United States v. Eckert

8 M.J. 835, 1980 CMR LEXIS 653
CourtU.S. Army Court of Military Review
DecidedFebruary 19, 1980
DocketSPCM 13867
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 8 M.J. 835 (United States v. Eckert) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering U.S. Army 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. Eckert, 8 M.J. 835, 1980 CMR LEXIS 653 (usarmymilrev 1980).

Opinions

OPINION OF THE COURT

GARN, Judge:

Specialist Eckert was convicted, in accordance with his pleas of guilty, of a specification properly alleging the willful and unlawful destruction of a public record, a specification construed by the military judge as alleging attempted graft, and two [836]*836specifications construed by the military judge as alleging graft. He was sentenced by the members of a court-martial to be discharged from the service with a bad-conduct discharge and to be reduced to the grade of E-l.

Specialist Eckert was the chief legal clerk for a battalion. On two occasions he agreed to destroy records of proceedings under Article 15,10 U.S.C.A. § 815, Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ), pertaining to another soldier, for remuneration, rather than, as was his duty as chief legal clerk, insure that those records were placed in appropriate official files.

The apparent attempt to charge the appellant with attempted graft was alleged as follows:

In that Specialist Five Charles T. Eckert II, U. S. Army, Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 1st Battalion, 41st Field Artillery, did at Schwaebisch Gmuend, Germany on or about 6 November 1978, attempt to wrongfully and unlawfully ask from Shawn L. McQuery, a U. S. soldier, the value of about $150.00 as compensation for services to be rendered by him, said Specialist Five Charles T. Ec-kert II, in relation to an official matter in which the United States was and is interested, to wit: The maintenance and handling of the Original and copies of DA Form 2627, (Record of Proceedings Under Article 15, UCMJ, 10 U.S.C.A. § 815), in contravention of Army Regulations in order to prevent their insertion into Shawn L. McQuery’s official files, the property of the United States Army. Said offense occuring (sic) on a United States military kaserne out side (sic) the territorial limits of the United States.

With variations not relevant to the issue of what offenses, if any, were alleged, the wording and punctuation of the two specifications by which apparent attempts were made to allege graft were identical to the quoted specification.

The military judge, obviously believing attempted graft and graft had been alleged, advised the appellant that an essential element of each of the three alleged offenses was that at the time of the offenses the appellant occupied an official position, or had duties, as the chief legal clerk of a battalion. Unfortunately, none of the specifications alleged, expressly or by clear implication, that the appellant occupied that position or had those duties. Moreover, the specifications failed to allege that the appellant occupied any position, or had any duties, relating to'any service he was to render. Accordingly, neither attempted graft nor graft was alleged in any of the specifications. United States v. Eslow, 1 M.J. 620 (A.C.M.R.1975); United States v. Williams, 23 C.M.R. 868 (A.F.B.R.1957); United States v. Hoke, 21 C.M.R. 681 (A.F.B.R.1956); see also United States v. Wiley, 16 U.S.C.M.A. 449, 37 C.M.R. 69 (1966); United States v. Bey, 4 U.S.C.M.A. 665, 16 C.M.R. 239 (1955); United States v. Alexander, 3 U.S.C.M.A. 346, 12 C.M.R. 102 (1953).

The specifications at issue obviously are not paradigms of proper grammar. Diagramming them would be a challenge. Nevertheless, the specifications can fairly be construed to contain allegations that the appellant attempted to ask for, asked for, and accepted remuneration from another soldier in return for the appellant’s agreement to prevent records of proceedings under Article 15, U.C.M.J., 10 U.S.C.A. § 815, pertaining to that soldier, from being placed in that soldier’s official files as required by Army regulations. Such conduct, in our view, is directly harmful to good order and discipline in the armed forces and punishable, at least, as a disorder. See United States v. Hoke, supra; United States v. Williams, supra. Cf. United States v. Wiley, United States v. Bey and United States v. Alexander, all supra. Because misconduct proscribed by the Uniform Code of Military Justice was alleged and admitted by the appellant, we will affirm those findings of guilty.

The appellant argues before us that the military judge abandoned his impartial role and became an advocate for the Government, thereby depriving the appellant of a fair hearing on the sentence.

[837]*837The evidence shows that the appellant was a very hard working, proficient legal clerk. With the obvious exception of his criminal conduct, his performance could be characterized as outstanding. Before calling witnesses to testify to that effect, the appellant’s trial defense counsel unsuccessfully sought a ruling that would limit the trial counsel’s cross-examination to the appellant’s duty performance. Defense counsel assiduously avoided asking witnesses to express their amorphous, argumentative, subjective desires and opinions concerning possible future professional relationships with the appellant and the appellant’s potential future value as a member of the military. Despite defense objection, the trial counsel was permitted to delve into those matters on cross-examination. The first witness was agreeable to the prosecution’s cause. She stated she would not want the appellant to serve as her legal clerk, nor would she recommend that he serve in that capacity, because the appellant had betrayed the trust reposed in him. When the subject was raised on cross-examination of the second defense witness, the trial counsel was not so successful. That witness stated that, because of the appellant’s outstanding performance, he probably would be willing to “employ,” and believed he would trust, the appellant in a legal clerk’s position. After the military judge elicited a description of the appellant’s duties, the following occurred:

Q. So he was at the heart of the military justice system of the Brigade?
A. That’s right.
Q. Would you consider the accurate processing of legal documents to be vital in the performance of military missions?
A. Yes.
Q. If someone subverts that system, do you think that is relevant and important to this court?
A. Certainly.
Q. Nonetheless, the system having been subverted, you would still like the accused back to duty?
A. I believe so, based on everything I know about him and based on what I’ve seen in 10 months, yes. Obviously the crimes alleged here are serious crimes; I’m not saying that. I’m saying over-all, I think he did a good job.
Q. Had the accused not done a good job, do you think he would have been in a• position to subvert the system?
A. That I can’t answer, Your Honor. I don’t know.
Q. In other words, people in a fiduciary relationship are there because they did a good job. Are they not?
A. Yes, although I’m having a hard time understanding that question. A bad clerk would [not] have been in the job, if that’s what you are saying. If you are saying he was in a position of trust, I would have to say, yes he was.
MJ: Do counsel having questions based on mine?
TC: No, Your Honor.
DC: No, Your Honor.

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Bluebook (online)
8 M.J. 835, 1980 CMR LEXIS 653, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-eckert-usarmymilrev-1980.