United States v. Sanchez

47 M.J. 794, 1998 CCA LEXIS 4, 1998 WL 37199
CourtNavy-Marine Corps Court of Criminal Appeals
DecidedJanuary 16, 1998
DocketNMCM 96 01020
StatusPublished

This text of 47 M.J. 794 (United States v. Sanchez) 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. Sanchez, 47 M.J. 794, 1998 CCA LEXIS 4, 1998 WL 37199 (N.M. 1998).

Opinion

LUCAS, Senior Judge:

We have examined the record of trial, the three assignments of error1 and Government’s response thereto, and the parties’ briefs for two issues specified by the court.2 We have concluded that the findings and the sentence are correct in law and fact and that no error materially prejudicial to the substantial rights of the appellant was committed. See Art. 66(c), 59(a), Uniform Code of Military Justice, 10 U.S.C. §§ 866(c), 859(a)(1994) [hereinafter UCMJ].

Consistent with his guilty plea before a general court-martial, military judge alone, the appellant was found guilty of misprision of a serious offense (aggravated assault), a violation of Article 134, UCMJ, 10 U.S.C. § 934. The adjudged sentence consisted of a bad-conduct discharge, total forfeiture of pay and allowances, reduction to the lowest enlisted pay grade, and confinement for 24 months. In accordance with his obligations under a pretrial agreement, the convening authority approved the adjudged sentence but suspended all confinement in excess of 12 months for a period of 12 months from the date of the trial.

Facts

The appellant and two other Marines were off-base late at night when they encountered a Sailor, who was by himself. All four soon found themselves on a dark and otherwise deserted street. The group separated slightly and the appellant heard a commotion. He turned and saw one of the other Marines [796]*796apparently punching the Sailor, who was then on the ground. The appellant rushed to the two struggling figures and saw that his Marine friend was actually stabbing the Sail- or repeatedly. The victim received many grievous wounds. These included cuts to his hands and torso, stab wounds to the abdomen and chest, a punctured and collapsed lung, and a lacerated trachea. Among other things, the Marine assailant had pulled the victim’s head back and had slit his throat.

The appellant pulled the assailant off the victim and all three Marines fled. Fortunately, the victim was able to immediately stagger to a near-by commercial establishment and report the crime. Military police authorities were promptly notified of the aggravated assault and began a search for the Marines.

For the 45-day period following the brutal attack on the Sailor, the appellant not only failed to disclose the serious crime he witnessed, but he and the other two Marines took several affirmative acts to conceal the fact that they were involved in the assault. Despite those efforts, the appellant was ultimately identified and apprehended for his role in the assault. He was the first of the three Marines to be apprehended.

Misprision of a Serious Offense

Although it is not one we often see, the crime of misprision of a serious offense is well established in military law. United States v. Hoff, 27 M.J. 70, 72 (C.M.A.1988); United States v. Assey, 9 C.M.R. 732, 1953 WL 2732 (A.F.B.R.1953). This military offense has its roots in 18 U.S.C. § 4 (1994),3 the civilian Federal crime of misprision of a felony. See Manual for Courts-Martial, United States (1995 ed.), app. 23, at A23-20 [hereinafter MCM]; Assey, 9 C.M.R. at 734-35. The civilian Federal crime of misprision of a felony is also well established. See Branzburg v. Hayes, 408 U.S. 665, 696, 92 S.Ct. 2646, 2664, 33 L.Ed.2d 626 (1972). The military and Federal crimes are essentially the same. Both require that the Government establish not just that the accused merely failed to disclose that a serious underlying offense was committed by someone else, but that the accused took some affirmative act to conceal that information. See Lancey v. United States, 356 F.2d 407, 408 (9th Cir.), cert, denied, 385 U.S. 922, 87 S.Ct. 234, 17 L.Ed.2d 145 (1966); MCM, Part IV, 195b.

In Specified Issue I, we asked whether the appellant could providently plead guilty to misprision of the aggravated assault when the authorities became aware of the crime almost immediately. Although we have not found a reported military case directly addressing Specified Issue I, that issue has been addressed as it applies to 18 U.S.C. § 4.

In Lancey, a prosecution under 18 U.S.C. § 4, police authorities became aware of the underlying crime before the misprision offense arose. The Lancey court held that whether police authorities did or did not know of the underlying crime or who the perpetrator was is unimportant when the charge is misprision of that underlying crime because those facts are not elements of the offense described by 18 U.S.C. § 4. Lancey, 356 F.2d. at 409-10.

Lancey also resolves a side-issue raised by the appellant. The appellant contends that misprision requires concealment of a crime, and, if he concealed anything, it was only the identity of the perpetrator, not the crime itself. He concludes, therefore, that he cannot be guilty of the crime of misprision.

We disagree with his conclusion. First, under the facts of this case, we conclude that the appellant actively attempted to conceal the circumstances of the serious crime he witnessed. Lancey tells us that even if authorities are already aware of the underlying crime, misprision may still lie. Second, we reject the appellant’s narrow interpretation of the element “[t]hat, thereafter, the accused concealed the serious offense____” We conclude that that element is satisfied [797]*797when an individual knows another person has committed a serious offense, then actively conceals information he or she has about that offense, including the identity of the perpetrator.

Because the elements of the military misprision offense are virtually identical to those of the Federal misprision offense and because both share a common legal heritage, we find Lancey to be dispositive of Specified Issue I. We conclude that whether authorities were or were not aware of the aggravated assault or the identity of the perpetrator is simply not relevant in determining whether the appellant committed the misprision offense because, as in Lancey, those facts are not elements of the appellant’s offense.

Pre-emption Doctrine

Under the facts of this case, perhaps the Government could have charged the appellant with being an accessory after the fact and prevailed. See Art. 78, UCMJ, 10 U.S.C. § 878; MCM, Part IV, 112. However, the appellant has provided no authority for the proposition that the Government was therefore required to charge him with an Article 78, UCMJ, 10 U.S.C. § 878

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

Related

Branzburg v. Hayes
408 U.S. 665 (Supreme Court, 1972)
David Edward Lancey v. United States
356 F.2d 407 (Ninth Circuit, 1966)
United States v. Rivera
46 M.J. 52 (Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces, 1997)
United States v. Jennings
22 M.J. 837 (U.S. Navy-Marine Corps Court of Military Review, 1986)
United States v. Hoff
27 M.J. 70 (United States Court of Military Appeals, 1988)
Maslowsky v. Cassidy
385 U.S. 924 (Supreme Court, 1966)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
47 M.J. 794, 1998 CCA LEXIS 4, 1998 WL 37199, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-sanchez-nmcca-1998.