United States v. Kelly

72 M.J. 237, 2013 WL 2319275, 2013 CAAF LEXIS 569
CourtCourt of Appeals for the Armed Forces
DecidedMay 23, 2013
Docket12-0524/AR
StatusPublished
Cited by16 cases

This text of 72 M.J. 237 (United States v. Kelly) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
United States v. Kelly, 72 M.J. 237, 2013 WL 2319275, 2013 CAAF LEXIS 569 (Ark. 2013).

Opinion

Judge ERDMANN

delivered the opinion of the court.

A military judge sitting as a general court-martial convicted Staff Sergeant (SSgt) Bruce L. Kelly, pursuant to his conditional pleas, of disobeying a general order and possession of child pornography, in violation of Articles 92 and 134, Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ), 10 U.S.C. §§ 892, 934 (2006). The military judge also convicted Kelly, pursuant to his unconditional pleas, of attempted larceny, larceny, and fraudulent claims, in violation of Articles 80, 121, and 132, UCMJ, 10 U.S.C. §§ 880, 921, 932 (2006). The military judge sentenced Kelly to confinement for eighteen months, reduction to E-l, and a bad-conduct discharge. The convening authority approved confinement for seventeen months, reduction to E-1, the bad-conduct discharge, and waived automatic forfeitures for six months. The United States Army Court of Criminal Appeals (CCA) affirmed the findings and sentence. United States v. Kelly, No. ARMY 20090809, 2012 WL 1075703 (A.Ct.Crim.App. Mar. 27, 2012). 1

*239 “The Fourth Amendment of the Constitution protects individuals, including servicemembers, against unreasonable searches and seizures.” United States v. Long, 64 M.J. 57, 61 (C.A.A.F.2006). Official intrusions into areas where there is a reasonable expectation of privacy “require search authorization supported by probable cause, unless they are otherwise lawful under the Military Rules of Evidence (M.R.E.) or the Constitution of the United States as applied to members of the armed forces.” Id. We granted review of this case to determine whether the search of Kelly’s personal computer was a valid inventory or inspection under M.R.E. 313(b) or (c). 2 We hold that the search was not a valid inventory or inspection and therefore reverse the decision of the CCA.

I. Factual Background

While serving in Iraq, Kelly was wounded when his vehicle hit an improvised explosive device. Because of his injuries, Kelly was medically evacuated out of Iraq. On April 30, 2007, two days after Kelly was injured, a summary court-martial officer (SCMO) was appointed and tasked with inventorying Kelly’s personal belongings. The inventory included two laptops — Kelly’s personal laptop and a second laptop which belonged to the Army. Once the inventory was complete, the SCMO sent Kelly’s personal effects (PE) to Mortuary Affairs at Camp Stryker in Iraq. Mortuary Affairs, in turn, sent Kelly’s PE to the Joint Personal Effects Depot (JPED) at Aberdeen Proving Grounds, Maryland.

When Kelly’s personal laptop arrived at JPED, it was given to SSgt RM, a computer examiner, for analysis. At the time of Kelly’s injury, JPED carried out its review of his PE pursuant to Dep’t of the Army, Reg. 638-2, Deceased Personnel, Care and Disposition of Remains and Disposition of Personal Effects para. 20-6 (Dec. 22, 2000) (AR 638-2). SSgt RM was told that it was a “rush case” because the laptop belonged to a wounded soldier who wanted his PE back. SSgt RM first searched the laptop for classified material, pursuant to AR 638-2, para. 20-6, which provides:

All documents and any sealed material in the PE will be reviewed to ensure proper safeguarding of military information. Classified material and material warranting classification will be withdrawn and submitted to the intelligence officer for review and proper disposition. Material suitable for release will be returned by the intelligence officer for disposition as PE.

No classified material was found on the laptop.

According to SSgt RM’s sworn statement, after the search for classified material, “the next step was to search for Videos which we the Media Center check for the following categories: Gore, Innappropriate [sic], and Porn.” This search was based on AR 638-2, para. 20-14.a., which provides:

Inappropriate items that may cause embarrassment or added sorrow if forwarded to the recipient will be withdrawn and destroyed. Categories include, but are not limited to, items that are mutilated, burned, bloodstained, damaged beyond repair, obnoxious, obscene, or unsanitary. Correspondence (opened mail), papers, photographs, video tapes, and so forth must be screened for suitability_ Unsuitable items will be removed and destroyed.

*240 The search for “gore,” “inappropriate,” and “porn,” yielded a folder labeled “Porn videos and porn pictures.” At that point, SSgt RM discovered what he believed was child pornography. He notified his supervisor who confirmed that the videos contained child pornography.

The noncommissioned officer in charge (NCOIC) of JPED explained that if child pornography is discovered during the search of a laptop, JPED protocol called for the following procedures:

As soon as one of the examiner[s] find suspected child pornography and the Soldier is wounded we notify CID. If the owner of the computer was killed in action we sanitaze [sic] the hard drive before turning [sic] the property to the family. If it happens to be adult pornography we just sanitize the computer and send it to the family or the owner. The reason we search computer [sic] is to ensure there is no classified material within the hard drive that can later compromise the mission.

In accordance with this protocol, Kelly’s computer was sent to Aberdeen Proving Grounds Criminal Investigation Division Command Office (CID). On June 28, 2007, a CID Special Agent submitted an affidavit to a military magistrate for a search authorization for Kelly’s personal computer. The basis for the search authorization was the child pornography discovered as a result of the initial search conducted by JPED. The magistrate authorized the search and CID located the images of child pornography on Kelly’s computer.

II. Procedural Background

At his court-martial, Kelly filed a motion to suppress the evidence of child pornography obtained from his computer. Kelly argued that he had a reasonable, subjective expectation of privacy in his personal computer; the Government had no legitimate interest in reviewing wounded and killed soldiers’ PE for pornography; and the “good faith” exception to the Fourth Amendment exclusionary rule was not applicable. During arguments on the motion, defense counsel also argued that the Government’s basis for the search, AR 638-2, was not applicable to Kelly because he was wounded, not deceased or missing. AR 638-2 specifically provides that it does not apply to “[t]he PE of soldiers who are patients in medical treatment facilities and not deceased.” AR 638-2, para. 17-l.b.(7).

The Government opposed the motion arguing AR 638-2 was modified by ALARACT 139/2006 to include wounded soldiers as well as deceased or missing soldiers. 3

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

Related

United States v. Griffin
Air Force Court of Criminal Appeals, 2026
United States v. Cooley
Air Force Court of Criminal Appeals, 2025
United States v. Lowery, ARMY MISC 20240300
Army Court of Criminal Appeals, 2024
United States v. Ironhawk
Army Court of Criminal Appeals, 2024
United States v. Davis
Air Force Court of Criminal Appeals, 2024
United States v. St. Jean
Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces, 2023
United States v. Emas
Air Force Court of Criminal Appeals, 2022
United States v. Leach
Air Force Court of Criminal Appeals, 2022
United States v. King
Air Force Court of Criminal Appeals, 2021
United States v. Quezada
Navy-Marine Corps Court of Criminal Appeals, 2020
United States v. Jones
Air Force Court of Criminal Appeals, 2020
United States v. Specialist JAMES R. BUTLER III
Army Court of Criminal Appeals, 2020
United States v. Taylor
Navy-Marine Corps Court of Criminal Appeals, 2020
United States v. Staff Sergeant DOUGLAS W. KNIGHTON
Army Court of Criminal Appeals, 2020
United States v. Finch
Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces, 2020
United States v. Frost
Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces, 2019
United States v. Staff Sergeant BRUCE L. KELLY
Army Court of Criminal Appeals, 2013

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
72 M.J. 237, 2013 WL 2319275, 2013 CAAF LEXIS 569, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-kelly-armfor-2013.