Court Opinion

ID: 9491420
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-05 14:13:30.390333+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T17:54:43.606548
License: Public Domain

DAVID R. THOMPSON, Circuit Judge,
Concurring
I agree with the majority that it was a violation of the ex post facto clause of the Constitution for the district court to ground its conviction on instances of Mussari’s ability to pay and nonpayment of child support which predated the effective date of the Child Support Recovery Act, 18 U.S.C. § 228. Therefore, I concur in the majority opinion.
My view of the defendant Mussari, however, differs substantially from that of my colleagues. The record reflects that Mussari had no intention of paying child support and would rather go to jail than contribute toward the support of his children. I can well understand what prompted the government to prosecute him and the district court to convict him. That conviction, however, must be reversed in view of the ex post facto violation.