Case Explained: Summary Calendar Olamide Olatayo Bello Petitioner— v. Kristi Ciolli, Warden, Federal Correctional Institution Seagoville Respondent—

Court: United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit Filed: 2026-07-28 The Fifth Circuit denied Olamide Bello’s motion to proceed in forma pauperis and dismissed his appeal as frivolous. The court determined that Bello’s § 2241 petition, which challenged trial and sentencing errors regarding wire fraud and money laundering convictions, must be construed as a motion under 28 U.S.C. § 2255. Because only the sentencing court in the Eastern District of Texas has jurisdiction over such motions, Bello was required to satisfy the saving clause of § 2255(e) by demonstrating that unusual circumstances made it impossible or impracticable to seek relief in the sentencing court. The court found that Bello failed to raise a non-frivolous argument supporting this showing. Additionally, the court rejected his contention that the district court should have transferred the proceeding under 28 U.S.C. § 1631, noting that because the dismissal was without prejudice, he may raise his challenges by filing a § 2255 motion in the proper district. Consequently, the appeal was dismissed for lack of a non-frivolous issue, and Bello was warned that future repetitive or frivolous filings may result in sanctions. Do It For The Case Law is a news reporting service. Nothing in this episode constitutes legal advice.