United States v. Torres

573 F. Supp. 2d 925, 2008 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 71136, 2008 WL 3974307
District Court, W.D. Texas·Decided August 21, 2008·No. 2:08-mj-01697·Published·Cited by 14 cases

Opinion

ORDER

KATHLEEN CARDONE, District Judge.

On this day, the Court considered Defendant Francisco Torres’s Motion to Dis *929 miss Indictment (“Defendant’s Motion”) and Government’s Response to Defendant’s Motion to Dismiss Indictment (“Government’s Response”). For the reasons set forth herein, Defendant’s Motion is DENIED.

I. BACKGROUND

A. Procedural History

On May 7, 2008, the Government filed a Criminal Complaint against Defendant Francisco Torres, alleging that he violated Title 18, United States Code, § 2250— Failure to Register or Update a Registration by a Sexual Offender. Section 2250 is the enforcement provision of the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (“SORNA”), 42 U.S.C. §§ 16901 et seq. Later on May 7, 2008, the Government arrested Defendant pursuant to a warrant and without incident. On May 13, 2008, a Prehminary Hearing was held after which the Court found probable cause for Defendant’s arrest.

On June 11, 2008, a Grand Jury sitting in El Paso, Texas, returned a single-count Indictment, charging Defendant with a violation of § 2250. Specifically, the Indictment states:

COUNT ONE

(18 U.S.C. § 2250 — Failure to Register (Sex Offender))

Beginning on or about July 27, 2006 and continuing until on or about May 7, 2008, in the Western District of Texas and elsewhere, defendant

FRANCISCO TORRES,

being a person who is a sex offender as defined for the purpose of the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act by reason of a conviction under the United States Code of Military Justice for: Article 120 — Sodomy of a Child (one count) and Article 134 — Indecency with a Child Under 16 (one count) on or about June 3, 1999, and who is required to register under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act, did knowingly fail to register and update a registration as required by the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act, in violation. of-Title 18, United States Code, ' section 2250(a)(2) and (3).

Indictment 1-2.

B. Factual Background

The Government alleges that it can prove the following facts:

On or about June 3, 1999, Defendant was convicted of one (1) count of sodomy of a child in violation of Article 120 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice and was sentenced to twelve (12) years confinement, a dishonorable discharge from the Air Force, forfeiture of all pay and allowances, and reduction to E-l. On or about this same date, Defendant also was convicted of one (1) count of committing indecent acts upon a child in violation of Article. 134 of the United States Code of Military Justice, and sentenced to nine (9) years confinement, a dishonorable discharge, forfeiture of all pay and allowances, and reduction to E-1. The charges involved the repeated molestation (including fondling and simulated oral and vaginal sexual acts) over a 2-year period of a female family member under the age of 12.
On or about December 25, 2004, Defendant was released from the custody of the Federal Bureau of Prisons at FCI La Tuna, Anthony, Texas/New Mexico.
On December 30, 2004, Defendant completed his initial sex offender-registration with the El Paso Police Department. • ■ During this initial registration, Defendant signed a CR-32 Pre-Release Notification Form Texas Sex .Offender Registration Program, acknowledging he had a lifetime registration require *930 ment and that he must update his registration every ninety (90) days.
On June 27, 2007, after the passage of both SORNA and the Attorney General’s Interim Rule, Defendant signed a second CR-32 Pre-Release Notification Form, Texas Sex Offender , Registration Program. On this form, Defendant acknowledged not only his lifetime registration requirement, but also indicated that he understood, inter alia, that “[n]ot later than the 7th day after the date of the change, I shall report to my primary registration authority any change in the following: my name (includes a request for name change and denial of a request), my physical health (includes hospitalization), job status (includes beginning and leaving employment and changing work locations).”
' On various dates between March 31, 2005, and March 20, 2008, Defendant filed his quarterly registration update forms with the El Paso Police Department. During thesé registration reports, Defendant reported several changes in his employment status:
(a) On December 29, 2005, Torres reported a change in his employment from unemployed to self-employed in construction.
(b) On November 8, 2007, Torres reported a change to his employment status from self-employed as a construction worker to a welder with American Eagle Brick.
' ' However, the American Eagle Brick is located in New Mexico. Despite this, Defendant did not register with the New Mexico authorities as required.
Additionally, according to Defendant’s application for employment with American Eagle Brick, he was employed at Wal-Mart in El Paso, Texas, between April 2005 and July 2007, a time in which Defendant reported first, that he was unemployed, and then self-employed. Texas Workforce records confirm Defendant was employed from at least the second quarter of 2006 through the third quarter of 2007. Never during his various updates with the El Paso Police Department did Defendant report this employment.
On January 30, 2008, Defendant began employment with Webco General Partnership- at the commissary located on Fort Bliss, Texas. Nevertheless, during a ninety day update on March 20, 2008, Defendant failed to notify the El Paso Police Department of this employment or any employment on Ft. Bliss.
Upon arrest, and after being advised of his Miranda rights and waiving the same, Defendant admitted he knew of his registration requirements and knowingly failed to register all the information as required.

Gov’t’s Resp. 4-7. See also Gov’t’s Criminal Compl. (“Complaint”) 2-3.

C. The Instant Motion

On July 7, 2008, Defendant filed the instant Motion, arguing that his Indictment violated the Constitution; the Administrative Procedure Act, and was insufficiently pleaded. See generally Def.’s Mot. On July 18, 2008, the Government filed its Response, arguing that each of Defendant’s objections is without merit, that SORNA is Constitutionally sound, and Defendant’s Indictment is sufficiently pleaded. See generally Gov’t’s Resp.

II. DISCUSSION

A. Standard

United States v. Torres, 573 F. Supp. 2d 925, 2008 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 71136, 2008 WL 3974307 (W.D. Tex. 2008).

573 F. Supp. 2d 925 (United States v. Torres) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

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