Update--United States v. Leon A. Brown

A military judge, sitting as a general court-martial, convicted Appellant, contrary to his pleas, of providing alcohol to minors on divers occasions; wrongfully distributing marijuana on divers occasions; wrongfully distributing psilocybin (mushrooms) on divers occasions; wrongfully using mushrooms on divers occasions; sexually assaulting a child, GB; behaving in a disgraceful and dishonorable manner that seriously compromised his standing as an officer by wrongfully and dishonorably organizing individuals into a violent gang; wrongfully communicating a threat to AL on divers occasions; wrongfully communicating to MH a threat to injure ME by paying someone to assault ME; receiving consideration for arranging for KW, PW, WK, and other unnamed persons to engage in sexual intercourse with others; unlawfully entering ML's house; sexually assaulting a child, FT; wrongfully threatening to hurt, injure, or kill Captain (Capt) CM; wrongfully threatening to hurt, injure, or kill Special Agent (SA) JG; and wrongfully threatening to hurt, injure, or kill Airman Basic (AB) JS, in violation of Articles 92, 112a, 120b, 133, and 134, Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ), 10 U.S.C. §§ 892, 912a, 920b, 933, 934.3 The military judge sentenced Appellant to a dismissal, confinement for 25 years, and forfeiture of all pay and allowances. The military judge credited Appellant with 60 days of pretrial confinement credit. The convening authority approved the adjudged sentence.

On appeal, Appellant argues that all of his convictions, except his provision of alcohol to minors, distribution of marijuana, mushroom use, and threats to AL, are legally and factually insufficient. Appellant also claims the Government failed to meet its discovery obligations; he was deprived his constitutional right to effective assistance of counsel at trial;6 the military judge erred in not granting additional sentencing credit for pretrial punishment Appellant suffered during a search of his pretrial confinement sleeping quarters; and post-trial delays in his case warrant meaningful relief.
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We find there is insufficient evidence to support Appellant's conviction of unlawful entry. We also find that Appellant was subjected to pretrial punishment in violation of Article 13, UCMJ, 10 U.S.C. § 813, and is, therefore, entitled to additional, modest confinement credit. We find no other prejudicial error, affirm the remaining findings, and reassess the sentence below.

United States v. Brown, No. ACM 38864, 2017 CCA LEXIS 454, at *1-3 (A.F. Ct. Crim. App. July 6, 2017).

​CAAF ultimately denied his petition for review. 78 M.J. 162 (C.A.A.F. 2018). There being no avenue to the Supreme Court. Unlike every other system in the U.S., an intermediate court, the CAAF, acts as a gatekeeper. So off to federal district court went Brown with a habeas petition. He did not fair well in the Ninth. See Brown v. United States, No. 21-55727 (9th Cir. Sept. 20, 2022) (unpub.).