United States v. Tagert

11 M.J. 677, 1981 CMR LEXIS 733
CourtU.S. Navy-Marine Corps Court of Military Review
DecidedMay 18, 1981
DocketNMCM 80 2771
StatusPublished
Cited by7 cases

This text of 11 M.J. 677 (United States v. Tagert) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering U.S. Navy-Marine Corps 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. Tagert, 11 M.J. 677, 1981 CMR LEXIS 733 (usnmcmilrev 1981).

Opinion

CEDARBURG, Chief Judge:

Appellant pleaded guilty to charges and specifications alleging that he conspired with another Marine to commit larceny of United States property valued in excess of $100.00 located in a government warehouse in Naples, Italy, a violation of Article 81,10 U.S.C.A. § 881, Uniform Code of Military [678]*678Justice (UCMJ); that he violated a lawful order issued by Naval Support Activity, Naples, Italy, when he on two occasions sold tax-free stolen items taken from a government warehouse to Italian citizens not entitled to purchase tax-free items, a violation of Article 92, 10 U.S.C.A. § 892, UCMJ; that he wrongfully sold military property of the United States, having a value of $9526.60, to Italian nationals, a violation of Article 108, 10 U.S.C.A. § 908, UCMJ; that he stole United States government property having a value of $9526.60, a violation of Article 121, 10 U.S.C.A. § 921, UCMJ; and that he unlawfully entered a United States government warehouse with the intent to commit larceny, in violation of Article 130, 10 U.S.C.A. § 930, UCMJ. After properly advising appellant of his rights and inquiring into the circumstances surrounding the alleged offenses, the military judge found appellant’s pleas to be provident and thus found appellant guilty as he had pleaded. Sentencing was by officer and enlisted members sitting as a special court-martial; the members sentenced appellant to a bad-conduct discharge, confinement at hard labor for 6 months, forfeiture of $299.00 pay per month for a period of 6 months, and reduction to pay grade E-l. Pursuant to a pretrial agreement, the convening authority approved the sentence but suspended for 12 months from the date of trial that portion of the confinement at hard labor in excess of 120 days. The supervisory authority approved the sentence.

Ten assignments of error have been submitted by appellate defense counsel for our consideration; only two issues warrant extended discussion. We specifically note our conclusion that the sentence is not inappropriately severe, even considering the extenuation and mitigation presented, given the nature of the offenses as well as the evidence in aggravation.

Asserting that one of the enlisted members of appellant’s court-martial was from the same unit as appellant, appellate defense counsel, echoing trial defense counsel’s argument submitted in a “post-trial statement” as well as his reply to the staff judge advocate’s review pursuant to United States v. Goode, 1 M.J. 3 (C.M.A.1975), submits that the court-martial lacked jurisdiction to try appellant. Appellant maintains that Master Sergeant C was statutorily barred from serving on this court-martial inasmuch as both he and MSGT C were maintained on the same unit personnel diary. Article 25(c)(1), 10 U.S.C.A. § 825(c)(1) UCMJ; United States v. Cook, 16 C.M.R. 404 (N.B.R.1954). See also paragraph 4b, Manual for Courts-Martial, 1969 (Rev.) (MCM). The failure of trial defense counsel to object or challenge MSGT C cannot be said to waive the error, appellant argues, because the error is jurisdictional in nature; for this he cites paragraphs 68b and 215a, MCM, as well as paragraph 62c, MCM, which he reads to state that “a statutorily ineligible member shall be excused ‘forthwith’ even in the absence of a challenge.”

The government argues that although the two Marines were part of the same unit for “administrative purposes”, as “a legal and practical matter” the two were separate in the sense of Article 25(c)(1), UCMJ. Citing a passage in United States v. Scott, 25 C.M.R. 636, 640 (A.B.R.1957), a case involving an accused and an enlisted member who were both found to be from the same unit, the government submits that:

The eligibility criteria governing the appointment of enlisted members of courts-martial seems obviously designed to insure the selection of individuals who are free from bias or prejudice arising from a previous close association with the accused, or from a possible mental identification with the supposed interests of his unit in disposition of the case. The word “eligible” as used in the first sentence of Article 25(c)(1) appears to have the same contextual meaning as the identical word appearing in the last sentence of Articles 25(d)(2) and 26(a). The enlisted man, law officer or other court member who becomes ineligible to act under any of the cited statutory provisions, is barred from participation in a particular case because of a personal disqualification with respect to it, and not because he is incompetent [679]*679by reason of status or lack of professional qualification for appointment to all courts-martial.

From this the government contends that “it is necessary to examine the factual reality in determining the legal issue of whether MSGT C was a member of the same unit as the accused. Article 25(c)(1), UCMJ;” they thus maintain that factually MSGT C’s only connection with the unit to which appellant was attached was for administrative purposes. The government then opines that in any case no objection or challenge was made at trial by defense counsel after a full discussion of the issue and therefore a waiver lies to preclude appellate review of the question.

MSGT C’s status was brought to the attention of the military judge by the trial counsel:

TC: I’d like to discuss at this time the fact that one of the members that’s on the convening order is nominally attached to the Marine Barracks and it would be an appropriate time to bring it up.
MJ: Are you referring to Master Sergeant [C]?
TC: I am, Your Honor.
MJ: Where is he attached for duty?
TC: He is attached for service record book purposes and for the purposes of getting his checks to the Marine Barracks, Naval Support Activity, Naples, although his report of evaluation and fitness reports are written there, he works for a separate command, in fact, the Naval Support Activity for COMFAIRMED, I believe, in a separate building. He never sees and otherwise never goes into the Marine Barracks except for administrative purposes. He sort of is in a dual status, if you will. The Manual talks about the fact that only certain people, if the accused requests enlisted persons, only certain enlisted members are eligible and one of those would be in paragraph or article 25, must be from a separate unit. In this case, Master Sergeant [C]’s unit — it’s rather vague, he doesn’t work for operationally or in any other way, for the Marine Barracks. He’s not under control of the Marine Barracks except that they hold his service record book. At least, it seems to me that the spirit of article 25 seems to be satisfied by their separateness; however, this issue with the defense, I believe they have comments also.
MJ: Lieutenant [H]?
DC: Your Honor, as far as the defense is concerned, Master Sergeant [C] is of a different unit. We realize that administratively he may of had some dealing with the Barracks, but operationally, he has no contact with the Barracks. He doesn’t have any contact with Sergeant Tagert or in any of Sergeant Tagert’s duties over there. Sergeant Tagert may have met him once or twice on the base, but as far as operational is concerned, it’s a separate unit. He doesn’t have any contact with any people in the Barracks with regard to their duties in any way.

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Bluebook (online)
11 M.J. 677, 1981 CMR LEXIS 733, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-tagert-usnmcmilrev-1981.