United States v. Meyers

21 M.J. 977
CourtU.S. Army Court of Military Review
DecidedMarch 26, 1986
DocketCM 446457
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 21 M.J. 977 (United States v. Meyers) 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. Meyers, 21 M.J. 977 (usarmymilrev 1986).

Opinion

OPINION OF THE COURT

CARMICHAEL, Judge:

Contrary to his pleas, appellant was convicted by a military judge of two specifications of wrongfully distributing hashish and one specification of wrongfully possessing hashish with the intent to distribute, in violation of Article 134, Uniform Code of Military Justice [hereinafter referred to as UCMJ], 10 U.S.C. § 934 (1982).1 Appellant was sentenced to a bad-conduct discharge, confinement for three years, forfeiture of all pay and allowances, and reduction to the grade of Private E-l. The convening authority approved the sentence.

At trial, appellant’s sole defense to the charges was one of entrapment. He now contends that the military judge’s findings on his entrapment defense mandate setting aside his conviction. The military judge found, inter alia, that there was no evidence that appellant was predisposed to commit the offenses of which he was convicted. Accordingly, appellant contends that, under the particular facts of this case and within the context of his defense, the military judge found that the government had failed to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that appellant was not entrapped, and thus his conviction must be overturned by this court. Since we agree and find that the government did indeed fail to prove that appellant was not entrapped — a failure that is reflected in the military judge's finding of no evidence of predisposition— we need not address the remaining issues raised by appellant.2

[979]*979The relevant facts of this case are uncontroverted and relatively straightforward. A German national by the name of Heiko Dorner was employed at a U.S. Army installation in Germany. Apart from his employment, Dorner, a former member of the U.S. Army, assisted the Criminal Investigation Command (CID) as a confidential informer. He provided the CID with information about unlawful drug transactions involving American servicemembers.3 Appellant was stationed in Germany and knew Dorner as a civilian employee of the military. Appellant was in dire need of money and approached Dorner about helping him get a job during nonduty hours. Aware of appellant’s pressing financial problems, Dorner believed that appellant might be willing to deal in drugs. However, after initially discussing the subject with appellant, Dorner concluded that appellant would not agree to traffic in drugs unless Dorner “worked on him.”

Dorner proceeded to meet with appellant on an average of four or five nights weekly for three consecutive weeks. During these meetings Dorner would tell appellant that he could not find a legitimate job for him and that a good way for him to make money was to “deal” hashish. Dorner’s stipulated testimony reads, in part, as follows:

I would continually tell PFC Meyers that I could not find a job for him such as a job with McDonalds [sic] or with my brother-in-law’s moving company. I would at this point in each conversation tell Meyers that a good way for him to make money would be to deal hashish.
PFC Meyers would refuse to have anything to do with dealing drugs and repeatedly told me so on numerous occasions. During these conversations PFC Meyers would say to me, “This is not my thing. I would then reiterate how easy it would be for PFC Meyers to get hashish and what kind of money could be made from dealing hashish.

(Emphasis added.)

In his meetings with appellant, Dorner also suggested that appellant get drugs from his (appellant’s) girlfriend who Dorner knew was involved in drugs. Dorner continued to tell appellant that he could get drugs from his girlfriend, and “[a]fter three ... weeks of this continual prodding by [Dorner]” appellant began to break down. At this point Dorner intensified his efforts and “finally one evening ... got PFC Meyers drunk and while being prodded by [Dorner] to deal drugs, [and] while he was drunk, [Meyers] finally agreed to deal hashish.” Dorner then told appellant that he should start by trying to obtain one pound of hashish. Appellant’s agreement to distribute hashish and Dorner’s advice on how to begin this illicit activity occurred on 24 May 1984. The offenses of which appellant was convicted occurred on 25 and 26 May 1984. Dorner described his work as a confidential informer on appellant’s case as being the first time that he had acted in that capacity without substantial help from military law enforcement agents. Further, he was not briefed on the meaning and effect of entrapment by the CID until [980]*980some three weeks after appellant was apprehended for distributing hashish.

Appellant testified that he had smoked hashish while he was in high school and had continued smoking it after entering the Army. He always had purchased hashish for his own use but had never distributed it before meeting Dorner. He thought Dorner possibly could get him a second job so he could earn additional money. He had gotten a German girl pregnant and needed money to pay for an abortion. Appellant resisted Dorner’s initial suggestions that he make money by selling drugs. Appellant had never sold drugs before; and, although he used drugs, appellant considered the sale of drugs to be “a lot more major than just smoking.”4 However, appellant’s girlfriend became pregnant and his financial situation worsened. Finally, appellant agreed to distribute hashish even though he “didn’t really want to get involved” in drug selling. Dorner persuaded him that dealing in drugs would be easy and that he, Dorner, would help appellant distribute the drugs. Appellant was drinking when he agreed to Dorner’s suggestion, but followed through on it the next day when he was sober. He obtained 500 grams of hashish from a source to whom he was introduced by his girlfriend. Appellant then cut the hashish into small pieces and wrapped the pieces in aluminum foil in order to distribute the hashish for profit. He enlisted the aid of two other service-members to help him distribute the hashish, and believed he would make a profit of approximately $2,000.00. Appellant testified that Dorner had smoked hashish with him, but had never given him any hashish. Further, Dorner did not assist him in obtaining the 500 grams of hashish; Dorner did not participate in either cutting up the hashish or wrapping it for distribution; and Dorner was not involved in getting the two other servicemembers to agree to distribute the hashish. Admittedly, appellant made his own arrangements to become a drug trafficker and he did so to make money. He acted quickly after eventually succumbing to Dorner’s proposed scheme. Once he had agreed on 24 May to distribute drugs for money, appellant obtained the drugs the next day and on the evening of 25 May told Dorner that he had the hashish in his wall locker. Dorner related this information to a CID agent and, on 26 May, a search of appellant’s wall locker resulted in the seizure of approximately 442 grams of hashish. Subsequent searches of the other two servicemembers’ rooms resulted in the seizure of the hashish that appellant had given them to distribute.

The military judge, in ruling that appellant was not entrapped by the government, announced the following findings:

First of all, / find no evidence to support predisposition on the part of this accused to commit the offenses of distribution or possession with intent to distribute.

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Bluebook (online)
21 M.J. 977, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-meyers-usarmymilrev-1986.