United States v. Larson

66 M.J. 212, 2008 CAAF LEXIS 532, 2008 WL 1868017
CourtCourt of Appeals for the Armed Forces
DecidedApril 25, 2008
Docket07-0263/AF
StatusPublished
Cited by10 cases

This text of 66 M.J. 212 (United States v. Larson) 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. Larson, 66 M.J. 212, 2008 CAAF LEXIS 532, 2008 WL 1868017 (Ark. 2008).

Opinions

Judge RYAN delivered the opinion of the Court.

A general court-martial composed of officer members convicted Appellant, contrary to his pleas, of one specification each of attempted carnal knowledge and attempted indecent acts with a minor, violations of Article 80, Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ), 10 U.S.C. § 88Ó (2000); one specification of violating a lawful general regulation, a violation of Article 92, UCMJ, 10 U.S.C. § 892 (2000); and one specification each of communicating indecent language and using a facility or means of interstate commerce to attempt to entice a minor to engage in sexual activity, violations of Article 134, UCMJ, 10 U.S.C. § 934 (2000).

The members sentenced Appellant to dismissal from the service, confinement for nine years, and forfeiture of all pay and allowances. The convening authority approved the dismissal and forfeitures, but reduced Appellant’s confinement to six years. The United States Air Force Court of Criminal Appeals affirmed. United States v. Larson, 64 M.J. 559 (A.F.Ct.Crim.App.2006).

We granted review of the following issues:

I.
WHETHER THE AIR FORCE COURT OF CRIMINAL APPEALS ERRED IN HOLDING THAT APPELLANT HAD NO REASONABLE EXPECTATION OF PRIVACY IN HIS GOVERNMENT COMPUTER DESPITE THIS COURT’S RULING IN UNITED STATES v. LONG, 64 M.J. 57 (C.A.A.F.2006).
II.
WHETHER THE APPELLANT WAS DENIED THE EFFECTIVE ASSISTANCE OF COUNSEL GUARANTEED BY THE SIXTH AMENDMENT AND ARTICLE 27, UCMJ, 10 U.S.C. § 827, WHEN HIS CIVILIAN DEFENSE COUNSEL, IN HIS OPENING STATEMENT, DURING FINDINGS, AND AGAIN IN CLOSING ARGUMENT, CONCEDED THE APPELLANT’S GUILT TO VARIOUS CHARGES AND SPECIFICATIONS.1

After oral argument in November 2007, this Court specified the following related issues:

I.
IN THE MILITARY JUSTICE SYSTEM, IS THE DECISION TO CONCEDE GUILT TO ONE OF MULTIPLE CHARGED OFFENSES DURING ARGUMENT A TACTICAL DECISION THAT COUNSEL MAY MAKE WITHOUT OBTAINING CONSENT OF THE ACCUSED? SEE FLORIDA v. NIXON, 543 U.S. 175, 125 S.Ct. 551, 160 L.Ed.2d 565 (2004); UNITED STATES v. CARE, 18 C.M.A. 535, 40 C.M.R. 247 (1969); UNITED STATES v. BERTELSON, 3 M.J. 314 (C.M.A.1977).
[214]*214II.
ASSUMING, ARGUENDO, THAT COUNSEL MAY CONCEDE GUILT AS A TACTICAL MATTER AFTER CONSULTATION BUT WITHOUT CONSENT OF THE ACCUSED, DOES THE RECORD IN THE PRESENT CASE SUPPORT A CONCLUSION THAT COUNSEL CONSULTED WITH APPELLANT PRIOR TO MAKING SUCH A CONCESSION? IF NOT, WAS THE FAILURE TO DO SO PREJUDICIAL AS TO THE FINDINGS OR SENTENCE? SEE STRICKLAND v. WASHINGTON, 466 U.S. 668, 104 S.Ct. 2052, 80 L.Ed.2d 674 (1984).2

For the reasons stated below, we affirm the decision of the lower court.

I. Appellant’s Motion to Suppress

A. Factual Background

Appellant used the government computer in his military office to obtain sexually explicit material, to include pornographic images and video, from the Internet and to initiate instant message conversations with “Kristin,” someone he believed to be a fourteen-year-old girl. “Kristin” was actually a civilian police detective working to catch online sexual predators.

Civilian police and the Air Force Office of Special Investigations (AFOSI) cooperated in the investigation of Appellant. The police used a proposed meeting between Appellant and “Kristin” at a local mall as a sting operation. When Appellant arrived at the mall at the time he had arranged with “Kristin,” the police arrested Appellant. While conducting a search incident to arrest the police discovered a receipt for a package of condoms purchased just fifteen minutes earlier in Appellant’s pocket. During a consensual search of Appellant’s car, police found a package of condoms and a book entitled Sexaholics Anonymous.

After Appellant’s arrest, AFOSI continued to pursue its own investigation. Appellant’s commander, using a master key to the government office occupied by Appellant, allowed AFOSI agents to enter and to seize the government computer in the office. A search of the computer’s hard drive revealed stored pornographic material, a web browser history that showed Appellant visited pornographic websites and engaged in sexually explicit chat sessions in his office on his government computer, and other electronic data implicating Appellant in the charged offenses.

At trial, Appellant asserted that the warrantless search of his government computer violated the Fourth Amendment and that the evidence obtained from it should be suppressed. The military judge held an Article 39(a), UCMJ, 10 U.S.C. § 839(a) (2000), session to determine the admissibility of the evidence. Based on the testimony elicited at the Article 39(a), UCMJ, session the military judge made initial findings of fact on the record and later made detailed supplemental findings of fact.

The military judge found that Appellant was assigned to a private office and had a key to lock the office, but other Air Force personnel, including the fire department and the command’s facility manager also had keys to his office. The office contained a government computer that was provided to Appellant to accomplish official business. The military judge found that Appellant could secure the computer with a personal password, but a system administrator could still access the computer. When Appellant logged on to the computer, he was required to click a button accepting conditions listed in a banner, which stated that the computer was Department of Defense property, was for official use, and that he consented to monitoring. The military judge found that, while Appellant “reasonably understood that he was allowed to send personal e-mail or visit the internet as long as it didn’t interfere with [his] duties,” this did not change the fact that the government owned the computer and had a right to access it. This finding was largely based on the testimony of Appellant’s commander, who testified that he could log onto Appellant’s computer with his own password and access all portions of the hard [215]*215drive unless Appellant had protected something with his own password. Although the military judge did not specifically reference the commander’s access in his findings, this testimony adds further support to the military judge’s ultimate ruling. Moreover, no evidence was presented that any of the evidence recovered from the hard drive was password protected.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
66 M.J. 212, 2008 CAAF LEXIS 532, 2008 WL 1868017, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-larson-armfor-2008.