Orlando Rene Monie, Petitioner-appellant, v. J.m. Fitzpatrick, Respondent-appellee, 141 F.3d 1177 (9th Cir. 1998)

MEMORANDUM^* 

Orlando Rene Monie, a federal prisoner, appeals pro se the district court's denial without prejudice of his 28 U.S.C. § 2241 petition challenging his conviction in the Southern District of Iowa for possession with intent to distribute eighty-six kilograms of cocaine. The district court dismissed for lack of jurisdiction. We have jurisdiction under 28 U.S.C. § 1291, and we affirm.

Monie contends that the district court had jurisdiction under 28 U.S.C. § 2241 because he is incarcerated illegally in the Central District of California and because the Eighth Circuit refused to allow him to file a successive section 2255 motion. This contention lacks merit.

We review a district court's dismissal of a section 2241 petition de novo. See United States v. Pirro, 104 F.3d 297, 299 (9th Cir. 1996).

Monie is attacking the legality of his conviction, not the execution of his sentence. Accordingly, this section 2241 petition is construed as a section 2255 motion. See Tripati v. Herman, 843 F.2d 1160, 1162-63 (9th Cir. 1988). Because a section 2255 motion may only be brought in the sentencing court, the Central District court correctly dismissed for lack of jurisdiction. See id. at 1160.

AFFIRMED.