Brown v. State

703 P.2d 1097, 1985 Wyo. LEXIS 519
CourtWyoming Supreme Court
DecidedJuly 31, 1985
DocketNo. 84-297
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 703 P.2d 1097 (Brown v. State) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Wyoming Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Brown v. State, 703 P.2d 1097, 1985 Wyo. LEXIS 519 (Wyo. 1985).

Opinions

BROWN, Justice.

Appellant was convicted of writing three fraudulent checks within a sixty-day period which exceeded $500 in the aggregate. She was sentenced as a felon to not less than one year, nor more than three years at the Wyoming Women’s Correctional Institute.

The single issue raised by appellant is: “Whether there was insufficient evidence to convict Appellant of check fraud in an amount exceeding five-hundred dollars and thus, justify a felony sentence.”

We will affirm.

The information in this case dated June 24, 1983, charged that appellant “ ⅜ * * on the 23rd day of December, A.D. 1982 * * * did unlawfully write two or more checks within a sixty (60) day period in the State of Wyoming, said checks totaling in excess of $200, with intent to defraud, in violation of § 6 — 3—124(b)(ii), W.S.” The state filed a bill of particulars dated June 11, 1984:

“2. The State will produce evidence showing that during the month of December, 1982, the Defendant wrote eight [1098]*1098(8) checks on her account with the First Wyoming Bank of Cody, Wyoming, all of said checks having been written while the defendant did not have sufficient funds with her account at the First Wyoming Bank to ‘cover’ the amounts of the checks. The State will show that the total amount of those checks came to $788.11. Those checks were written between December 9, 1982, and December 23, 1982.”

Section 6-3-124, W.S.1977, 1982 Cum. Supp., the statute in effect at the time of the alleged offense, provided in part:

“(a) Any person who deceitfully issues a check which is not paid because the drawer has insufficient funds with the drawee, has issued a fraudulent check and commits fraud by check unless the check is paid by the maker within ten (10) days of receiving notice, sent to the address shown on the instrument of dishon- or or nonpayment.
“(b) Fraud by check is:
* sfc # * ⅝ *
“(ii) A felony if the fraudulent check was for the sum of two hundred dollars ($200.00) or more, or if the offender is convicted of fraud by check involving two (2) or more checks within any sixty (60) day period in the state of Wyoming totaling two hundred dollars ($200.00) or more in the aggregate. * * * V

At the time of appellant’s trial, August 2, 1984, and sentencing, October 22, 1984, the fraudulent check statute had been reenacted and renumbered § 6-3-702, W.S. 1977, 1984 Cum.Supp., providing in part:

“(a) Any person who knowingly issues a check which is not paid because the drawer has insufficient funds or credit with the drawee has issued a fraudulent check and commits fraud by check.
“(b) Fraud by check is:
* * # * * *
“(Hi) A felony punishable by imprisonment for not more than ten (10) years, a fine of not more than ten thousand dollars ($10,000.00), or both, if the fraudulent check was for the sum of five hundred dollars ($500.00) or more, or if the offender is convicted of fraud by check involving two (2) or more checks issued within any sixty (60) day period in the state of Wyoming totaling five hundred dollars ($500.00) or more in the aggregate.”

The only difference in the later statute that is significant here is that the dollar amount in the aggregate was raised from $200 to $500 for the offense to result in a felony.1 Section 6-l-101(c), W.S.1977 (June 1983 Replacement), provides:

“In a case pending on or after the effective date of this act, involving a crime committed prior to the effective date, if the penalty under this act for the crime is different from the penalty under prior law, the court shall impose the lesser sentence.”

Because § 6-3-702(b) raises the aggregate dollar amount and § 6-l-101(c) indicates which penalty applies, it is clear that unless an aggregate of $500 in fraudulent checks were proved within a sixty-day period, appellant could not be properly sentenced as a felon. Attletweedt v. State, Wyo., 684 P.2d 812 (1984).

Appellant has broken down her sufficiency of the evidence issue into two parts:

I

Notice as an element of the offense, and

II

Variance between criminal complaint and charge upon which conviction was based.

At a trial before the court, the state introduced into evidence numerous checks [1099]*1099issued by appellant showing insufficient funds or account closed. Appellant was found guilty of fraud by check, a felony, and sentenced accordingly. The court relied on a check issued December 11, 1982, in the sum of $247.76; a cheek issued December 16, 1982, in the sum of $58.52; and a check issued December 23, 1982, in the sum of $235.87, a total of $542.15 in checks written within a 60-day period.

Appellant suggests that the notice portion of § 6-3-124(a), W.S.1977, 1982 Cum.Supp., is an element of the crime of fraud by check. We disagree.

“It is well settled in the decisions in this state that the statutory notice itself is not an element of the offense, and failure to pay after receipt thereof is merely one way by which the State may attempt to show fraudulent intent and knowledge of the worthlessness of the check. [Citations.]” State v. Merriweather, Tenn., 625 S.W.2d 256, 258 (1981). See also State v. Haremza, 213 Kan. 201, 515 P.2d 1217 (1973).

The elements of this offense, other than date and venue, are set out in the first portion of § 6-3-124(a), as follows:

“Any person who deceitfully issues a check which is not paid because the drawer has insufficient funds with the drawee, has issued a fraudulent check and commits fraud by check unless the. check is paid by the maker within ten (10) days of receiving notice, sent to the address shown on the instrument of dishon- or or nonpayment.”

The notice portion of § 6-3-124(a) is an anomaly in the law. This portion of the statute provides, “an opportunity for an otherwise guilty individual to have a change of heart and redeem his ‘bad check.’ ” State v. Laude, Wyo., 654 P.2d 1223, 1229 (1982).

After criminal intent has been formed, the notice portion of the statute provides for abandonment of such intent. This notice portion has also been characterized as a “repentence” concept, “nullification of a criminal act,” or an “absolution clause.” State v. Laude, supra, at 1230-1231 (Brown, J., dissenting). While abandonment of criminal intent is rare, it is not unheard of. For example, § 6-l-301(b), W.S.1977 (June 1983 Replacement), provides no liability for criminal attempt by one who avoids “ * * * the commission of the crime attempted by abandoning his criminal effort.” In like manner, § 6-1-302(b) provides no liability for solicitation if one renounces his criminal intent; and § 6-l-303(b) allows one to withdraw from a conspiracy, thereby exonerating himself from the crime.

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Bluebook (online)
703 P.2d 1097, 1985 Wyo. LEXIS 519, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/brown-v-state-wyo-1985.