United States v. Newberry

35 M.J. 777, 1992 CMR LEXIS 691, 1992 WL 236635
CourtU.S. Army Court of Military Review
DecidedSeptember 18, 1992
DocketACMR 9100590
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 35 M.J. 777 (United States v. Newberry) 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. Newberry, 35 M.J. 777, 1992 CMR LEXIS 691, 1992 WL 236635 (usarmymilrev 1992).

Opinion

OPINION OF THE COURT

GRAVELLE, Judge:

In accordance with his pleas, the appellant was convicted of disobeying a noncommissioned officer, larceny (four specifications), wrongful appropriation (three specifications), and housebreaking (four specifications), in violation of Articles 91,121, and 130, Uniform Code of Military Justice, 10 U.S.C. §§ 891, 921, and 930 (1982) [hereinafter UCMJ]. A military judge, sitting as a general court-martial, sentenced the appellant to a dishonorable discharge, confinement for fourteen years, forfeiture of all pay and allowances, and reduction to Private El. In compliance with the terms of a pretrial agreement, the convening authority reduced the confinement to eleven years, but otherwise approved the adjudged sentence.

The appellant, a military policeman, and his military police partner, while on nighttime patrol, broke into Army and Air Force Exchange Service (AAFES) warehouses and other facilities at Giessen, Germany, on four separate occasions for the purpose of stealing merchandise and other property. The appellant and his partner used a military police van to transport the stolen merchandise to their family quarters. Following the last theft, their supervising non-commissioned officer caught them with some of the stolen items in the military police van. The appellant’s apprehension led to an investigation which revealed a military police theft ring involving eight military policemen. The military police chain of command may have overreacted to the wrongdoing, as it was not disputed by the government at trial that the appellant and the other military policemen were subjected to unlawful pretrial punishment in violation of Article 13, UCMJ, 10 U.S.C. § 813 [hereinafter Article 13]. Prior to arraignment, the appellant asked for, and, with the concurrence of the trial counsel, received thirty days’ credit for having been unlawfully punished before trial. The appellant thereafter pled guilty and was found guilty of all offenses.

Before this court, the appellant raises several issues, only two of which require detailed analysis.

I.

The appellant asserts that he should receive substantially more credit for illegal pretrial punishment than the thirty days’ credit he received at trial-. We disagree.

A. Background

The record of trial reflects the following interchange occurring prior to arraignment:

MJ: Is there anything that either side would like for me to address before we entertain the pleas?
TC: Nothing from the Government, sir.
DC: Your Honor, there was a discussion with the Government as far as pretrial credit [for] confinement. I’m not sure when you want to take that up, sir.
MJ: Is that going to be the subject of a motion or what?
DC: Yes, it is.
MJ: What’s the motion?
DC: It would be for pretrial credit, sir, for [an] Article 13 violation.
MJ: Is the Government going to oppose that or what do you want to do with that?
TC: Sir, the Government has reached an agreement with [the defense counsel] and her client to credit the accused with 30 days.
MJ: Thirty days as prior punishment?
TC: Yes, sir
MJ: And that’s to be one-for-one credit?
DC: Yes, sir.
MJ: So the Government was aware of your proposed Article 13 motion and you’re perfectly happy with the arrangement—the agreement basically to get 30 days credit, Captain ... ?
DC: Yes, sir, we are.
[780]*780MJ: All right. Make sure that the [report of the] result of trial reflects that. TC: Yes, sir.
MJ: Anything else before we hear the pleas?
DC: No, Your Honor.

Because of counsels’ agreement, the issue of pretrial punishment was not litigated at trial. Consequently, there is no evidence in the record of trial showing the nature or extent of the pretrial punishment. To fill this factual void, the appellant has submitted to this court an affidavit setting out in great detail the nature of his alleged pretrial punishment, alleging harsh pretrial confinement conditions, pretrial harassment, and public humiliation. We have accepted this affidavit as an appellate exhibit.1 The affidavit is unrebutted by the government. The appellant asks for two-for-one credit for a total of 174 days pretrial punishment credit.2 In the alternative, the appellant asks either for a Du-Bay 3 hearing to determine the facts involved in the Article 13 violation or for a rehearing on sentence. We find that a DuBay hearing or a rehearing on sentence are not appropriate in this case.

Finally, the appellant now claims ineffective assistance of his trial defense counsel regarding this issue. In oral argument, appellate defense counsel asserted the trial defense counsel was ineffective in three respects: failing to fully investigate the issue; failing to ask for a post-trial Article 39(a), UCMJ, session to litigate the issue once other soldiers received significantly more credit for the Article 13 violation; and, her failure to request the convening authority to give additional credit.

In response to the allegation of ineffective assistance of counsel, the trial defense counsel, by affidavit admitted as an appellate exhibit, avers she was well aware of the pretrial activities involving all eight military policemen; had a detailed log of the unit’s pretrial actions against the policemen; had interviewed the noncommissioned officer in charge of the accused policemen; and, had consulted with other defense counsel representing the other accused policemen regarding the Article 13 violation. The defense counsel further states that on the day before the appellant’s trial, she observed the trial of another military policeman in which a similar Article 13 motion was litigated. In that trial, the military policeman received only three days’ credit from the same military judge. Further, the defense counsel states that her client was present when the trial counsel, upon learning that she intended to raise an Article 13 motion, suggested that thirty days’ credit was acceptable to the government. She states that she took the appellant into a private room and fully informed him of his options and that he readily agreed to accept thirty days’ credit against any sentence to confinement.

B. Applicable Law

Article 13, UCMJ, states:

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

United States v. King
58 M.J. 110 (Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces, 2003)
United States v. Chapa
53 M.J. 769 (Army Court of Criminal Appeals, 2000)
United States v. Huffman
36 M.J. 636 (U.S. Army Court of Military Review, 1992)
United States v. Fogarty
35 M.J. 885 (U.S. Army Court of Military Review, 1992)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
35 M.J. 777, 1992 CMR LEXIS 691, 1992 WL 236635, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-newberry-usarmymilrev-1992.