United States v. Mancini

CourtUnited States Air Force Court of Criminal Appeals
DecidedOctober 16, 2018
DocketACM 38783 (Reh)
StatusUnpublished

This text of United States v. Mancini (United States v. Mancini) 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. Mancini, (afcca 2018).

Opinion

U NITED S TATES AIR F ORCE C OURT OF C RIMINAL APPEALS ________________________

No. ACM 38783 (reh) ________________________

UNITED STATES Appellee v. Marcus A. MANCINI Senior Airman (E-4), U.S. Air Force, Appellant ________________________

Appeal from the United States Air Force Trial Judiciary Decided 16 October 2018 ________________________

Military Judge: Vance H. Spath. Approved sentence: Dishonorable discharge, confinement for 6 years and 11 months, forfeiture of all pay and allowances, and reduction to E-1. Sentence adjudged 22 June 2017 by GCM convened at Beale Air Force Base, California. For Appellant: Major Annie W. Morgan, USAF. For Appellee: Major J. Ronald Steelman III, USAF; Mary Ellen Payne, Esquire. Before MAYBERRY, HARDING and MINK, Appellate Military Judges. Chief Judge MAYBERRY delivered the opinion of the court, in which Senior Judge HARDING and Judge MINK joined. ________________________

This is an unpublished opinion and, as such, does not serve as precedent under AFCCA Rule of Practice and Procedure 18.4 ________________________

MAYBERRY, Chief Judge: Originally Appellant was found guilty, contrary to his pleas, by officer members of three specifications of sexual assault, two specifications of abu- sive sexual contact, one specification of indecent visual recording, and one United States v. Mancini, No. ACM 38783 (reh)

specification of assault consummated by a battery in violation of Articles 120, 120(c), and 128, 10 U.S.C. §§ 920, 920(c), 928. 1 These offenses involved three victims, Senior Airman (SrA) CC, Ms. AE, and Ms. BM. Appellant was sen- tenced to a dishonorable discharge, confinement for seven years, forfeiture of all pay and allowances, and reduction to E-1. On appeal, we affirmed the findings as to the offenses involving SrA CC and Ms. BM. Pursuant to United States v. Hills, 75 M.J. 350 (C.A.A.F. 2016), we set aside the findings of guilt of the Additional Charge and its two specifications (one specification each of sexual assault and abusive sexual contact) involving Ms. AE, returned the record of trial to The Judge Advocate General (TJAG), and authorized a re- hearing as to the set aside findings of guilt and as to the sentence. United States v. Mancini, No. ACM 38783, 2016 CCA LEXIS 660 (A.F. Ct. Crim. App. 7 Nov. 2016) (unpub. op.). All of the original charges were re-referred to a general court-martial for findings on the Additional Charge and its Specifications and an appropriate sentence. Later, the Additional Charge and its Specifications were withdrawn and dismissed without prejudice because Ms. AE declined to participate in the proceedings. A rehearing on sentence was held on 22 June 2017. Appel- lant was sentenced by a panel of officer and enlisted members to a dishonor- able discharge, confinement for nine years, forfeiture of all pay and allowanc- es, and reduction to E-1. The convening authority (CA) approved only so much of the sentence as provided for a dishonorable discharge, confinement for six years and 11 months, forfeiture of all pay and allowances, and reduc- tion to E-1. Appellant now asserts two assignments of error: (1) this court is preclud- ed from conducting a review pursuant to Article 66(c), UCMJ, 10 U.S.C. §866(c), of Specifications 1–3 of Charge I because the findings are ambiguous, and (2) Appellant is entitled to additional confinement credit. We affirm the findings but grant relief regarding confinement credit.

I. BACKGROUND Our original opinion was issued on 7 November 2016. The Government did not seek certification at the Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces

1 Appellant was found not guilty of two specifications of sexual assault and one speci- fication of assault consummated by a battery, in violation of Articles 120 and 128, UCMJ.

2 United States v. Mancini, No. ACM 38783 (reh)

(CAAF). 2 On 9 January 2017, TJAG returned the case to the CA for a rehear- ing. On 10 January 2017, Appellant requested a continued confinement hear- ing. On 18 January 2017, the CA ordered a continued confinement hearing pursuant to Rule for Courts-Martial (R.C.M.) 305. On 28 January 2017, the charges involving Ms. AE were re-preferred, and, on 15 February 2017, all charges were re-referred. A confinement hearing was held on 24 February 2017, and the hearing of- ficer determined Appellant should remain in confinement pending trial. On 10 March 2017, a confinement order reflecting this decision was sent to the Navy Brig in Miramar, California, where Appellant was being held. Brig per- sonnel indicated that this order constituted placement into pretrial confine- ment status, and therefore the procedures of R.C.M. 305 required another hearing within seven days. Although Air Force legal office personnel disa- greed, another hearing was held on 17 March 2017. The second hearing of- ficer ordered Appellant to be released from confinement. Appellant was re- leased on 20 March 2017 and arrived at Beale Air Force Base on 21 March 2017. At the sentence rehearing, Appellant received 886 days of confinement credit. 3 At trial, Appellant filed a motion for illegal pretrial punishment for the time he spent in confinement after this court’s decision on 7 November 2016 until he was released on 20 March 2017. 4 Appellant asserted that this was a violation of Article 13, UCMJ, 10 U.S.C. § 813, and cited United States v. Kruetzer, 70 M.J. 444 (C.A.A.F. 2012), United States v. Combs, 47 M.J. 330 (C.A.A.F. 1997), and United States v. Miller, 47 M.J. 352 (C.A.A.F. 1997), for that premise. The Government opposed the motion. First, the Government asserted Appellant was not entitled to a continued confinement hearing; therefore, he was not entitled to additional confinement credit under R.C.M. 305. Alternatively, the Government argued that, if Appellant was entitled to a continued confinement hearing, the Government acted in compliance with the law, citing Kruetzer, Miller, and United States v. Katso (Katso III), 76

2Appellant did seek review at the CAAF, but his petition was ultimately dismissed without prejudice for lack of jurisdiction. U.S. v. Mancini, 76 M.J. 172 (C.A.A.F. 2017) (mem.). 3 This included 17–20 March 2017. 4 Appellant also argued that an order issued by his commander on 6 June 2017 mak- ing his off-base residence his place of duty and requiring Appellant to give 24 hours’ notice to come on base for any reason amounted to illegal pretrial confinement or punishment. The military judge denied the motion and Appellant does not assert this as error on appeal.

3 United States v. Mancini, No. ACM 38783 (reh)

M.J. 704 (A.F. Ct. Crim. App. 2017) (unpub. op.), aff’d in part, rev’d in part, United States v. Katso (Katso IV), 77 M.J. 247 (C.A.A.F. 2018), for that prem- ise. 5 The military judge denied the motion for illegal pretrial confinement. On appeal, Appellant relies on United States v. Gay, 75 M.J. 264, 269 (C.A.A.F. 2016), and requests that we exercise our Article 66(c), UCMJ, au- thority to grant sentence relief due to a “legal deficiency in the post-trial pro- cess.” The Government proffers a series of reasons as to why Appellant is en- titled to no additional confinement credit.

II. DISCUSSION A. Ambiguous Findings 1. Law With minor exceptions for capital cases, a “court-martial panel, like a ci- vilian jury, returns a general verdict and does not specify how the law applies to the facts, nor does the panel otherwise explain the reasons for its decision to convict or acquit.” United States v. Hardy, 46 M.J. 67, 73 (C.A.A.F. 1997) (footnote omitted).

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