United States v. Taplet

McLaughlin’s friend (Buck) encouraged McLaughin to end a relationship with Taplet. Taplet told Thomas, a stranger he met at a truck stop, that he wished he could “have something seriously done to her.” Thomas responded that he could “take care” of Buck for $7,000 to $10,000. Thomas worked as a paid informant for Immigration and Customs Enforcement. They discussed the murder-for-hire over the phone and in person; Taplet provided Thomas with the address, a photo, and the name of a secluded town where Thomas could kill Buck and dispose of her body. Following Thomas’s instructions, Taplet drove to a D.C. parking lot where and ICE Special Agent, posing as Thomas’s partner, joined them. They agreed to murder Buck in exchange for future payment while Taplet was at work in West Virginia. Charged with murder-for-hire, 18 U.S.C. 1958, Taplet moved, to dismiss on Speedy Trial Act grounds, but did not seek dismissal on constitutional grounds. The district court denied Taplet’s motions. At trial Taplet argued that there was insufficient evidence of interstate commerce because the government had manufactured jurisdiction. The district court denied the motion, the jury found Taplet guilty, and the court sentenced Taplet to 10 years in prison, the statutory maximum. The D.C. Circuit affirmed. Taplet “freely participate[d]” in the jurisdictional act and cannot claim manufactured jurisdiction. View "United States v. Taplet" on Justia Law