United States v. Bradley

27 M.J. 872, 1989 CMR LEXIS 189, 1989 WL 8685
CourtU S Air Force Court of Military Review
DecidedFebruary 1, 1989
DocketACM 27126
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 27 M.J. 872 (United States v. Bradley) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering U S Air Force Court of Military Review primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
United States v. Bradley, 27 M.J. 872, 1989 CMR LEXIS 189, 1989 WL 8685 (usafctmilrev 1989).

Opinion

DECISION

KASTL, Senior Judge:

Staff Sergeant Bradley was convicted by a military judge sitting as a general court-martial of larceny and housebreaking, violations of Articles 121 and 130, UCMJ, 10 U.S.C. §§ 921, 930. Before us, he raises two contentions:

I
THE APPELLANT WAS SUBJECTED TO SELECTIVE PROSECUTION IN VIOLATION OF HIS FIFTH AMENDMENT RIGHT TO DUE PROCESS AND EQUAL PROTECTION.
II
THE EVIDENCE IS INSUFFICIENT AS A MATTER OF LAW TO PROVE THE APPELLANT GUILTY OF HOUSEBREAKING.

I

The appellant claims he was singled out for prosecution in violation of his Fifth Amendment rights. He was part of a band of six Security Police thieves at Beale Air Force Base, California. When the Office of Special Investigations broke up the ring, they interviewed everyone. All but Staff Sergeant Bradley confessed their involvement; in contrast, he stood on his Article 31, 10 U.S.C. § 831 rights. Later, the other five received nonjudicial punishment. Staff Sergeant Bradley now claims that he was selectively prosecuted since: (a) he was the only one involved to receive a court-martial; and (b) his commander conceded on cross-examination that the “uncooperative” Bradley might have received nonjudicial punishment had he too admitted culpability.

We find that Staff Sergeant Bradley was not subjected to discriminatory prosecution; thus, his Constitutional rights were not violated.

Selective prosecution is seldom established:

To support a defense of selective or discriminatory prosecution, a defendant bears the heavy burden of establishing, at least prima facie, (1) that, while others similarly situated have not generally been proceeded against because of conduct of the type forming the basis of the charge against him, he has been singled out for prosecution, and (2) that the government’s discriminatory selection of him for prosecution has been invidious or in bad faith, i.e., based upon such impermissible considerations as race, religion, or the desire to prevent his exercise of constitutional rights.

United States v. Hagen, 25 M.J. 78, 83 (C.M.A.1987), quoting United States v. Berrios, 501 F.2d 1207, 1211 (2d Cir. 1974)(emphasis added).

Here, Staff Sergeant Bradley has failed to negotiate the first hurdle, the requisite prima fade showing that he was prosecuted when similarly placed individuals escaped. During this timeframe, his status was distinctive; he was the Security Police flight chief, assistant flight chief, or [874]*874security response team leader charged with protecting the areas in which his criminal activities took place. He was also senior to all others present. According to testimony at trial, his enterprise extended to stealing things and then calling others to advise that he had booty for them. Moreover, as his unit commander explained it, the accused had a greater culpability because it appeared he “took more.”

Significantly, Sergeant Bradley had “additional responsibilities as security flight chief and he had special privileges and special trust in that leadership role”, according to his commander. On cross-examination, the unit commander pointedly disagreed with the defense claim that appellant’s assertion of Article 31 rights inspired his court-martial: “No, that’s not the real reason at all. I see the real reason — that he was the flight chief, he was responsible for those men and women working.”

On the basis of the facts before us, we hold that there was no selective prosecution here. United States v. Pierce, 25 M.J. 607, 609 (A.C.M.R.1987); see generally Annot., 45 ALR Fed 732 (1988) (extensive gathering of cases). Simply stated, both the appellant’s heavy degree of involvement and his status were valid matters in considering whether to prosecute. See United States v. Schullo, 390 F.Supp. 1067 (D.C.Minn.1975) and United States v. Bell, 506 F.2d 207 (D.C.Cir.1974). True enough, the cooperation and willingness of some of the others to testify against the appellant may have earned them a greater degree of indulgence. See generally United States v. McCarty, 25 M.J. 667, 671 (A.F.C.M.R.1987). However, as appellate government counsel aptly puts it, this is “the time-honored manner of such things;” use of cooperative witnesses anxious to ease their own paths is an accepted and necessary practice. It does nothing to prove discriminatory prosecution, however. In sum, appellant simply has failed to meet the heavy burden of proof of selective prosecution. See United States v. Garwood, 20 M.J. 148, 154 (C.M.A.) cert. denied, 474 U.S. 1005, 106 S.Ct. 524, 88 L.Ed.2d 456 (1985).1

II

The appellant was charged in a single specification with housebreaking into both Buildings 1086 and 1029 at Beale Air Force Base.2 At trial, he pleaded not guilty vis-avis Building 1029 and guilty to the lesser included offense of unlawful entry as to Building 1086. After a detailed inquiry by the military judge, the appellant’s pleas to the lesser included offense at Building 1086 were accepted. Soon thereafter, the Government opted to: (a) litigate fully the matter of Building 1029; and (b) produce no further evidence as to Building 1086. True to its word, the prosecution offered nothing further as to Building 1086. The military judge — perhaps through oversight at the end of an extensively litigated trial— found Staff Sergeant Bradley guilty of the entire specification, thereby signifying he was guilty of housebreaking as to both buildings.

The appellant in essence argues two matters. First, he contends that it is impossible as a matter of law to hold him guilty of housebreaking as to Building 1086 since no evidence supports that crime. Second, the appellant urges that the findings of this Charge and its specification should be set aside. We agree with the first premise but disagree with the second.

We believe the crucial question posed is this: If they are not separately [875]*875stated, may an accused be found guilty of both a major offense and a lesser included offense within the same specification? We today answer that question in the affirmative.

Military precedent provides minimal guidance in this area. In United States v. Calhoun, 5 U.S.C.M.A. 428, 18 C.M.R. 52 (1955), the Court of Military Appeals first considered the permissibility of severing a single specification, thus finding the accused guilty of two lesser included offenses. Private Calhoun had been charged with robbery. He pleaded guilty to the lesser included offense of assault and battery and was found guilty of both that offense and wrongful appropriation. The Court first noted that robbery was among a small class of compound crimes, made up of two lesser offenses adding up to a single offense. Finding no rational possibility that the accused was wronged, the Court affirmed. Each member wrote separately.

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Bluebook (online)
27 M.J. 872, 1989 CMR LEXIS 189, 1989 WL 8685, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-bradley-usafctmilrev-1989.