United States v. Key

55 M.J. 537, 2001 CCA LEXIS 157, 2001 WL 629278
CourtUnited States Air Force Court of Criminal Appeals
DecidedMay 8, 2001
DocketACM S29751
StatusPublished
Cited by10 cases

This text of 55 M.J. 537 (United States v. Key) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States Air Force Court of Criminal Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
United States v. Key, 55 M.J. 537, 2001 CCA LEXIS 157, 2001 WL 629278 (afcca 2001).

Opinion

OPINION OF THE COURT

BRESLIN, Judge:

The appellant was convicted, in accordance with his pleas, of five specifications of wrongfully making or selling false military identification cards, in violation of Article 134, UCMJ, 10 U.S.C. § 934. A military judge sitting alone sentenced him to a bad-conduct discharge, confinement for 2 months, and reduction to E-l. The convening authority approved the findings and the sentence. The appellant raises several allegations of error. Finding no error, we affirm.

Mission-Impact Evidence

The appellant worked as a customer service representative in the Military Personnel Flight (MPF), with access to and control over official personnel data for military members. His duties included making military identification cards for authorized service members and their dependents. The appellant used this position of trust and his special access to produce false identification cards for others, including an individual he thought to be a civilian. The appellant believed the fake identification cards would be used to show the bearers were over 21 years of age, enabling them to purchase alcoholic beverages in Alaska. . Unfortunately for the appellant, one of the individuals he provided with a false military identification card was an informant. When confronted by investigators, he confessed. Thereafter, the appellant’s commander removed him from his duty section, and assigned him to the base appearance team.

In sentencing, the government offered as evidence in aggravation under Rule for Courts-Martial (R.C.M.) 1001(b)(4) the testimony of the appellant’s supervisor about the impact on the section resulting from the removal of the appellant and another involved in his crimes. The thrust of the testimony was that the customer service section was short-handed and heavily tasked, and the absence of the appellant and the other airman for two to three weeks required fevery-[539]*539one else to work harder, reduced efficiency, and lowered morale. Trial defense counsel objected on the grounds that the decision to remove the appellant from the duty section was discretionary — not required by law or regulation — therefore it was not proper evidence in aggravation. The military judge overruled the objection.

The appellant alleges the military judge erred in allowing his supervisor to testify during the sentencing portion of the trial about the impact on the appellant’s duty section resulting from the removal of the appellant and another co-actor after the discovery of the offenses in question. We find no error.

R.C.M. 1001(b)(4) states, in pertinent part, that “[t]he trial counsel may present evidence as to any aggravating circumstances directly relating to or resulting from the offenses of which the accused has been found guilty.” At the time of trial, the Discussion of R.C.M. 1001(b)(4) explained, “Evidence in aggravation may include evidence of financial, social, psychological, and medical impact on or cost to any person or entity who was the victim of an offense committed by the accused and evidence of significant adverse impact on the mission, discipline or efficiency of the command directly and immediately resulting from the accused’s offense.” (Emphasis added.)

A military judge has broad discretion to determine whether to admit evidence under R.C.M. 1001(b)(4) as aggravation evidence. United States v. Wilson, 47 M.J. 152, 155 (1997); United States v. Rust, 41 M.J. 472, 478 (1995). ‘Whether a circumstance is ‘directly relatfed] to or results from the offenses’ calls for considered judgment by the military judge, and we will not overturn that judgment lightly.” Wilson, 47 M.J. at 155 (citing United States v. Jones, 44 M.J. 103, 104-05 (1996)).

The testimony about the adverse impact on mission effectiveness was admissible as evidence in aggravation under R.C.M. 1001(b)(4). The appellant abused his position of special trust, and his removal from the position was a direct result of his crimes. He not only used his special access to generate false identification cards, but he also involved a co-worker in his offenses. The removal of these airmen from the squadron resulted in an adverse impact on the efficiency of that unit. This impact was a sufficiently direct and immediate result of his offenses to be admissible as evidence in aggravation. See United States v. Armon, 51 M.J. 83, 87 (1999) (fact that witness was offended when he learned appellant fabricated combat record admissible under R.C.M. 1001(b)(4)); United States v. Jones, 44 M.J. 103 (1996) (after conviction for adultery, fact that accused was HIV positive was an aggravating factor directly relating to the offense); United States v. Wilson, 35 M.J. 473, 477 (C.M.A. 1992) (upon conviction of sexual offenses with minors, evidence of parents’ frantic search for the children admissible in aggravation); United States v. Fontenot, 29 M.J. 244, 251 (C.M.A.1989) (impact of rape on victim’s family admissible); United States v. Lawson, 33 M.J. 946 (N.M.C.M.R.1991) aff'd, 36 M.J. 415 (C.M.A.1993) (upon conviction for dereliction of duty in failing to pick up posted road guard, cost of search for missing marine held directly related to offense); United States v. Thornton, 32 M.J. 112, 113 (C.M.A.1991) (testimony about revocation of security clearance admissible to show mission-impact). We find no undue prejudice to the appellant. The testimony of the supervisor was not inflammatory. Indeed, it was what most fact-finders would assume to be the effect on a unit when a service member is identified as an offender and removed from the duty section. Fontenot, 29 M.J. at 252.

We are convinced the military judge did not consider this evidence improperly. A military judge is presumed to know and apply the law correctly. United States v. Raya, 45 M.J. 251, 253 (1996); United States v. Prevatte, 40 M.J. 396, 398 (C.M.A.1994). In the absence of evidence to the contrary, we conclude that the military judge gave appropriate weight to the evidence. United States v. Gargaro, 45 M.J. 99, 102 (1996); United States v. Davis, 44 M.J. 13, 17 (1996); United States v. Talbert, 33 M.J. 244, 247 (C.M.A. 1991).

[540]*540The Pretrial Agreement

The appellant entered into a pretrial agreement with the convening authority. The appellant agreed to plead guilty to the charge and its specifications, to waive his statutory three days between the service of charges and trial, to elect trial by a military judge sitting alone, and to enter into a reasonable stipulation of fact surrounding the offenses. The convening authority agreed to refer the case to trial by special court-martial, and to approve no more than 5 months’ confinement, if adjudged. There were no other limitations on the sentence to be approved.

All the terms of the pretrial agreement were contained in the “offer” portion of the agreement, except the specific limitation on the sentence to be approved, which was set out in the appendix to the agreement. At trial, the military judge inquired into the terms of the pretrial agreement, making sure the appellant entered into the agreement knowingly and voluntarily, and that the conditions of the agreement were satisfied. The military judge did not review the appendix until after announcing the sentence of the court. The defense did not object to this procedure at trial.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
55 M.J. 537, 2001 CCA LEXIS 157, 2001 WL 629278, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-key-afcca-2001.