LeBon v. United States

USCA1 Opinion




December 13, 1995 [NOT FOR PUBLICATION]
UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS
FOR THE FIRST CIRCUIT





____________________

No. 95-1634


PETER A. LEBON,

Petitioner,

v.

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,

Respondent.



____________________

APPEAL FROM THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

FOR THE DISTRICT OF MASSACHUSETTS

[Hon. Jose Antonio Fuste, U.S. District Judge] ___________________

____________________

Before

Selya, Stahl and Lynch,
Circuit Judges. ______________

____________________

Peter A. Lebon on brief pro se. ______________
Donald K. Stern, United States Attorney, and Christopher Bator, ________________ _________________
Assistant U.S. Attorney, on brief for respondent.


____________________


____________________





















Per Curiam. We have carefully reviewed the record and __________

affirm the district court's dismissal of appellant's 2255

petition without an evidentiary hearing.

1. Counsel's failure to subpoena Tina Pina's telephone

records was a permissible strategic decision which did not

constitute ineffective assistance of counsel. That Tina had

left in place a block preventing her from receiving

appellant's calls would have undercut counsel's spurned woman

strategy and would not have been particularly probative since

the jury might instead have concluded that the apology calls

occurred at a later time and that Tina had simply been

mistaken about the date.

2. Any error in introducing the nature of the

underlying felony conviction was harmless in view of Stefan

Pina's testimony concerning defendant's access to guns and

motive to possess one.

3. For the reasons stated in the district court's March

30, 1995 and May 23, 1995 opinions, appellant's claims of

prosecutorial misconduct do not warrant habeas relief.

Affirmed. ________













-2-