Bruce Hermitt Bell v. United States

Petitioner Bruce Hermitt Bell, a federal prisoner proceeding pro se, appeals the district court’s denial of his 28 U.S.C. § 2255 motion to vacate his sentence. Bell’s § 2255 motion claims his trial and appellate counsel were both ineffective as to how they handled the selection of juror Fran Milarsky at his criminal trial. After review, we affirm. 1

I. BACKGROUND

A. Trial and Direct Appeal

Petitioner Bell and his cousin, Anthony Bell, were tried together on charges of (1) conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute 50 grams or more of crack cocaine, and (2) possession with intent to…