United States v. TRUSS

Navy-Marine Corps Court of Criminal Appeals·Decided December 28, 2023·No. 202200198·Published

Opinion

This opinion is subject to administrative correction before final disposition.

Before

HACKEL, GROSS, and BLOSSER Appellate Military Judges

UNITED STATES

Appellee

v.

Jerome G. TRUSS

Sergeant (E-5), U.S. Marine Corps Appellant

No. 202200198

Decided: 28 December 2023

Appeal from the United States Navy-Marine Corps Trial Judiciary

Military Judge: Melanie Mann

Sentence adjudged 16 May 2022 by a general court-martial convened at Marine Corps Base Hawaii, consisting of a military judge sitting alone. Sentence in the Entry of Judgment: confinement for 10 years, reduction to E-1, forfeiture of all pay and allowances, and a dishonorable discharge .

For Appellant:

Captain Thomas P. Belsky, JAGC, USN

For Appellee:

Major Mary Claire Finnen, USMC

Opinion of the Court

This opinion does not serve as binding precedent under NMCCA Rule of Appellate Procedure 30.2(a).

GROSS, Judge:

A military judge sitting as a general court-martial convicted Appellant, in accordance with his pleas, of two specifications of attempted fraternization, one specification of solicitation of prostitution, one specification of fraternization, two specifications of sexual harassment, one specification of false official statement , one specification of communicating a threat, two specifications of sexual assault, one specification of abusive sexual contact, and one specification of extortion in violation of Articles 80, 82, 92, 107, 115, 120 and 127 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice [UCMJ]. 1 Pursuant to a plea agreement, the military judge sentenced Appellant to 10 years of confinement, reduction to paygrade E-1, forfeiture of all pay and allowances and a dishonorable discharge . 2 Appellant raises three summary assignments of error: (1) Appellant’s convictions for communicating a threat and extortion are multiplicious and constitute an unreasonable multiplication of charges; (2) Appellant’s sentence of confinement for 10 years is inappropriately severe; 3 and (3) Appellant is entitled to a corrected Entry of Judgment [EOJ] because the one contained in the record of trial fails to list all the offenses for which Appellant was convicted.

1 10 U.S.C. §§ 880, 892, 907, 915, 920, and 927. We note that, although not raised by the parties, the military judge erroneously entered a finding of guilty to rape by exceptions and substitutions, excepting the words “by unlawful force” and substituting the words “without her consent.” The record is clear, however, that Appellant intended to plead guilty to the lesser included offense of sexual assault without consent. Both the plea agreement and the elements listed by the military judge in the providence inquiry contemplated a plea to sexual assault, and the facts elicited by the military judge establish the elements of that offense. We will take action on this error in our decretal paragraph.

2 Appellant was credited with 179 days of pretrial confinement.

3 Raised pursuant to United States v. Grostefon, 12 M.J. 431 (C.M.A. 1982).

Opinion of the Court

We find merit in Appellant’s third assignment of error and take corrective action in our decretal paragraph. We conclude the remaining findings are correct in law, that the sentence is correct in law and fact, and that no error materially prejudicial to the substantial rights of Appellant remains. 4

I. BACKGROUND

While stationed at Marine Corps Base Hawaii, Appellant allegedly committed a number of offenses between 2017 and 2021, including sexual assault, sexual harassment, fraternization, and extortion against no less than eight adult, female victims, most of whom were fellow Marines. Once this misconduct came to light, Appellant was charged with 18 specifications of violations of the UCMJ for alleged sexual assaults against four Marines under his charge, as well as fraternization, attempted fraternization, sexual harassment, solicitation to commit prostitution, making a false official statement, communicating a threat, and extortion.

Prior to trial, Appellant entered into a plea agreement with the convening authority in which Appellant agreed to plead guilty to 12 of the 18 specifications . The convening authority agreed to withdraw and dismiss the remaining specifications and charges. The convening authority and Appellant also agreed that the military judge could sentence Appellant to no less than 10 years but no more than 12 years of confinement for each of the two sexual assault specifications of Lance Corporal (E-3) [LCpl] Alpha to which Appellant would plead guilty. For the remaining 10 specifications, the plea agreement provided for confinement ranging from zero years for some offenses, to as much as two years for other offenses. All sentences to confinement were to run concurrently. Appellant also agreed to “waive all waivable motions.”

Appellant entered into a stipulation of fact in which he admitted certain facts related to the 12 specifications to which he was pleading guilty. He admitted that he sexually assaulted LCpl Alpha, 5 a Marine he had never previously met, after going to her barracks room; that LCpl Alpha told him “no” when he tried to touch her, but that he nonetheless removed her shorts and underwear as well as his own clothes before penetrating her vulva with his penis and fingers; and that he placed LCpl Alpha’s hand on his penis until he ejaculated. He also admitted that he attempted to fraternize with Private First

4 Articles 59(a) and 66(c), UCMJ.

5 All names contained within this opinion, with the exceptions of Appellant, the

judges, and counsel are pseudonyms.

Opinion of the Court

Class (E-2) [PFC] Monroe and LCpl Bravo—his direct subordinates—by seeking sexual relationships with them; that he sexually harassed PFC Monroe and LCpl Bravo by making repeated unwanted sexual comments after they refused to fraternize with him; and that he fraternized with PFC Connor by having a sexual relationship with her. Additionally, he admitted that he lied to Naval Criminal Investigative Service [NCIS] agents regarding his interactions with LCpl Alpha. Finally, he admitted that he solicited Ms. Golf to have sex with him for money. When she refused, he threatened to send a video of him having sex with Ms. Golf to her boyfriend. He also admitted that he later told her that he would not send the video to Ms. Golf’s boyfriend if she agreed to have sex with him. 6 At Appellant’s trial, the military judge discussed Appellant’s pleas of guilty with him. Appellant told the military judge that his pleas of guilty were voluntary and that he had agreed to the plea agreement of his own accord. The military judge conducted a thorough inquiry into the providence of Appellant’s pleas of guilty, corroborating Appellant’s admissions in the stipulation of fact. The military judge also conducted a careful and detailed colloquy with Appellant about the plea agreement provision wherein Appellant agreed, in part, to waive all waivable motions. 7 In addition to Appellant declaring that he understood that provision and that he voluntarily agreed to it, Appellant’s counsel informed the military judge that the Defense had initiated it. The military judge also briefly discussed the issues of multiplicity and unreasonable multiplication of charges.

Additional facts necessary to resolve specific assignments of error are discussed below.

II. DISCUSSION

A. Appellant Waived the Issues of Multiplicity and Unreasonable Multiplication of Charges Appellant urges us to set aside Additional Charge VI (communication of a threat) and its specification as either multiplicious or an unreasonable multiplication of charges in light of Appellant’s pleas to Additional Charge VII (extortion ) and its specification. The Government argues that Appellant waived claims of multiplicity and unreasonable multiplication of charges, and, alter-

6 Pros. Ex. 1.

7 R. at 147-48; see also App. Ex. IV at 10.

Opinion of the Court

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