A. Ray Segal v. United States

246 F.2d 814
CourtCourt of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit
DecidedSeptember 13, 1957
Docket15726
StatusPublished
Cited by34 cases

This text of 246 F.2d 814 (A. Ray Segal v. United States) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
A. Ray Segal v. United States, 246 F.2d 814 (8th Cir. 1957).

Opinion

GARDNER, Chief Judge.

Appellant has appealed from a judgment and sentence of conviction on an indictment of one count charging him with the offense of subornation of perjury. The indictment charged that appellant suborned one Mary K. Johnson to commit perjury as a witness in the trial of one Donald Nelson.

In that ease Nelson was charged with transporting Mary K. Johnson in interstate commerce and with conspiring with one Robert Bannarn to accomplish such transportation in violation of the so-called Mann Act, 18 U.S.C.A. §§ 2421-2423. In the course of this opinion we shall refer to the appellant as defendant.

In the instant case defendant entered a plea of not guilty and on trial the jury returned a verdict of guilty. The verdict, however, on motion of defendant was set aside and a new trial granted. On the second trial defendant wa.s again found guilty and his motions fcr judgment of acquittal and for a new trial were respectively overruled and judgment and sentence of conviction entered upon the verdict from which defendant prosecutes this appeal.

Defendant first challenges the sufficiency of the evidence to sustain the verdict.

While the indictment contained but one count and charged but one offense it contained nine separate paragraphs each dealing with a separate subject matter. The court submitted but four out of these nine subjects of perjury to the jury. If there was proof that the testimony referred to in any one of these paragraphs was false and proved to be suborned that would sustain the charge of subornation of perjury. The trial court so instructed the jury and we believe this statement of the applicable law is not controverted by defendant on this appeal.

Of the four subject matters constituting the allegedly perjured testimony given by the witness Mary K. Johnson at the Nelson trial one was that she did not engage in prostitution between November 11, 1952 and December 31, 1952 and did not hustle in Chicago, Illinois; second, that she did not use drugs as an addict in Chicago between November 11, 1952 and December 31, 1952; third, that she did not know she crossed a state line, and fourth, that she did not see Robert Bannarn about November 11, 1952. On the trial of the defendant she testified that her testimony on these questions given at the trial of Nelson was false and she also testified that the defendant induced her to give such false testimony. The testimony was all material to the issues involved in the Nelson case.

To sustain the charge of subornation in this case there must have been proof that the testimony given by Mary K. Johnson at the Nelson trial was false and this fact can only be established by the testimony of two witnesses or by the testimony of one witness and proof of corroborating circumstances. Hammer v. United States, 271 U.S. 620, 46 S.Ct. 603, 70 L.Ed. 1118; Hashagen v. United States, 8 Cir., 169 F. 396; Arena v. United States, 9 Cir., 226 F.2d 227; United States v. Palese, 3 Cir., 133 F.2d 600; Goins v. United States, 4 Cir., 99 F.2d 147. The question of the quantum of corroboration required by the rule is, however, for the jury. Weiler v. United States, 323 U.S. 606, 65 S.Ct. 548, 89 L.Ed. 495; Doan v. United States, 9 Cir., 202 F.2d 674.

On the question of the corroboration of Mary K. Johnson’s testimony that she testified falsely in the Nelson case that she did not engage in prostitution between November 11, 1952 and December 31, 1952, we need not go into the sordid *817 details recited by a number of witnesses, among them officers of the Chicago police department. We have examined the testimony and find it amply corroborates the testimony of Mary K. Johnson in the present case.

On the question of the use of narcotics the testimony of Mary K. Johnson given at the trial in the instant case was corroborated by testimony of police officers and by the testimony of a Mrs. Carlson and a Mrs. Warner. We have examined it and think it clearly sufficient to go to the jury on the question of corroboration.

On the question of the falsity of Mary K. Johnson’s testimony given at the Nelson trial to the effect that she did not know whether she crossed a state line, corroboration is found in the testimony of Robert Bannarn and Rebecca Aron and other related circumstances.

The falsity of Mary K. Johnson’s testimony given at the Nelson trial that she had not seen Robert Bannarn in Chicago about November 11, 1952 is corroborated by the testimony of a Mrs. Bowde who testified that Mary K. Johnson lived in an apartment building owned by her in Chicago with Robert Bannarn from November 11, 1952 to December 26, 1952, and by the testimony of Robert Bannarn to the same effect.

On this phase of the case we conclude that on the four matters submitted to the jury by the court’s instructions there was ample evidence, if believed by the jury, to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Mary K. Johnson committed perjury on the trial of the Nelson case.

It remain to consider whether the testimony was sufficient to go to the jury on the question as to whether the defendant induced Mary K. Johnson to give the above noted perjured testimony. While perjury must be established by the testimony of at least two witnesses or by the testimony of one witness and proof of corroborating circumstances, it is not necessary that the act of suborning perjury be so established. Doan v. United States, supra; Catrino v. United States, 9 Cir., 176 F.2d 884; Cohen v. United States, 2 Cir., 27 F.2d 713; United States v. Silverman, 3 Cir., 106 F.2d 750; Outlaw v. United States, 5 Cir., 81 F.2d 805. Thus, in Doan v. United States, supra, which involved the charge of subornation of perjury, the applicable rule is stated as follows [202 F.2d 678]:

“-» * -x- This means that while it was incumbent upon the Government to prove that the testimony given by Georgia Martin before the Grand Jury was false, and to prove that it was thus false by two independent witnesses, or by one such witness plus corroborating circumstances, yet as to the element of subornation of the perjury, that is to say, as to whether the defendant induced the commission of the perjury on her part, ‘the proof is the same as in all other crimes,—proof beyond a reasonable doubt’.”

In Catrino v. United States, supra, it is said, inter alia [176 F.2d 888]:

“In a subornation of perjury case, proof that the defendant induced, the commission of the offense, is not subject to this requirement.”

The witness Mary K. Johnson testified positively that the defendant in the instant case induced her to give this false testimony.

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Bluebook (online)
246 F.2d 814, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/a-ray-segal-v-united-states-ca8-1957.