日志
抢银行者必读：迫使他人跟随至少十年
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想抢银行的听众们请注意，想抢银行的听众们请注意了。现在广播通知。
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2008年九月的早晨，Larry Whitfield在持械抢劫北卡州的一个银行不成，正在逃避追捕的时候，闯进不同的民房多次。其中一家里有个79岁的老太太。Larry引着老太太从过道走入计算机房（就几步路，不超过9 feet)。在那里，老太太心脏病发作。Whitfield比较礼貌地问她她平常吃的药在哪里。不过没有礼貌地打电话为老太太叫救护车。老太太就这么死去了。
后来Whitfield被起诉。其中一条罪名就是联邦法 18 U.S. Code § 2113 - Bank robbery and incidental crimes （e），见下。
§2113. Bank robbery and incidental crimes(a) Whoever, by force and violence, or by intimidation, takes, or attempts to take, from the person or presence of another, or obtains or attempts to obtain by extortion any property or money or any other thing of value belonging to, or in the care, custody, control, management, or possession of, any bank, credit union, or any savings and loan association; orWhoever enters or attempts to enter any bank, credit union, or any savings and loan association, or any building used in whole or in part as a bank, credit union, or as a savings and loan association, with intent to commit in such bank, credit union, or in such savings and loan association, or building, or part thereof, so used, any felony affecting such bank, credit union, or such savings and loan association and in violation of any statute of the United States, or any larcenyShall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than twenty years, or both.(b) Whoever takes and carries away, with intent to steal or purloin, any property or money or any other thing of value exceeding $1,000 belonging to, or in the care, custody, control, management, or possession of any bank, credit union, or any savings and loan association, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than ten years, or both; orWhoever takes and carries away, with intent to steal or purloin, any property or money or any other thing of value not exceeding $1,000 belonging to, or in the care, custody, control, management, or possession of any bank, credit union, or any savings and loan association, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than one year, or both.(c) Whoever receives, possesses, conceals, stores, barters, sells, or disposes of, any property or money or other thing of value which has been taken or stolen from a bank, credit union, or savings and loan association in violation of subsection (b), knowing the same to be property which has been stolen shall be subject to the punishment provided in subsection (b) for the taker.(d) Whoever, in committing, or in attempting to commit, any offense defined in subsections (a) and (b) of this section, assaults any person, or puts in jeopardy the life of any person by the use of a dangerous weapon or device, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than twenty-five years, or both.(e) Whoever, in committing any offense defined in this section, or in avoiding or attempting to avoid apprehension for the commission of such offense, or in freeing himself or attempting to free himself from arrest or confinement for such offense, kills any person, or forces any person to accompany him without the consent of such person, shall be imprisoned not less than ten years, or if death results shall be punished by death or life imprisonment.【TF:下面的都是些解释性的点】(f) As used in this section the term “bank” means ...(g) As used in this section the term “credit union” means...(h) As used in this section, the term “savings and loan association” means
这个案子到了高院。Whitfield的律师的主要观点有：
- 在一个人家里从一个屋子走到另一个屋子（就几步路，不超过9 feet），不适用accompany这个字。accompany应该指走更远的路。
- §2113里的各点的惩罚是渐进、递增的。所以跟随必然指的是更远（远超过9 feet）的跟随。
- §2113(a)对使用暴力和语言威胁，敲诈勒索银行，最多不超过20年
- §2113(d)对使用暴力攻击等，最多不超过25年
- §2113(e)迫使他人跟随至少十年
- 【TF注：(b) 提到了不超过十年和不超过一年，怎么律师选择性地跳过了？】
- 历史原因。国会1934年通过这个法案的几周之前，正是银行抢劫成风，更有大盗John Dillinger使用人质当人肉屏障。很明显国会是针对这种恶性事件而订立的(e)。所以对本案中的9 feet的迫使跟随不适用。
- 如果9 feet的迫使跟随都要至少十年，反而会比用枪击伤银行职员要判的时间更长。这很明显说不过去。所以(e)对9 feet的迫使跟随不应该适用。
高院今天发布了反对Whitfield的判决。
- accompany即便在通过该法案的1934年，也是和今天一样，意思指“go with”。并不特指远近。从狄更斯的小说大卫科波菲尔和简奥斯汀的傲慢与偏见，都能找到这种用法。更比如，在晚宴上，如果我和我太太并不分配在同一张桌子的时候，SCALIA大法官说，我可以accompany我太太去她的桌子。当然，特别轻微的跟随移动不应该算，比如抢银行的抓着银行职员的手，以至于银行职员脚动了地方。但是胁迫下两个人从一个屋子到另一个屋子，或者从一个屋子里的一个点到另一个点，根据常识，应该算作accompany。
- §2113里的(a), (d), and (e) 都是针对不同的以银行为目标的作案手段。所以用渐进、递增来描述a,d和e的关系牵强。
- 国会通过这个法案的时候很可能是针对John Dillinger这种行为的。但是通过的立法却是超过了Dillinger的罪行。无论怎样（尽管SCALIA大法官自己都说“It's a very bad statute.”），不能硬生生地把远距离这个因素强加给accompany这个很明显对距离不予限制的字。更何况，被迫跟随的人的生命安全难道真的跟距离有关系么？如果当作人肉盾牌，哪怕走了1 foot，也可能把该人暴露在警方的火力之下而威胁到该人的生命安全。
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广播到此结束。下面请听听众点播歌曲：《爱就不要去犯罪》
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- 中院的判决中揭示Larry给自己的朋友打着电话要求开车来接他。这个朋友证明在电话的余音中，Larry问老太太药在哪里。。。（后来），
忆江南: “Larry引着老太太从过道走入计算机房（就几步路，不超过9 feet)。在那里，老太太心脏病发作。Whitfield比较礼貌地问她她平常吃的药在哪里。”，这一段只怕没有 ...
Sanders suggested that Whitfield "step outside in the hallway," "give [Mrs. Parnell] a minute," and call an ambulance. Whitfield did not call the ambulance, but remained on the phone with Sanders, remarking to her sporadically that Mrs. Parnell appeared to be unconscious and may have died...
