United States v. Dillon

532 F.3d 379, 76 Fed. R. Serv. 954, 2008 U.S. App. LEXIS 13142, 2008 WL 2469408
CourtCourt of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit
DecidedJune 20, 2008
Docket06-30998
StatusPublished
Cited by55 cases

This text of 532 F.3d 379 (United States v. Dillon) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
United States v. Dillon, 532 F.3d 379, 76 Fed. R. Serv. 954, 2008 U.S. App. LEXIS 13142, 2008 WL 2469408 (5th Cir. 2008).

Opinion

GARWOOD, Circuit Judge:

Former Assistant City Attorney of New Orleans, Henry Dillon, appeals his jury trial conviction under 18 U.S.C. § 242 for depriving Sandy Carraby and Carolyn Carter of their right to bodily integrity under color of law. Dillon’s contentions on appeal are that there was not sufficient evidence to show that he acted under color of law when he sexually assaulted his victims, and that the district court abused its discretion in admitting evidence of two other alleged sexual assaults by him under Federal Rule of Evidence 413. We hold that the evidence was sufficient to support the finding that the charged assaults were under color of law, and that the district court did not abuse its discretion in admitting evidence of the two other assaults under Rule 413. We accordingly affirm.

FACTS AND PROCEEDINGS BELOW

Dillon was an attorney licensed to practice law in the state of Louisiana where he maintained a private practice. Dillon also served as an Assistant City Attorney (“ACA”) for the City of New Orleans. In the latter capacity, he was assigned, on a part-time basis, to prosecute minor municipal offenses and traffic violations in the local municipal and traffic courts on behalf of the City of New Orleans. These courts operate informally with most cases resolved summarily at arraignment. Defendants often appear unrepresented and resolve their cases directly with the prosecutors, who exercise substantial discretion.

I. Carolyn Carter

Carter met Dillon after being arrested in December of 2003 for a minor traffic offense. One of her friends suggested that she talk to Dillon to see if he could help her with her tickets because he was an ACA. She followed this advice and Dillon arranged for the dismissal of some of her pending tickets. On January 15, 2004, Carter returned to traffic court to address the remaining tickets pursuant to Dillon’s promise to fix them. That afternoon Carter learned that her son had been arrested on a municipal battery charge, and she sought Dillon’s assistance in securing his release from jail. Dillon told Carter to come, alone, to his private law office later that day to discuss her son’s situation.

Carter testified that she arrived at Dillon’s office around 9:00 p.m. Dillon then asked her to give him her son’s name, date of birth, and social security number. Dillon then called a state court judge to arrange for Carter’s son to be “paroled.” 1 After placing the call, Dillon told Carter, *383 “I told you I can make it happen.” At that point, Carter attempted to leave, but Dillon stopped her, began kissing her, and pushed her into another room. Once in the other room, Dillon told Carter that he knew “a lot of police officers and he [could] have anybody arrested” and that if she wanted her son out of jail she should “[q]uit acting like a baby.” Dillon proceeded to rape Carter. Dillon then told Carter to clean herself up, and she left his office. Dillon left her with the impression he could have her son re-arrested at any time. Carter did not report this incident until after she learned Dillon was arrested for attacking Carraby.

II. Sandy Carraby

On July 2, 2004, Carraby was arrested on municipal charges of lewd conduct and trespassing. She had previously been charged with possession of marijuana. Carraby appeared at municipal court on the lewd conduct and trespassing charges pursuant to a notice on November 30, 2004. According to local practice, Carraby was sent to discuss her case with Dillon because he was the ACA for the court to which her case was assigned. Carraby testified that when she went into Dillon’s office at the courthouse he asked her inappropriate questions about what clothes she was wearing when she was arrested and whether she had sex with her boyfriend. They also discussed Carraby’s state marijuana charge. 2 Dillon told her that she would have to take a drug test because of the marijuana charge, so she should come to his “other” office later that day to take the test.

At 1:00 p.m., Carraby came to Dillon’s office with her aunt, but when she went upstairs to his office, it was locked. As Carraby came back downstairs, Dillon arrived at the building. Dillon told Carraby to have her aunt wait in the car, and the two of them then proceeded to Dillon’s office. Once there, Dillon asked Carraby for her phone number, date -of birth, and social security number. He then placed a phone call. 3 After placing this call, Dillon approached Carraby and began kissing her. She attempted to resist and Dillon told her that nobody would believe her over him if she reported him because she had “lewd conduct on [her] record.” Then he forcibly held her down, pulled down her pants, and raped her. Afterwards, Carra-by testified that Dillon threatened her to keep quiet or else he would “come after me and my family.”

Carraby left Dillon’s office and drove home with her aunt. Once she arrived at her aunt’s house, she told her family that she had been sexually assaulted by Dillon. The authorities were notified and Dillon was arrested the following day. Carraby also underwent a rape examination that evening. During that examination, the nurse noted that Carraby was suffering from pain to her back and genital area but that the physical evidence of sexual activity was equally consistent with consensual intercourse as it was with nonconsensual intercourse.

III. Court Proceedings

On December 2, 2005, Dillon was charged in a two-count indictment with depriving individuals of their civil rights under color of law in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 242. Count one charged Dillon with de *384 priving Carraby of her bodily integrity by sexually assaulting her. It also asserted that Dillon’s conduct constituted “aggravated sexual abuse” that resulted in “bodily injury.” Count two similarly charged the defendant with depriving Carter of her bodily integrity by sexually assaulting her. It also asserted that Dillon’s conduct constituted “aggravated sexual abuse” that resulted in “bodily injury.”

Before trial, the government timely gave notice that it was seeking to introduce evidence of four other alleged sexual assaults committed by Dillon under Federal Rule of Evidence 418. Dillon objected that this evidence was substantially more prejudicial than it was probative, and therefore, should not be admitted according to Federal Rule of Evidence 403. On April 7, 2006, the district court issued its written Order and Reasons holding that it would admit testimony relating to two of the four prior alleged sexual assaults.

The case proceeded to trial and verdict.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

United States v. Anthony Red Elk
132 F.4th 1100 (Eighth Circuit, 2025)
United States v. Rider
94 F.4th 445 (Fifth Circuit, 2024)
United States v. Abundiz
93 F.4th 825 (Fifth Circuit, 2024)
United States v. Little
Fifth Circuit, 2023
Zailey Hess v. Jamie Garcia
72 F.4th 753 (Seventh Circuit, 2023)
United States v. Kelley
Fifth Circuit, 2023
United States v. Orange
Fifth Circuit, 2023
Tyson v. County of Sabine
Fifth Circuit, 2022
United States v. Martinez
Fifth Circuit, 2022
United States v. Nwoko
Fifth Circuit, 2022
Terrell v. Harris County
S.D. Texas, 2022
United States v. Gace
Fifth Circuit, 2021
United States v. Sims
11 F.4th 315 (Fifth Circuit, 2021)
United States v. Ashford
Fifth Circuit, 2021
Carol Lindo-Williams v. Albert Lindo
Superior Court of The Virgin Islands, 2021
United States v. Naidoo
995 F.3d 367 (Fifth Circuit, 2021)
(HC) Phea v. Pfeiffer
E.D. California, 2021

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
532 F.3d 379, 76 Fed. R. Serv. 954, 2008 U.S. App. LEXIS 13142, 2008 WL 2469408, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-dillon-ca5-2008.