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United States v. Wesley, 07-7457 (2007)

Court: Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit Number: 07-7457 Visitors: 52
Filed: Dec. 21, 2007
Latest Update: Mar. 28, 2017
Summary: UNPUBLISHED UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE FOURTH CIRCUIT No. 07-7457 UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, Plaintiff - Appellee, versus JOHNNY LEE WESLEY, Defendant - Appellant. Appeal from the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, at Alexandria. Henry Coke Morgan, Jr., Senior District Judge. (1:97-cr-00382-HCM-2) Submitted: December 13, 2007 Decided: December 21, 2007 Before NIEMEYER, MOTZ, and SHEDD, Circuit Judges. Dismissed by unpublished per curiam opinion. Johnny
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                            UNPUBLISHED

                   UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS
                       FOR THE FOURTH CIRCUIT


                            No. 07-7457



UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,

                                               Plaintiff - Appellee,

          versus


JOHNNY LEE WESLEY,

                                            Defendant - Appellant.


Appeal from the United States District Court for the Eastern
District of Virginia, at Alexandria.    Henry Coke Morgan, Jr.,
Senior District Judge. (1:97-cr-00382-HCM-2)


Submitted:   December 13, 2007         Decided:     December 21, 2007


Before NIEMEYER, MOTZ, and SHEDD, Circuit Judges.


Dismissed by unpublished per curiam opinion.


Johnny Lee Wesley, Appellant Pro Se. James L. Trump, OFFICE OF THE
UNITED STATES ATTORNEY, Alexandria, Virginia, for Appellee.


Unpublished opinions are not binding precedent in this circuit.
PER CURIAM:

               Johnny Lee Wesley seeks to appeal the district court’s

order treating his Fed. R. Civ. P. 60(b) and Fed. R. Crim. P. 52(b)

motion    as    a   successive   28    U.S.C.   §   2255   (2000)   motion,   and

dismissing it on that basis.           The order is not appealable unless a

circuit justice or judge issues a certificate of appealability. 28

U.S.C. § 2253(c)(1) (2000); Reid v. Angelone, 
369 F.3d 363
, 369

(4th Cir. 2004).        A certificate of appealability will not issue

absent “a substantial showing of the denial of a constitutional

right.”    28 U.S.C. § 2253(c)(2) (2000).           A prisoner satisfies this

standard by demonstrating that reasonable jurists would find that

any assessment of the constitutional claims by the district court

is debatable or wrong and that any dispositive procedural ruling by

the district court is likewise debatable.              Miller-El v. Cockrell,

537 U.S. 322
, 336-38 (2003); Slack v. McDaniel, 
529 U.S. 473
, 484

(2000); Rose v. Lee, 
252 F.3d 676
, 683-84 (4th Cir. 2001).              We have

independently reviewed the record and conclude that Wesley has not

made the requisite showing.           Accordingly, we deny a certificate of

appealability and dismiss the appeal.

               Additionally, we construe Wesley’s notice of appeal and

informal brief as an application to file a second or successive

motion under 28 U.S.C. § 2255.            United States v. Winestock, 
340 F.3d 200
, 208 (4th Cir. 2003).          In order to obtain authorization to

file a successive § 2255 motion, a prisoner must assert claims


                                       - 2 -
based on either: (1) a new rule of constitutional law, previously

unavailable, made retroactive by the Supreme Court to cases on

collateral review; or (2) newly discovered evidence, not previously

discoverable      by   due   diligence,   that   would   be    sufficient   to

establish    by    clear     and   convincing    evidence     that,   but   for

constitutional error, no reasonable factfinder would have found the

movant guilty of the offense.             28 U.S.C. §§ 2244(b)(2), 2255

(2000).   Wesley’s claims do not satisfy either of these criteria.

Therefore, we deny authorization to file a successive § 2255

motion.

            We dispense with oral argument because the facts and

legal contentions are adequately presented in the materials before

the court and argument would not aid the decisional process.



                                                                      DISMISSED




                                     - 3 -

Source:  CourtListener

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