Court Opinion

ID: 9496504
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-05 16:28:11.283246+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T17:57:36.939941
License: Public Domain

SILER, Circuit Judge
(dissenting).
I respectfully dissent. I would uphold the conviction of Rosa-Ortiz because he pleaded guilty to conspiracy to violate 18 U.S.C. § 751(a), which is a federal offense under the language of the indictment.
The co-defendant, Amparo-Concepción, was imprisoned by the Commonwealth of *43Puerto Rico for a felony offense. Thus, his confinement was “by virtue of [a] conviction of [an] offense,” 18 U.S.C. § 751(a), even though it was not a federal offense. Certainly, he was in federal custody pursuant to a material witness warrant under 18 U.S.C. § 3144. However, if there had not been the underlying Commonwealth conviction and custody, Amparo-Concepción would have been entitled to possible release pursuant to 18 U.S.C. § 3142. It was the Commonwealth’s conviction that retained Amparo-Concepción in federal custody.
I would follow the decision in Derengowski v. United States, 404 F.2d 778, 781 (8th Cir.1968), that “any offense under § 751 includes state offenses.” Like Derengow-ski, Amparo-Coneepción’s custody was “by virtue of his conviction of any offense.” The majority opinion emphasizes the dicta or álternative holding in Derengowski that his custody was by virtue of an arrest on a charge of a felony. He was in federal custody pursuant to a writ of habeas corpus ad prosequendum to answer charges in federal court. However, before he escaped, the federal charges had been dismissed. Nevertheless, that alternative holding is dictum that need not govern our resolution of this issue.
I agree with the majority that the material witness warrant could just as easily have been issued on the same application if Amparo-Concepción had been free on the streets. In that case, his escape could not have been prosecuted in violation of § 751, because there was no underlying offense. Our situation is obviously different. I would affirm the conviction below for these reasons stated.