United States v. Eades

455 F. Supp. 436, 1978 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 15963
CourtDistrict Court, D. Maryland
DecidedAugust 17, 1978
DocketCrim. No. B-78-057
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 455 F. Supp. 436 (United States v. Eades) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. Maryland primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
United States v. Eades, 455 F. Supp. 436, 1978 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 15963 (D. Md. 1978).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM AND ORDER

BLAIR, District Judge.

John Herbert Eades was indicted by the grand jury for the District of Maryland on February 7,1978. The indictment consisted of nine counts alleging that on three different occasions Eades had engaged in unlawful conduct on the grounds of the United States Naval Academy. Counts 1 through 4 related to an alleged sexual assault by Eades upon Lieutenant Irmeli S. Makela on January 28, 1978. Counts 5 through 8 related to an alleged sexual assault upon Donna Marie Esposito on February 4, 1978. Count 9 alleged that the defendant had entered upon the United States Naval Academy on January 30, 1978, for the illegal purpose of stealing items from a locker room.

On June 15,1978, four days prior to trial, defendant filed a motion to dismiss Counts 2 and 6 of the indictment claiming that the offenses charged therein could not properly be brought, as they were, under the Assimilative Crimes Act, 18 U.S.C. § 13. On June 16, 1978, the Government filed a memorandum in opposition to defendant’s motion. Because of the short period of time between the filing of defendant’s motion and the date set for trial of this case, ruling on the motion was reserved by this court and the case proceeded to trial on June 19, 1978. The jury returned its verdict on June 21, 1978, finding the defendant not guilty of the offenses charged in Counts 1, 4, 5, and 8 and guilty of the offenses charged in Counts 2, 3, 6, 7, and 9. Because the defendant was convicted on those counts he had previously moved to dismiss, it will be necessary for this court to rule on his motion.

Counts 2 and 6 of the indictment both charged the defendant with a third degree sexual offense in violation of Maryland law, Annotated Code of Maryland, art. 27, § 464B(a),1 pursuant to the Assimilative Crimes Act, 18 U.S.C. § 13. In his motion, defendant argues that the conduct charged in Counts 2 and 6 is made punishable by an enactment of Congress, to wit, 18 U.S.C. § 113(a), which proscribes, among other things, the offense of assault with intent to commit rape. Thus, defendant contends that since the conduct charged in Counts 2 and 6 is already covered by federal law, the law of the State of Maryland may not be employed by means of the Assimilative Crimes Act to charge the defendant with the offenses alleged in those counts. In short, defendant’s position is that the state law provisions upon which Counts 2 and 6 are ultimately based are 'inapplicable here due to the existence of the federal crime of assault with intent to rape. It bears mention that, in addition to the violations of Maryland law alleged in Counts 2 and 6, defendant was charged with the federal crime of assault with intent to rape in Counts 1 and 5. As noted earlier, he was acquitted of the assault with intent to rape charges but convicted of the third degree sexual offense charges.

The Assimilative Crimes Act reads:

[438]*438Whoever within or upon any of the places now existing or hereafter reserved or acquired as provided in section 7 of this title, is guilty of any act or omission which, although not made punishable by any enactment of Congress, would be punishable if committed or omitted within the jurisdiction of the State, Territory, Possession, or District in which such place is situated, by the laws thereof in force at the time of such act or omission, shall be guilty of a like offense and subject to a like punishment.

18 U.S.C. § 13 (emphasis added). Thus, by its very terms the Assimilative Crimes Act permits incorporation of state law only where the charged conduct is not made punishable by an enactment of Congress. See United States v. Butler, 541 F.2d 730, 733 (8th Cir. 1976); United States v. Clark, 267 F.2d 99, 100 (4th Cir. 1959). In Williams v. United States, 327 U.S. 711, 66 S.Ct. 778, 90 L.Ed. 962 (1946), a case heavily relied on by defendant, the Supreme Court interpreted the scope of the Assimilative Crimes Act. There the defendant was convicted of statutory rape under Arizona law as incorporated by the Assimilative Crimes Act. Under relevant Arizona law, a conviction for this offense could be had if the victim was under 18 years of age regardless of the existence of consent or the lack of force. 327 U.S. at 716, 66 S.Ct. 778. The comparable federal offense of carnal knowledge required proof that the victim was under 16 years of age, that force was used by the offender and that the victim had not consented. 327 U.S. at 715, 66 S.Ct. 778. Williams, a married white man, had consensual sexual intercourse with an Indian girl who was over 16, but under 18, years of age. 327 U.S. at 713, 66 S.Ct. 778. His conduct clearly fell outside the bounds of the federal statute and, as a result, he was charged and convicted under the Assimilative Crimes Act employing Arizona law. The Supreme Court overturned the conviction notwithstanding the variance of proof required between the state and federal statutes. In doing so, it said:

We hold that the Assimilative Crimes Act does not make the Arizona statute applicable in the present case because (1) the precise acts upon which the conviction depends have been made penal by the laws of Congress defining adultery and (2) the offense known to Arizona as that of “statutory rape” has been defined and prohibited by the Federal Criminal Code and is not to be redefined and enlarged by application to it of the Assimilative Crimes Act. The fact that the definition of this offense as enacted by Congress results in a narrower scope for the offense than that given to it by the State, does not mean that the Congressional definition must give way to the State definition. This is especially clear in the present case because the specified acts which would come within the additional scope given to the offense by the State through its postponement of the age of consent of the victim from 16 to 18 years of age, are completely covered by the federal crimes of adultery or fornication.
327 U.S. at 717-18, 66 S.Ct. at 782 (footnotes omitted).

Defendant contends that Williams bars incorporation of state law where federal law makes penal the generic act or type of conduct proscribed by the State. This idea that state law may not be employed when a federal statute makes punishable the generic conduct in question has been followed by at least one court. See United States v. Butler, supra, 541 F.2d at 735. However, it has not received universal acceptance. Other courts have held that the Assimilative Crimes Act prohibits resort to state law only where the “precise conduct has been made penal by federal law.” United States v. Big Crow, 523 F.2d 955, 958 n.4 (8th Cir. 1975), cert. denied, 424 U.S. 920, 96 S.Ct. 1126, 47 L.Ed.2d 327 (1976); United States v. Patmore,

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Bluebook (online)
455 F. Supp. 436, 1978 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 15963, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-eades-mdd-1978.