United States v. Sydney Crandon ( 2023 )

USCA4 Appeal: 23-6111 Doc: 10 Filed: 12/04/2023 Pg: 1 of 2
UNPUBLISHED
UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS
FOR THE FOURTH CIRCUIT
No. 23-6111
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,
Plaintiff - Appellee,
v.
SYDNEY ANDREA CRANDON, a/k/a Brittany Banks,
Defendant - Appellant.
Appeal from the United States District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina, at
Raleigh. Terrence W. Boyle, District Judge. (5:19-cr-00296-BO-1; 5:22-cv-00213-BO)
Submitted: November 17, 2023 Decided: December 4, 2023
Before AGEE, HARRIS, and QUATTLEBAUM, Circuit Judges.
Dismissed by unpublished per curiam opinion.
Sydney Andrea Crandon, Appellant Pro Se.
Unpublished opinions are not binding precedent in this circuit.
USCA4 Appeal: 23-6111 Doc: 10 Filed: 12/04/2023 Pg: 2 of 2
PER CURIAM:
Sydney Andrea Crandon seeks to appeal the district court’s order dismissing her 28
U.S.C. § 2255 motion as untimely. The order is not appealable unless a circuit justice or
judge issues a certificate of appealability. See 28 U.S.C. § 2253(c)(1)(B). 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). When the district court denies relief on the merits, a
prisoner satisfies this standard by demonstrating that reasonable jurists could find the
district court’s assessment of the constitutional claims debatable or wrong. See Buck v.
Davis, 580 U.S. 100, 115-17 (2017). When the district court denies relief on procedural
grounds, the prisoner must demonstrate both that the dispositive procedural ruling is
debatable and that the motion states a debatable claim of the denial of a constitutional right.
Gonzalez v. Thaler, 565 U.S. 134, 140-41 (2012) (citing Slack v. McDaniel, 529 U.S. 473,
484 (2000)).
We have independently reviewed the record and conclude that Crandon has not
made the requisite showing. Accordingly, we deny her motions for a certificate of
appealability and to appoint counsel and dismiss the appeal. We dispense with oral
argument because the facts and legal contentions are adequately presented in the materials
before this court and argument would not aid the decisional process.
DISMISSED
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