Afzal Beemath v. United States

Summary

The court affirmed the denial of Beemath's 28 U.S.C. § 2255 motion, concluding that the record did not require an evidentiary hearing on his ineffective-assistance claim. Even assuming counsel advised him that a good-faith defense was unavailable, that advice was not shown to be deficient under the circumstances, and Beemath could not establish prejudice because pursuing the defense and proceeding to trial would not have been rational given the evidence. The court also held that the district court did not abuse its discretion in denying relief without a hearing.