and the Eleventh Circuit affirmed Pruitt's conviction and sentence by order dated September 9, 2009, which was issued as a mandate on December 3, 2009. (Doc. No. 74). Pruitt filed a motion to vacate, correct, or set aside his conviction and/or sentence, and United States Magistrate Judge James E. Graham recommended that Pruitt's motion be dismissed as time barred. (Doc. No. 89). The undersigned adopted this recommendation as the opinion of the Court over Pruitt's objections. (Doc. No. 92). The undersigned denied Pruitt's motion for reconsideration of the dismissal of his § 2255 motion. (Doc. No. 102).
Pruitt has filed a Motion for Clarification. (Doc. No. 99). In this Motion, Pruitt contends that the transcript from his sentencing hearing contains confusing statements on the part of Judge Alaimo. For example, Pruitt contends that Judge Alaimo agreed with the Assistant United States Attorney that Pruitt's federal sentence began on the date he was sentenced in this Court. Pruitt also contends that his attorney stated that he expected Pruitt's state sentence to expire while he was in federal custody. Pruitt further contends that Judge Alaimo stated his intention to request that the Bureau of Prisons ("BOP") make his federal sentence run concurrently with his state sentence. Pruitt asserts that it was Judge Alaimo's intention that his federal sentence run concurrently with his state sentence.
The Government's response to this Motion states that Pruitt's claim fell under the purview of 28 U.S.C. § 2241, which requires a petitioner to exhaust his administrative remedies prior to filing a cause of action in federal court. The Government also stated that a decision that a federal sentence is to run concurrently with a state sentence is left to the BOP.
Pruitt also filed a Motion to Correct Clerical Error Pursuant to Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 36. Pruitt's assertions in this Motion are essentially the same as those he set forth in his Motion for Clarification. Pruitt contends that Judge Alaimo "clearly and concisely state[d]" during the sentencing proceedings that Pruitt's federal sentence was to begin on January 27, 2009, (doc. no. 112, p. 2), yet the Clerk of Court failed to include this instruction in the written judgment or that Pruitt's federal sentence was to run concurrently with his state sentence. Pruitt avers that Judge Alaimo's oral pronouncement of sentence controls, which necessitates the correction of the contrary written judgment.
The Government responded to Pruitt's Rule 36 Motion. The Government asserts that Rule 36 motions are designed to cover minor, uncontroversial errors, not to make a substantive alteration to a criminal sentence, which is what Pruitt asks this Court to do. The Government alleges that Judge Alaimo did not orally order that Pruitt's federal sentence should run concurrently with his state sentence. Rather, the Government asserts, Judge Alaimo only requested that the BOP grant Pruitt credit beginning on the date of his arrest on federal charges and did not order this to occur, as Judge Alaimo recognized that the BOP is the entity with the authority to do so. The Government avers that there is no clerical error to correct. Pruitt filed a Reply.
Pruitt filed a Notice and Request for Expedited Ruling on his Rule 36 Motion, which was docketed as his Second Motion to Correct Clerical Error. Plaintiff also filed a Request for Submission of his Rule 36 Motion to the undersigned. The Government responded to Pruitt's Request.
Federal courts must "look behind the label" of an inmate's pro se motion and determine whether there is any framework under which his claim might be cognizable.
"[P]risoners seeking habeas relief, including relief pursuant to [28 U.S.C.] § 2241," must exhaust all available administrative remedies.
In
Inmates in BOP facilities must exhaust the BOP administrative remedies, as required by the Code of Federal Regulations, beginning the grievance process locally by presenting their complaint for informal resolution. 28 C.F.R. § 542.13. If informal resolution is unsuccessful, the inmate may seek formal review locally by filing a written administrative remedy request with the Warden at his institution. 28 C.F.R. § 542.14. If the inmate is not satisfied with the Warden's response, the inmate may appeal to the Regional Director. 28 C.F.R. § 542.15. If the inmate is not satisfied with the Regional Director's response, the inmate may make a final appeal to the Office of the General Counsel.
There is nothing before the Court which indicates Pruitt initiated, much less completed, the administrative remedies process before he filed his Motion for Clarification. As noted above, the requested relief in this Motion falls within the purview of section 2241. Accordingly, Pruitt was required to exhaust his administrative remedies prior to filing this Motion. Pruitt failed to do so, and this Court lacks jurisdiction to entertain his requested relief. In addition, once Pruitt exhausts his administrative remedies, the district of his conviction is the proper venue in which to file his section 2241 motion. 28 U.S.C. § 2242;
The BOP shall designate the place of a prisoner's imprisonment. 18 U.S.C. § 3621(b). The BOP, in its "sound discretion", can "designate a state prison as a place of federal confinement nunc pro tunc."
The undersigned notes that Pruitt filed a document with a staff member of the BOP requesting copies of his sentence computation sheet and information from his central file showing the date of his arrest by federal authorities. Pruitt was informed that he should write to this Court "for clarification as to whether his sentence was supposed to [con]current with the state sentence/order jail credit from time of arrest in 2007 because the court minutes are not clear to their intention (sic) and currently his J&C is silent to that intent making it consecutive." (Doc. No. 99-1, p. 1). Pruitt did not request nunc pro tunc relief pursuant to this document, as he claims that his state sentence was used to enhance his federal sentence. (
It is evident that Judge Alaimo made no oral pronouncement that Pruitt's federal sentence would run concurrently with his state sentence. The only statement Judge Alaimo made was that the Court would make an inquiry with the BOP as to the commencement of Pruitt's federal sentence. Even if this Court had jurisdiction to entertain the merits of Pruitt's claim, he is not entitled to his requested relief.
"After giving any notice it considers appropriate, the court may at any time correct a clerical error in a judgment, order, or other part of the record, or correct an error in the record arising from oversight or omission." FED. R. CRIM. P. 36. "Rule 36 may not be used `to make a substantive alteration to a criminal sentence.'"
As noted above, Judge Alaimo did not orally pronounce that Pruitt's federal sentence was to run concurrently with his state sentence. Thus, there is no clerical error in the written judgment to correct. Additionally, the relief Pruitt seeks is a substantive alteration, which is beyond the reach of Rule 36.
Pruitt's Motions (doc. nos. 99, 112, 117, 119) are