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§ 7.142 (B)

 
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(B)  Misprision of a Felony.  Misprision of a felony is not a drug-related conviction, even though the felony concealed is a deportable controlled substances offense, since misprision of a felony is a criminal offense separate and distinct from the particular felony concealed.[1092]  Note, however, that one court has held a federal conviction of misprision of a felony to be a crime involving moral turpitude.[1093]  See § § 7.11, 7.85, supra, concerning misprision of a felony as an aggravated felony.


[1092] Matter of Velasco, 16 I. & N. Dec. 281 (BIA 1977).

[1093] Itani v. Ashcroft, 298 F.3d 1213 (11th Cir. April 22, 2002) (federal conviction for misprision of a felony, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 4, constitutes a crime of moral turpitude for purposes of triggering deportation).  This decision is poorly reasoned, since it assessed the turpitude of this offense in the abstract, without considering the particular substantive felony that was in effect facilitated, and did not discuss the fact that attempt and conspiracy to commit non-CMTs are not CMTs themselves, and attempt and conspiracy to commit non-aggravated felonies are not aggravated felonies.  The same reasoning should apply to misprision of a felony, if this offense is ever considered to be a CMT.

 

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