United States v. Yammine

69 M.J. 70, 2010 CAAF LEXIS 525, 2010 WL 2348288
CourtCourt of Appeals for the Armed Forces
DecidedJune 10, 2010
Docket09-0720/MC
StatusPublished
Cited by35 cases

This text of 69 M.J. 70 (United States v. Yammine) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
United States v. Yammine, 69 M.J. 70, 2010 CAAF LEXIS 525, 2010 WL 2348288 (Ark. 2010).

Opinions

Judge RYAN

delivered the opinion of the Court.

As relevant to the granted issue,1 Appellant was charged with two specifications of forcible sodomy with a child under the age of sixteen, in violation of Article 125, Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ), 10 U.S.C. § 925 (2006), and convicted by a general court-martial — composed of officer and enlisted members — of one count of sodomy with a child who had attained the age of twelve but was under the age of sixteen, and one count of indecent acts with a child, in violation of Articles 125 and 134, UCMJ, 10 U.S.C. §§ 925, 934 (2006), respectively.2 The members sentenced him to a dishonorable discharge, eight years of confinement, forfeiture of all pay and allowances, a fine of $7000 [72]*72(with an additional year of confinement if the fine was not paid), and reduction to the grade of E-l. The convening authority approved the adjudged sentence.

[71]*71WHETHER THE MILITARY JUDGE ABUSED HIS DISCRETION WHEN HE ADMITTED EVIDENCE OF FILE NAMES FOUND ON APPELLANT'S COMPUTER THAT WERE SUGGESTIVE OF HAVING CONTAINED CHILD PORNOGRAPHY BUT WHOSE ACTUAL CONTENT WAS UNKNOWN, ALLOWING THE GOVERNMENT TO ARGUE APPELLANT'S PROPENSITY OR MOTIVE TO COMMIT SODOMY OR INDECENT ACTS WITH A MINOR.

[72]*72This ease presents the questions whether evidence of a list of computer filenames suggestive of homosexual acts involving preteen and teenage boys was admissible under Military Rule of Evidence (M.R.E.) 414 (as evidence that Appellant had a propensity to commit sodomy with a child over the age of twelve but under the age of sixteen) or, alternatively, whether such evidence was admissible under M.R.E. 404(b) (to show motive, plan, or intent). We answer both questions in the negative. The computer fi-lenames were treated as synonymous with possession or attempted possession of child pornography, which, under the facts of this case, we conclude is not a “qualifying” offense under M.R.E. 414. Nor, under the facts of this case, were the filenames admissible under M.R.E. 404(b) — the prejudicial effect of the evidence substantially outweighs whatever marginal relevance and probative value these computer filenames have to the charged offenses.

I. Facts

Appellant was a drill instructor at Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island, South Carolina. On July 10, 2006, Appellant encountered a fourteen-year-old boy, JP, at the base library.

JP testified as follows: Appellant followed him to the library restroom and forcibly performed oral sodomy on him, after which Appellant asked if JP needed a ride home. JP said “Okay,” put his bicycle into the trunk of Appellant’s car, and the two drove together to Appellant’s barracks. The two went to Appellant’s room, where Appellant handcuffed JP to the bed and forcibly performed anal sodomy on him. Afterwards, Appellant drove JP home and gave JP his cell phone number. JP called Appellant several times over the next few days.

In contrast, Appellant denied any physical contact occurred, either in the library restroom or in the barracks room. Appellant testified that after the two left the library, JP followed him back to his barracks on his bicycle rather than riding in the car. Appellant stated that JP “wanted to hang out and talk about odds and ends. Like I said, he was bored so, I assumed that’s why he showed up.” While Appellant acknowledged that the two talked in his room for about ten to fifteen minutes, he stated that his door was not even closed during that brief period because the air conditioner was broken.

On July 23, 2006, JP relayed his version of the events to his brother-in-law, who contacted the military police. The case was referred to Special Agent (SA) Tony Richardson of the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS), who interviewed JP. JP was able to point out Appellant’s building and provide a description of Appellant’s room and of some of the items in the room.

SA Richardson arranged a telephone intercept to see if Appellant would be willing to meet JP. JP called Appellant and asked Appellant to meet him at an on-base hotel that night. Appellant agreed but did not actually show up at the hotel.

NCIS arrested Appellant that evening. During a consensual search of his room, Appellant’s laptop computer was seized and sent to the Defense Computer Forensics Laboratory (DCFL). DCFL discovered three types of evidence on the hard drive — filenames, one frame of a movie file, and remnants of Internet searches using the term “Lolita.” The files themselves had been deleted and overwritten. DCFL could determine that the files had been downloaded between October 31 and November 1, 2004, but could not tell when the files had been deleted. All that remained were the filenames — there were no images of child pornography on the computer.

Appellant moved in limine to prevent the introduction of the following list of filenames:

(1) boy.kiddy.pedo.DX17[l].mpeg
(2) /C:/Program Files/Kazaa/My Shared Folder/10 y teen boys sex (l).jpg
(3) /C:/Program Files/Kazaa/My Shared Folder/pedo preteen boy little boy get (l)-JPg
[73]*73(4) /C:/Program Files/Kazaa/My Shared Folder/gay teen — skinny boy sucked, jpg
(5) /C ¡/Program Files/Kazaa/My Shared Folder/pedo preteen boy little boy gets sucked.jpg
(6) /C:/Program Files/Kazaa/My Shared Folder/pedo preteen boy boner ... mall9-72.jpg
(7) /C:/Program Files/Kazaa/My Shared Folder/2 Boys-Teen Boy Fucking Preteen-B 26W.jpg
(8) /C:/Program Files/Kazaa/My Shared Folder/PEDO-Boy Fun Series l.jpg
(9) C: Documents and Settings Rob Yam-mine Incomplete T1202102-UNDER-AGED BOY FUCKED BY JUDGES R@YGOLD (7) child porn sex underage illegal incest lolita preteen !Y! incest zYz young KIDDY DAD nude French illegal pee forced violated.wmv
(10) C: Documents and Settings Rob Yammine Incomplete T51175444-11 yr yng lolita riding dad (preteen incest kiddy rape)(l)(2)(l).mpeg
(11) C: Documents and Settings Rob Yammine Incomplete T80618-2_fuck dicks young sex teen ass boy blondes preteen cum gay cock teens little bareback boys(l).jpg
(12) C: Documents and Settings Rob Yammine Incomplete T5385287-sex pjk rbv maria kdv nudists.mov
(13) Fucking very fast in the ass by three (illegaLpreteen_underage_lolitaridd-dy_child_incest_xxx_porno_gay_fuck_ young_naked_nude_little_g.mpeg.

The military judge denied the motion and admitted the filenames under M.R.E. 414 on the theory that they were evidence of “the accused’s commission of another offense of child molestation,” thus allowing them to be used as evidence of the accused’s “propensity to engage in the alleged acts.” The military judge added that the filenames “may further be used to establish motive, plan and as evidence of the element for the lesser-included offense of indecent acts with a child.”

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

Related

United States v. Washington
Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces, 2026
United States v. Sergeant TYRESE S. CAMPBELL
Army Court of Criminal Appeals, 2025
United States v. Staff Sergeant JOEL CORRINARD
Army Court of Criminal Appeals, 2025
United States v. BASS
Navy-Marine Corps Court of Criminal Appeals, 2025
United States v. Wilson
Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces, 2024
United States v. Kight
Air Force Court of Criminal Appeals, 2024
United States v. Steen
Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces, 2021
United States v. Michalec
Air Force Court of Criminal Appeals, 2021
United States v. Robertson
Air Force Court of Criminal Appeals, 2020
United States v. Knarr
Air Force Court of Criminal Appeals, 2020
United States v. Taylor
Navy-Marine Corps Court of Criminal Appeals, 2020
United States v. McCall
Air Force Court of Criminal Appeals, 2020
United States v. Jeter
Navy-Marine Corps Court of Criminal Appeals, 2019
United States v. Hamby
Navy-Marine Corps Court of Criminal Appeals, 2018
United States v. Wilson-Crow
Air Force Court of Criminal Appeals, 2017
United States v. Specialist JUSTIN P. SWIFT
Army Court of Criminal Appeals, 2017
United States v. Hudson
Air Force Court of Criminal Appeals, 2017
United States v. Fetrow
76 M.J. 181 (Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces, 2017)
United States v. Private First Class OLANREWAJU O. DAIRO
75 M.J. 867 (Army Court of Criminal Appeals, 2016)
United States v. Navarro
Air Force Court of Criminal Appeals, 2016

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
69 M.J. 70, 2010 CAAF LEXIS 525, 2010 WL 2348288, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-yammine-armfor-2010.