P u rsuan t t o 5 T H C IR . R. 47. 5, t h e courtha s det erm i n ed that t h i s opi n i on * shou l d n otbe pu bl i shed an d i s not preceden texcept u n der t h e l i m i t ed c i r c um s t anc e s s e tf

o r t h i n 5 T H C IR . R. 47. 5. 4. 

### INTHE UNI TED S TATESCOU RT OFAPPEALS

FORTHE FIFTH CIRCU IT

N o. 07- 10477 Su m m ar yC al endar
UN I TE D S TA TE S OF AM ERI CA P l ai n t i f f

- A pp el l ee

v. R O B E R T A M A C KAY , al so kn ow n as B ob M acka y, al so kn ow n as Fa t m an , al so kn ow n as Fa tB oy D e fe nda nt
- Appe l l ant

A pp ealf

rom t h e U n i t ed S t ates D i st ri ctC ou rt f or t h e N ort h ern D i st ri ctof T exas U SD C N o. 3: 04- C V

- 413 U SD C N o. 3: 97- C R

- 208- 1
B ef ore W IE N E R , C L E M E N T , an d P R A D O , C i rcui tJu dg es. P E R C U R IA M: * D ef endant

- A ppel l antR obe r tA
. M ac kay, fede r alpr i so ner# 03 473- 063,
a p p e a ls th e d is tr ic t c o u r t’s d e n ia l o f th e 2 8 U .S .C . § 2 2 5 5 m o tio n ch a lle n g in gh is gu i l ty p l ea con victi on an ds en ten ce for co n sp i ra cyto distrib u te an dpo sse ss w i th i nt e ntt o di st ribu t e 1, 00 0 ki l o gr am s o rm o r e o f m ar ij uana . W e g r ant e d a
c e r t i f i c at e o f ap pe al ab i l i t y as t o w he t he r M ac ka y’ s guil t y pl e a w as v al i d i n l i ght United States Court of App eals

Fifth Circuit 

### F I L E D Jul y 9, 2009 Cha rl es R. F ulb ru g e II I ClerkN o. 07- 10477

2 o f th e a lle g e din e ffe c tiv e a s s is ta n c e o f c o u n s e l th a t h e re c e iv e dre g a r d in gh is
se nten ci n g e xpos ure and w het hert he di st r i c tc our tabus ed it s di sc r et i on by d e c id in gth is is s u e w ith o u t c o n d u c tin ga n e v id e n tia r yh e a r in g . T o est abli sh that hi s att orney p erf orm ed i n ef

fect ivel y, M acka y m u stshow bo t h t hat hi s c o uns e l ’ s pe r f o r m anc e w as de f

i c i e nt and t hat t he def i c i e nt p e r fo r m a n c e p r eju d ic e dh is d e fe n s e . S eeS trick lan dv. W ash i ngt on , 4 6 6 U
. S. 668, 687 ( 198 4)
. To d em on st rat e def i ci en cy, he m u st show t h at “ coun selm ad e err ors s o s e r i o us t hatc o uns e lw as no tf unc t i o ni n g as t he ‘ c o uns e l ’g uar ant e e d t he d efen d a n t bythe S i xth A m en d m en t. ” I d. T o s h o w p reju d ice inth e co n te x t of a gu i l ty p l ea , M a ck a y m u st estab l i sh tha t “th ere i s a re a son a b l e p rob a b i l i ty th a t, butf orc ounse l ’ s er r or s, he w oul d n othave pl eade d gui l t y and w oul d have i n sist ed on go i n g to tri a l
. ” Hi l lv. L ockh art , 4 7 4 U .S
. 5 2 , 5 9 (1 9 8 5 ). H o w e v e r , a pri soner’ s al l egati on t h at he w ou l d n otha ve pl ead ed gu i l t y m u stb e reasonab l e. A rm ste a dv. S co tt , 3 7 F
. 3d 2 02, 2 10 (5t h C i r. 199 4)
. Afai l u re t o est abli sh ei t h er d e fic ie n t p e r fo r m a n c e o rp r eju d ic e d e fe a ts th e cla im
. S t ri c kland , 466 U
. S. at 697. A f

t eras sum i ng arg ue ndothatc o uns e lha d p r o vi de d d ef i ci en tperf

orm an ce w ith re s p e c t t o a d v is in g M a c k a y o f h is s e n te n c in ge x p o s u r e fo rp le a d in gg u ilty ., h ow ever, t h e di st ri ct court h el d t h at M acka y h ad n ot est abli shed p reju d ic e be c aus e he ha d no ts ho w n t hatt he r e w as a r e as o nab l e pr o ba bil i t y t hat , a tt he tim e o f h is p le a , h e w o u ldh a v e p r o c e e d e dt o t r ia l in t h e a b s e n c e o f th e a lle g e d ly
erroneou s ad vi ce of

coun sel
. M acka y, w h o i s r epresented bycoun sel , onl y argu es ge ne r al l y t hathi s a f f i da vit , hi s c o uns e l ’ s a f f i da vit , a nd t he r e m ar ks e ac h m ad e at s en t enc i ng s ho w t hat he w o ul d no t hav e pr o c e e de d t o t r i al had he no tbeen
a ssu red tha t he w ou l d rece ive a sen ten ce of 12 1 to 15 1 m on th s of i m p ri son m en t.
M acka y h as provi ded no d i rectevi den ce t h at he w ou l d n otha v e pl ead ed g u iltyif h e h a d k n o w n th a t h is s e n te n c e w a s n o t lim ite d in th is m a n n e rb yh is pl e a. Rat he r , t he e vi de nc e i n t he r e c o r d s upp o r t s t he c o nt r ar y c o nc l us i o n. TheN o. 07- 10477

3 l an gu age of

t h e pl ea agreem en ti s c l ear tha tn o representat i on s orprom i ses w ere m ade a s t o t he s ent ence to b e i m p os ed. Add i t i onal l y, he w as adm oni she d at
re a rr a ig n m e n t th a t se n te n ce co u ldb e im p o se dfro m ten y e a rs to life i m pri sonm en t , an d he respond ed nega t ivel y t o t h e court’ s specif ic inqu i ry w het her anyone had m ade pro m i se s t o hi m as t o t he se nt enc e t hat w ou l d be im p o s e d
. S ee Un i t ed S t ate s v. Cervantes , 132 F. 3d 1 1 0 6 , 1110 ( 5t h C i r . 1998) (h o ld in gth e re is astr o n gp re su m p tion o f ve rityforso lem n d e cla ra tion s in co u rt). M o reover, despi t e vi gorousl y pu rsui n g a m ot i on t o w i t h draw hi s gui l t y pl ea based on an al l eged breach of t h e pl ea agreem e n t w it h res pect t o f orf ei t ed p rop erty , M a ck a y fa i l ed to ch a l l en ge th e al l eg ed b rea ch w i th res p e c t to
s e n te n c in ge x p o s u r e d e s p ite th e fa c t t h a t t h e P S R lis te dth e a p p lic a b le gu i del i n es r an ge as 360 m on t h s t o l i fe i m pri sonm en t
. A l t h ou gh t h is fai l u re cou l dbe attrib u tedto cou n sel, M a ck a y’ s ow n com m en ts at sen ten ci n g failto sho w t hatt he go ver nm ent had pro m i se d hi m a 10

- years ent enc e. Acc or di ngl y, M ac kay has nots how n th a t th e di st r i c tc our ter r ed i n denyi ng hi s i nef fec t ive a s s is ta n c e cla im
. S ee St r i c kland , 4 6 6 U .S . a t 6 9 7 ; Uni t e d St at e s v . St umpf , 827 F. 2d 1027, 1030 ( 5t h C i r . 1987)
. In l i gh tof

t h e bu l k of

t h e evi den ce, M ac kay’ s gener al i ze d as se r t i ons t hat h e w ou l d h a v e proceeded to t ri alare i n suff i ci en tt o est abli sh that t h e di st ri ct c o ur ta bus e d it s di s c r e t i o n b y de c l i ni ng t o c o nduc ta n e vi de nt i ar y he ar i ng o n t he
v a l i d i tyo f th e p le a . S ee Cervantes , 1 3 2 F .3 da t 1 1 1 0 ; Uni t e d St at e s v . W alke r , 68 F. 3d 931, 934 ( 5t h C i r . 1995)
. AF F I RMED.