United States v. Nadel

46 M.J. 682, 1997 CCA LEXIS 135, 1997 WL 214821
CourtNavy-Marine Corps Court of Criminal Appeals
DecidedMarch 26, 1997
DocketNMCM 95 00467
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 46 M.J. 682 (United States v. Nadel) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Navy-Marine Corps 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. Nadel, 46 M.J. 682, 1997 CCA LEXIS 135, 1997 WL 214821 (N.M. 1997).

Opinion

CLARK, Senior Judge:

At the appellant’s special court-martial, a military judge convicted him, contrary to his pleas, of two specifications of indecent assault and one specification of indecent exposure, in violation of Article 134, Uniform Code of Military Justice, 10 U.S.C. § 934 (1994) [hereinafter UCMJ]. The convening authority approved the adjudged sentence, which included confinement for 35 days, forfeitures of $554.00 pay per month for two months, reduction to pay grade E-l, and a bad-conduct discharge.

The appellant has raised five assignments of error.1 We will discuss our analysis of the issues as we perceive them.

The Military Judge’s Denial of the Motion to Suppress all of the Evidence

We have conducted a de novo review of the military judge’s ruling denying the appellant’s motion to suppress all of the evidence admitted in the government’s case. We are satisfied that the military judge did not err in denying the motion.

The appellant has made an admirable effort to characterize his case as a witch hunt and to bring himself under the umbrella of certain Department of Defense policy guidelines aimed at protecting the privacy of adult service members who engage in consensual sexual acts in private. He failed at both efforts.

At his special court-martial, the appellant moved to suppress “all statements and other evidence obtained pursuant to the investigation ... of Sgt Nadel,” on the basis that “the investigation was initiated and pursued without credible information in violation of applicable Department of Defense regulations.” Appellate Exhibit XV at 1. The appellant relies principally upon two Department of Defense documents: Department of Defense Instruction 5505.8 of 5 Feb. 1994; subj: Investigations of Sexual Misconduct by the Defense Criminal Investigative Organizations and other DoD Law Enforcement Organizations [hereinafter DoD Instruction 5505.8], and Department of Defense Directive 1332.14 of 29 Dec. 1994; subj: Enlisted Administrative Separations [hereinafter DoD Directive 1332.14], The stated purpose of DoD Instruction 5505.8 is to address investigative priorities and resource limitations in the investigation of allegations involving [685]*685only adult private consensual sexual misconduct. It defines “sexual misconduct” as a sexual act or acts in violation of Title 10, United States Code, that occur between consenting adults, in private. The stated purpose of DoD Directive 1332.14 is to establish “policies, standards, and procedures governing the administrative separation of enlisted members from the Military Services.” DoD Directive 1332.14 at 1. Although it indicates a preference for informal fact-finding inquiries and administrative separation procedures in addressing homosexual conduct, it specifically states that it does not prevent disciplinary action or trial by court-martial when appropriate. Neither of these documents, nor AL-MAR 65/94, Appellate Exhibit XX, upon which the appellant also relies, purport to create a substantive or procedural right for an individual which is enforceable by excluding from judicial proceedings evidence obtained in violation of the documents. The military judge did not err in his conclusion of law in that regard.

The only evidence admitted to prove the conduct of which the appellant was convicted consisted of the testimony of Lance Corporal (LCpl) Timperio, Record at 338-59, and the appellant’s confession of 15 April 1994, Prosecution Exhibit 1.2 The military judge found that LCpl Timperio, not an earlier investigation, provided the information that formed the basis for the charge and the specifications of which the appellant was convicted. Appellate Exhibit XLI. The record of trial contains sufficient evidence to support that finding. The appellant’s confession of 15 April 1994 resulted from an interview which was initiated because of a report from LCpl Timperio. Record at 73, 89-91, 97-98. Therefore, we need not determine whether the investigations which preceded the report by LCpl Timperio violated the regulations cited by the appellant.

At the time that LCpl Timperio reported the appellant’s indecent assault on him, he was not aware that an investigation was occurring. Record at 130. Therefore, his decision to report the appellant’s conduct could not have been tainted by an improperly initiated investigation. He was aware that he had observed the appellant commit an offense. As a member of the naval service, he was required to report his observations to proper authority. U.S. Navy Regulations, Art. 1139 (1973). Whether or not he wanted to report it was not relevant.

Since exclusion of evidence obtained in violation of the DoD policy statements was not the proper remedy, the military judge did not abuse his discretion in denying the motion. Perhaps the appellant’s efforts might have been more fruitful had he focused on the propriety of the charges being referred to a court-martial at all, as the government has properly suggested in its brief. However, the facts of this case demonstrate that the convening authority acted well within his authority in referring the charges to a court-martial. The convening authority referred the charges to a court-martial on the basis of allegations of assaults by the appellant. This was, clearly, not an abuse of his discretion. See Rule for Courts-Martial 601(d)(1), Manual for Courts-Martial, United States (1995 ed.). Since assaults are inherently non-consensual, investigation of this conduct would not have been circumscribed or limited, in any manner, by the DOD guidelines upon which the appellant relies. Therefore, although the appellant’s motion at his court-martial was improperly focused and unartfully presented, we are satisfied that, had it been properly focused and presented, the result would have been the same.

Admissibility of the Appellant’s Statement

After investigators at the Criminal Investigation Division (CID) received information alleging that the appellant had indecently assaulted LCpl Timperio, the appellant’s Officer-in-Charge (OIC) directed him to go to the CID office. On 15 April 1994, the appellant went to the CID office where he was interviewed by Staff Sergeant (SSgt) Abrante. After advising the appellant that [686]*686he was suspected of indecent assault and sexual harassment, SSgt Abrante advised the appellant of his rights as a military suspect. The appellant indicated his understanding of these rights and initialed alongside each statement of his rights on the “Military Suspect’s Acknowledgment and Waiver of Rights” form. He then signed his signature indicating waiver of his rights. After a statement was drafted, the appellant swore to its accuracy and signed it.

The appellant claims now, and claimed at his trial, that this statement resulted from the interviewer denying him the exercise of his right to counsel. We find no merit in this claim.

Upon appropriate motion or objection by the defense, the government has the burden of proving the voluntariness of a confession by a preponderance of the evidence. Mil. R. Evid. 304(e), Manual for Courts-Martial, United States (1995 ed.); United States v. Doucet, 43 M.J. 656, 660 (N.M.Ct.Crim.App.1995)(citing Lego v. Twomey, 404 U.S. 477, 92 S.Ct. 619, 30 L.Ed.2d 618 (1972)). Voluntariness is a question of law subject to de novo

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Related

United States v. Nadel
48 M.J. 485 (Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces, 1998)

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Bluebook (online)
46 M.J. 682, 1997 CCA LEXIS 135, 1997 WL 214821, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-nadel-nmcca-1997.