Bankr. L. Rep. P 72,164 United States of America v. Morris Paul Weinstein, A/K/A Morry Weinstein

834 F.2d 1454
CourtCourt of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
DecidedMarch 3, 1988
Docket86-1225
StatusPublished
Cited by25 cases

This text of 834 F.2d 1454 (Bankr. L. Rep. P 72,164 United States of America v. Morris Paul Weinstein, A/K/A Morry Weinstein) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Bankr. L. Rep. P 72,164 United States of America v. Morris Paul Weinstein, A/K/A Morry Weinstein, 834 F.2d 1454 (9th Cir. 1988).

Opinion

HUG, Circuit Judge:

The criminal charges in this case arose out of the defendant’s participation in the preparation and filing of a bankruptcy petition for a travel agency and his dealings with the assets of that agency before and after the filing of the petition. Weinstein was convicted on one count of conspiracy to commit bankruptcy fraud, three counts of bankruptcy fraud, and two counts of causing transportation of stolen property in interstate or foreign commerce. Specifically, he was convicted of inducing the making of false statements in the debtor’s bankruptcy petition, of fraudulently transferring and concealing assets of the travel agency before and after the filing of the bankruptcy petition, and of conspiring to commit both crimes. He was also convicted of causing others to transport stolen airline tickets in interstate or foreign commerce.

The principal issues raised on appeal are:

1. Whether the proof established that the assets allegedly transferred or concealed were property of the debtor's estate;
2. Whether the district court committed plain error by failing to give an instruction to guide the jury in determining what constituted property of the debtor’s estate;
3. Whether the evidence was sufficient to support the convictions;
4. Whether the indictment should have been dismissed because some records had not been preserved by the bankruptcy trustee;
5. Whether airline tickets that have been filled in with the names of the passengers are “goods, wares [or] merchandise” within the meaning of 18 U.S.C. § 2314;
6. Whether the airline tickets that formed the basis of the charge under 18 U.S.C. § 2314 had a value of at least $5,000, as required by that statute; and
7. Whether it was plain error to order, as a condition of probation, the restitution of $72,984.33, which Weinstein contends exceeds the actual damages or loss occasioned by the offenses of which he was convicted.

I.

FACTS

In 1975, appellant Weinstein, a lawyer and an accountant, helped to incorporate a travel agency known as Professional Travel Consultants, Inc. The original shareholders were Carter, Schueler, and Lucas. In 1977, Downs purchased an interest and, thereafter, each of the four owned a 25% interest in the corporation. On January 22, 1979, Weinstein entered into a purchase *1457 agreement with Carter, Schueler, and Lucas to purchase their 75% stock interest in the corporation. Downs retained his 25% interest. Carter, Schueler, and Lucas also assigned their interest, from the purchase agreement with Weinstein, to Downs, for application to a debt they owed to Downs. Weinstein was intending, in turn, to transfer 75% of the stock he acquired, 25% to each of three business associates. The escrow on the sale was to close on January 31, 1979, if the required state and federal government agency approvals were obtained; if not, the escrow agent was to keep the stock, money, and other documents in escrow until such approvals were obtained. The agreement provided that if the approvals were not obtained by May 2, 1979, either Weinstein or the sellers could terminate the agreement. The agreement also provided that in the event of a termination the sellers agreed “to immediately reimburse” Weinstein for any advances made to Professional Travel Consultants, Inc. by Weinstein. The escrow did not close on either of the dates specified, or any time thereafter.

After the execution of the agreement, Weinstein advanced money to the travel agency and assumed the role of president and supervisor of the overall operations of Professional Travel Consultants, Inc. In August, 1979, Weinstein filed a change of ownership form with the Air Traffic Conference of America (“ATC”) 1 in which he was specified as the president and one of the owners (along with the three business associates) of Professional Travel Consultants, Inc. This change was approved in November of 1979.

In August of 1981, he formed a new corporation, Pro Tra Co., which then became the vehicle through which the travel agency was operated. From a practical standpoint, Pro Tra Co. took over the assets and assumed the liabilities of the travel agency, although the legal formalities were apparently not followed. The name on the front door was changed from Professional Travel Consultants, Inc. to Pro Tra Co., d/b/a Professional Travel Consultants. The stationery of Professional Travel Consultants, Inc. was used, but personnel were directed to strike out the “Inc.,” so as to reflect the d/b/a of Pro Tra Co. The same bank account of Professional Travel Consultants, Inc. was still used, without alteration. Essentially, the new corporation simply took over the business of the travel agency, utilizing the same name of Professional Travel Consultants, the same office, and the same personnel. The name, Professional Travel Consultants, Inc., continued to be used with ATC because no transfer approval was obtained as required. Thus, Pro Tra Co. was doing business with ATC under the name of Professional Travel Consultants, Inc., as though no change in ownership had occurred. Weinstein contends that the new corporation was owned by an employee, Greifeld, who was to pay for the business out of future profits. No purchase agreement was ever produced and the testimony of the existence of even an oral understanding was indeed vague. There was considerable testimony and documentary evidence that during the entire time, from 1979 to the filing of the petition in bankruptcy, Weinstein was clearly the man in charge and that he treated the travel agency as his own.

In late May, 1982, Weinstein and Grei-feld, the office manager, decided to close the travel agency, and all employees were terminated. On June 4, 1982, Weinstein and Greifeld consulted with an attorney, Dauphin, about filing a bankruptcy petition, and they were given a blank petition form to be used as a rough draft for the bankruptcy petition. The form was returned to Dauphin by Greifeld on June 7, 1982. The first three pages of the draft were in Weinstein’s handwriting. The petition, based on the draft, was filed June 8, 1982. The name of the debtor designated *1458 in the petition was “Pro Tra Co., a corporation doing business as Professional Travel Consultants.”

In the portion of the petition designated “Statement of Financial Affairs for Debtor Engaged in Business,” the following questions were asked and responses given based on the draft in Weinstein’s handwriting:

Question 1(a)
Under what name and where do you carry on your business?
Response
Professional Travel Consultants, Inc., doing business as Professional Travel Consultants Pro Tra Co.
Question 1(b)
In what business are you engaged?

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