People of Michigan v. Gregory Lamont Glenn Jr

CourtMichigan Court of Appeals
DecidedMay 10, 2016
Docket325640
StatusUnpublished

This text of People of Michigan v. Gregory Lamont Glenn Jr (People of Michigan v. Gregory Lamont Glenn Jr) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Michigan Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
People of Michigan v. Gregory Lamont Glenn Jr, (Mich. Ct. App. 2016).

Opinion

STATE OF MICHIGAN

COURT OF APPEALS

PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN, UNPUBLISHED May 10, 2016 Plaintiff-Appellee,

v No. 325640 Wayne Circuit Court GREGORY LAMONT GLENN, JR., LC No. 14-006694-FH

Defendant-Appellant.

Before: BOONSTRA, P.J., and METER and BECKERING, JJ.

PER CURIAM.

Defendant appeals by right his conviction, following a jury trial, of unauthorized access of a computer, MCL 752.795(a). Defendant was sentenced to two years’ probation. We affirm.

I. PERTINENT FACTS AND PROCEDURAL HISTORY

Defendant, an officer with the United States Customs and Border Patrol (CBP), worked at the Canada-United States border in Detroit, Michigan, during the relevant year of 2013. On January 11, 2013, Amanda Shovlin, with whom defendant had a personal relationship, crossed the border from Canada into the United States, but was detained for secondary inspection1 prior to entry.

Defendant was not at work that day, but returned to work on January 14, 2013. Video surveillance of the office, in addition to computer monitoring, revealed that defendant searched his TECS computer for Shovlin’s name contrary to CBP’s TECS use policy, which prohibited officers from searching for information regarding family members and close associates. The policy states in pertinent part:

1 Secondary inspection is a more detailed inspection process for people whose names have been flagged in the Treasury Enforcement Communication System (TECS) law enforcement database. The TECS database contains detailed financial, biographical, and criminal history information.

-1- Field Operations employees shall not engage in official business involving a family member or a close associate except in the limited circumstances described in 6.2.3 of this section.

* * *

Should circumstances arise in which no disinterested field operation employee is on duty and no supervisor on duty[,] a CBP employee is authorized to conduct business with close family or associates as provided under [sic] and list the management directive number.

Further, when an employee accesses the TECS system, a warning banner is displayed on the screen. The banner states the following: You are accessing a [US] off [sic] government information system which includes this computer, the computer network, all computers connected to this network and all devices and storage media attached to this network or to a computer on this network.

This information system is provided for US government authorized use only.

Unauthorized or improper use or access of this system may result in disciplinary action, as well as civil and criminal penalties. By using this information system . . ., you understand and consent to the following:

You have no reasonable expectation of privacy when you use this information system. This includes any communications or data transiting stored on, originated from or directed to this information system.

At any time, and for any lawful government purpose[,] [t]he government may monitor, intercept, search and seize any communication or data transiting, stored on, originated from or directed to or from this information system.

The government may disclose or use any communication or data transiting stored on[,] originated from or directed to or from this information system for any lawful government purpose.

You are not authorized to process classified information on this information system.

Defendant was convicted of unauthorized access of a computer contrary to MCL 752.795(a). This appeal followed.

II. BINDOVER

Defendant argues that he should not have been bound over for trial because the prosecution failed to present evidence establishing probable cause that he had violated

-2- MCL 752.795(a), and also that the statute does not even apply to the conduct of which defendant was found guilty—violation of an internal computer “use” policy. We disagree.

A. STANDARD OF REVIEW

We review “for an abuse of discretion a district court’s decision to bind over a defendant.” People v Hudson, 241 Mich App 268, 276; 615 NW2d 784 (2000). “A circuit court’s decision with respect to a motion to quash a bindover order is not entitled to deference because this Court applies the same standard of review to this issue as the circuit court.” Id. “An abuse of discretion occurs when the court chooses an outcome that falls outside the range of reasonable and principled outcomes.” People v Unger, 278 Mich App 210, 217; 749 NW2d 272 (2008). Furthermore, “[a] trial court necessarily abuses its discretion when it makes an error of law.” People v Waterstone, 296 Mich App 121, 132; 818 NW2d 432 (2012). However, “[t]he decision whether alleged conduct falls within the statutory scope of a criminal law involves a question of law, which this Court reviews de novo.” People v Noble, 238 Mich App 647, 658; 608 NW2d 123 (1999).

B. BINDOVER GENERALLY

To bind a defendant over to circuit court, the magistrate at a preliminary examination must “determine whether a felony was committed and whether there is probable cause to believe the defendant committed it.” People v Yost, 468 Mich 122, 125-126; 659 NW2d 604 (2003). Probable cause exists where the evidence is “sufficient to cause a person of ordinary prudence and caution to conscientiously entertain a reasonable belief of the accused’s guilt.” Id. at 126 (citation and quotation marks omitted). “In order to establish that a crime has been committed, the prosecution need not prove each element beyond a reasonable doubt, but must present some evidence of each element.” People v Redden, 290 Mich App 65, 84; 799 NW2d 184 (2010). Additionally, “[i]f the evidence conflicts or raises a reasonable doubt concerning the defendant’s guilt, the defendant should nevertheless be bound over for trial, at which the trier of fact can resolve the questions.” Id.

C. APPLICATION OF MCL 752.795(a)

Turning to the statute in question, MCL 752.795(a) provides the following:

A person shall not intentionally and without authorization or by exceeding valid authorization do any of the following:

(a) Access or cause access to be made to a computer program, computer, computer system, or computer network to acquire, alter, damage, delete, or destroy property or otherwise use the service of a computer program, computer, computer system, or computer network.

MCL 752.792 further provides the following relevant definitions:

(1) “Access” means to instruct, communicate with, store data in, retrieve or intercept data from, or otherwise use the resources of a computer program, computer, computer system, or computer network. -3- * * *

(3) “Computer” means any connected, directly interoperable or interactive device, equipment, or facility that uses a computer program or other instructions to perform specific operations including logical, arithmetic, or memory functions with or on computer data or a computer program and that can store, retrieve, alter, or communicate the results of the operations to a person, computer program, computer, computer system, or computer network.

(4) “Computer network” means the interconnection of hardwire or wireless communication lines with a computer through remote terminals, or a complex consisting of 2 or more interconnected computers.

(5) “Computer program” means a series of internal or external instructions communicated in a form acceptable to a computer that directs the functioning of a computer, computer system, or computer network in a manner designed to provide or produce products or results from the computer, computer system, or computer network.

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People of Michigan v. Gregory Lamont Glenn Jr, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-of-michigan-v-gregory-lamont-glenn-jr-michctapp-2016.