2010 D e c i sion s O p inion s of the U nit e d S t at e s C our t of Appe al s for the Thir d C ir c uit 3-18-2010 

# U SA v . G ary M c G ahee P r e c e de n t i al or N on-P r e c e de n t i al : N on-P r e c e de n t i al D ocke t N o . 08-3559

F o l low thi s a nd a dd it ion al work s at : http://d i git alc ommon s .l a w . vi l l a no va . e du/thir dc ir c uit_2010

Thi s de c i sion i s br ou ght t o you for f r e e a nd ope n a c c e s s b y the O p inion s of the U nit e d S t at e s C our t of Appe al s for the Thir d C ir c uit at V i l l a no va U nive r sity S choo l of L a

w Di git al Re posit or y

. It h as be e n a c c e pt e d for inclusion in 2010 D e c i sion s b y a n author i z e d a dmini s tr at or of V i l l a no va U nive r sity S choo l of L a

w Di git al Re posit or y

. F or mor e inform at ion, p le as e c on t a ct Be n j amin . C a rl s on@l a

w . vi l l a no va . e du . Re c omme nde d C it at ion " U SA v . G a r y M c G ahe e " (2010). 2010 D e cisio n s . P ape r 1696. http://d i git alc ommon s .l a

w . vi l l a no va . e du/thir dc ir c uit_2010/1696N O T P R E C E D E N TIAL U N I TED S TATES C O U

RT O F A P P EA LS F O R T HE T HIR DC IR C U IT N o. 08- 3559 U N I T E D ST AT E S O F A M E R I C A , A p p e lla nt. v. G A RY MC G A H E E , a / k / a C A S B A H S A L A A M, a /k /a C A S , a /k /a C UZ

O nA p p e al fro m t h e U n i t e d

S t at e s D i st ri c t C o urt fo r th e E a s te rnDi s tric t o f P e nn s y lv a n ia ( D . C . N o. 2- 03- cr - 00788- 001) Di s tric t Ju d g e : H o n . R o n ald L . B u c kwalte r S ub m i t t e d und e r T

hi r d C i r c ui t L A

R3 4 .1 ( a) onJ u l y16, 2009 B e f o r e : R E N D E L L , FU E N T E S and R O T

H , C i r c ui t J udge s ( O pi ni o n f

i l e d: M a

r c h 1 8 , 2 0 1 0 ) O P IN I O N RO TH , C i r c ui t J udge : T h e Un ite d

S tate s a p p e als f ro m th e Di s tric t C o urt’ s o rd e r v a c atin gth e c o nv

ic tio n a nd s e nt e nc e o f

G a r y M c G a he e . T he D i s t r i c t C o ur t ha d j ur i s di c t i o n unde r 1 8 U .S.C . §2

3 2 3 1 . W e hav

e j ur i s di c t i o n und e r 2 8 U .S .C . § 1 2 9 1 . T he di s t r i c t c o ur t f

o un d t hat M c G a he e ’ s t r i al c o uns e l pr o v

i de d i ne f f e c t i v e a s s i s t a nc e o f c o uns e l , w

hi c h i m pe l l e d t he c o ur t t o v

a c at e M c G a

he e ’ s c o nv

i c t i o n a nd s e nt e nc e unde r 2 8 U .S.C . § 2 2 5 5 ( a) a nd gr a nt hi m a ne w t r i al . B e c a

us e t he pa

r t i e s a r e f am i l i a r wi t h t he f

a c t s , we wi l l de s c r i be t he m o n lya s n e c e s s a

ryto e xp laino ur d e c isio n . F o r th e re a s o n s d isc u s s e d b e lo w, we will a f f i r m . T he go v e r nm e nt ar gu e s t hat t he di s t r i c t c o ur t e r r e d i n f i nd i ngM c G ahe e ’ s t r i al c o un s e l i n e f

f e c t i v e . W e r e v

i e w d e n o v o t h e d i s t r i c t c o ur t ’s d e t e r m i n at i o n t h at M c G a

h e e ’s c o uns e l wa s i ne f

f e c t i v e . See U ni t ed St at es v. M

c Coy , 410 F . 3d

124, 131 n . 1 ( 3d

C i r . 2 0 0 5 ) . U nde r t he f

am i l i a r s t a nda r d, a de f e nda nt m us t s at i s f

y t wo s t e ps t o e s t a

bl i s h a c l ai m o f i n e f f e c t i v e a s s i s t a n c e o f c o un s e l . “

F i r s t , t h e d e f

e n d a nt m u s t s h o w

t h at c o un s e l ’s pe r f o r m anc e was de f

i c i e nt .” St r i ckl and v. W as hi ngt on , 466 U . S . 668, 687 ( 1984) . T h i s r e qui r e s s ho wi ng t he c o uns e l ’ s r e pr e s e nt at i o n “ f e l l be l o w a n o bj e c t i v

e s t a nda r d o f r e as o nabl e ne s s .” Id . at 6 8 8 . “Se c o nd, t he de f e nda nt m us t s ho w

t hat t he de f

i c i e nt pe r f o r m anc e pr ej ud i c e d t he de f e ns e .” Id . at 6 8 7 . T

h at is, “ th e re is are a s o n a

b le pr o ba bi l i t y t hat , but f

o r c o uns e l ’ s unpr o f

e s s i o nal e r r o r s , t he r e s ul t o f t he pr o c e e di ng wo ul d h av

e be e n d i f

f e r e nt .” I d . at 6 9 4 . T

he go v e r nm e nt a

r gue s o nl y t he s e c o nd s t e p, viz. , p reju d ic e , o na

p p e al. T h e d i s t r i c t c o ur t d i d

n o t e r r i nf

i n d i n gM c G a

h e e p r ej u d i c e d

b yh i s c o un s e l ’s fai l ure t o ca l l al i b i wi t n esses t o t est i fy o nMcG a

h ee ’ s b eh al f. T

h e e v i d en ce ag ai n st3

Mc G a h e e c am e fro m G a

ryO l i v e r a n d G l o ri a H o ffm a n , b o t ho f w

h o m su ffere d

fro m no nt r i v i al c r e di bi l i t y i s s ue s . O l i v e r , am o ng o t he r t hi ngs , de l a ye d c o m i ng f

o r wa r d t o t he p o lic e , c h a

n g e d s to rie s a b o ut w h at h a p p e n e d o nth e n ight in

qu e s tio n , a

n d re c e iv e d s e nte n c in gb e n e fits b yd isc lo s in gM c Ga h e e ’ s n ame . A

n d Ho ff ma nh a d a ne xte n s iv

e c r i m i nal r e c o r d a

nd wa s c o nc e r ne d t hat s he wo ul d r e c e i v e a l o nge r s e nt e nc e i f

s he di d no t c o o pe r at e wi t h t he go v

e r nm e nt . T

he t e s t i m o ny o f

t he t hr e e al i bi wi t ne s s e s , o ne o f w ho m is ap o lic e o ff

ic e r, w h e nme a s ure d

ag ain s t O liv

e r’ s a n d Ho ff ma n ’ s qu e s tio n a

b le t e s t i m o ny, c o ul d hav

e be e n s uf

f i c i e nt t o c r e at e r e a s o na

bl e do ubt . See U

ni t ed St at es v. A g u rs , 4 2 7 U .S. 9 7 , 1 1 3 ( 1 9 7 6 ) ( “ [ I ] f t he v e r di c t i s al r e a dy o f

que s t i o na

bl e v al i di t y, a d d iti o n al e v

id e n c e o f r e lativ

e lymin o r imp o rtan c e might b e s u ff ic ie nt to c re ate a rea son a b l e d o u b t . ” ). S i m p l yp ut , a ft er wei g h i n gt h e c red i b i l i t yo f t h e t hree a l i b i wi t n esses ag ai n st O l i v

er’ s a n d H o ff m a n ’ s t est i m o ny , we a g ree wi t ht h e D i st ri ct C o urtt h at t h ere i s a r e a s o na bl e pr o ba bi l i t y t hat t he o ut c o m e wo ul d hav e be e n di f

f e r e nt wi t h t he t hr e e al i bi wi t ne s s e s ’ t e s t i m o ny. Ac c o r di ngl y, we wi l l a f

f i r m t he D i s t r i c t C o ur t ’ s o r de r .