Commonwealth v. Moody

79 Pa. Super. 412, 1922 Pa. Super. LEXIS 263
CourtSuperior Court of Pennsylvania
DecidedJuly 13, 1922
DocketAppeal, No. 167
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 79 Pa. Super. 412 (Commonwealth v. Moody) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Superior Court of Pennsylvania primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Commonwealth v. Moody, 79 Pa. Super. 412, 1922 Pa. Super. LEXIS 263 (Pa. Ct. App. 1922).

Opinion

Opinion by

Linn, J.,

Appellant was convicted of conspiracy. On appeal he contends there was error: 1, in receiving declarations of coconspirators before proof of conspiracy; 2, in admitting evidence of some general conspiracy not charged in the indictment; 3, in not instructing the jury the prosecutor was an accomplice; 4, in not directing an acquittal.

Appellant was a justice of the peace serving his seventh year in office; he was also serving his eighth year as burgess of the Borough of Farrell in Mercer County. George Duleba was a policeman of Farrell. Steve Dzapo was one of a number of Oroatians, residing in Farrell and concerned in the trial. Moody, Duleba and Dzapo were charged with conspiracy in an indictment in three counts. The first count charged them with conspiracy with other unknown persons to extort from Spiro Yanich “large sums of money, to wit......Fourteen hundred dollars and upwards......” to procure exemption from prosecution for the unlawful sale of liquor and other violations of law. The second charged them with conspiring “to cheat and defraud the said Spiro Yanich of large sums [414]*414......to wit Fourteen hundred dollars......” Neither of those counts charged an executed conspiracy. The third count does so charge, alleging that the same three persons conspired to cheat and defraud' Yanich of Fourteen hundred dollars and “that thereupon, in pursuance of their unlawful......conspiracy......they......by divers unlawful......pretences to the effect that they ......would obtain, procure and maintain the protection, freedom and exemption from due and legal prosecution of the said Spiro Yanich for the selling of liquor without a license and other violations of the laws of the Commonwealth.....did then and there unlawfully..... obtain from the said Spiro Yanich the sum of Fourteen hundred dollars......consideration......for......maintaining......exemption from the due and legal prosecution of the said Spiro Yanich for the selling of liquor without a license and other violations of the law.”

Two of the alleged conspirators, Duleba and Dzapo, testified for the Commonwealth. Spiro Yanich and his partner George Struyna, conducted a pool room in Farrell. In consequence of a dispute there, Yanich ejected Joe Lunich from the room. Lunich then caused the arrest of Yanich, who was charged with disorderly conduct and carrying concealed deadly weapons. Appellant went to the police station house on the morning of December 4, 1920, and found Yanich there to answer those charges. He was convicted and fined by appellant, who testified that the prosecutors Lunich and Yankovitch were dissatisfied with the fine imposed on Yanich, and then accused him of the illegal sale of liquor, whereupon appellant drafted an affidavit so charging Yanich, which Lunich and Yankovitch executed. A hearing was immediately had on that charge and both testified that on the 3d of December they had bought whiskey from Yanich. Thereupon appellant held Yanich for court and fixed bail at $1,500. Several hours later bail was given, with Joe and Mary Bedar as sureties. Appellant then duly executed a transcript of the proceeding, but did not return it as required [415]*415by law. Up to this point in the case there is no dispute about what happened.

It may lead to a clearer understanding of the matters for discussion, if we now refer to parts of the evidence upon which the jury may have based its conclusion that the alleged conspiracy existed.

On December 5th, appellant came into Basivic’s saloon, while Dzapo, Yanich, Lunich and Yankovitch were there. Moody requested Dzapo to explain to Lunich and Yankovitch in their language as follows: “Steve, tell these boys I think they [including Yanich] were old friends, and they come from the same country, and I no send that case to Mercer yet. If they are willing to withdraw this information, I am willing to do it.” Lunich and Yankovitch “promised to withdraw the information.” On December 6th Dzapo went to Yanich and told him the prosecutors would withdraw the charge and that “he has a chance to settle this case here and not send it to Mercer.” Yanich replied that “his partner had seen George Duleba already.” Dzapo then told Yanich that “the case could be settled for $600.” On December 7th Yanich and his partner brought that sum to Dzapo’s house where he and Duleba were waiting for Yanich. Dzapo says he received the money from Yanich and handed it to Duleba who gave him $150, saying “This is for your trouble.” When Yanich paid the money he demanded his bond and was instructed to see Moody about that.

Duleba testified that he was talking to Lunich and Yankovitch on the street when Dzapo came along and informed Duleba “if these two boys would withdraw that information we could make a little money out of this deal”; the interview resulted in Duleba’s taking the prosecutors to appellant’s office to withdraw the charge. There, Duleba acted as interpreter and told appellant that “These two prosecutors told me they made a mistake and wanted to withdraw the information.” Yanich was present. Appellant testified that both Lunich and Yankovitch said they had made a mistake in charging Yan[416]*416ich; that “they had got it [whiskey] from the partner [Struyna] or clerk,” (of Yanich and Struyna). He explained that he required them to make an affidavit which he prepared stating the reasons for withdrawing the charge. It was offered in evidence on his behalf and the reason given for their conduct is as follows: “We made a mistake in the man whom we thought sold us the liquor, it was not him but a man who looked very much like him.” There was evidence that Yanich and the prosecutors not only lived in Farrell but had come from the same part of their native country, where they had known each other. Yanich testified that after he was held for court, he met Duleba who said “he will settle this and fix it up for $600,” and that “Mr. Dzapo came to me next day, and he said that Mr. Moody said he will settle this for $600.” He then borrowed the money from Bedar, and, accompanied by Struyna his partner, took it to Dzapo’s house where he found Dzapo and Duleba waiting to receive it. Struyna was not called as a witness, the record stating that he had returned to Europe before the trial. Yanich also testified that when he paid the money he asked for “that paper of the bail” and was told he must apply to Moody for that. He went to Moody and at this point the record shows the following:

“Q. And what did you say to him ?

“A. He asked me first ‘Did you see Dzapo?’

“Q. What did you say?

“A. I said ‘Yes, I gave him and Mr. Duleba $600.’

“Q. And what else was said?

“A. And I said I wanted the paper, and he said ‘You don’t need no paper.’

“Q. What did you say in reply?

“A. I said ‘If you don’t want to make me the paper, I want my money back.’

“Q. Then what did he do?

“A. Then he said ‘All right.’ He went into the office and brought me out a paper.

“Q. What paper did he bring you out?

[417]*417“A. The paper Of the bail.

“Q. Did he say anything?

“A. He said that I should not give this to anyone.”

The document handed to Yanich. by appellant was offered in evidence; it was part of the transcript of the justice of the peace, and on the back of it, was the bond signed by Yanich and his sureties.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Commonwealth v. Hradesky
84 A.2d 393 (Superior Court of Pennsylvania, 1951)
Schreiber v. Schreiber
165 A. 41 (Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, 1932)
Commonwealth v. Hendrie
97 Pa. Super. 328 (Superior Court of Pennsylvania, 1929)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
79 Pa. Super. 412, 1922 Pa. Super. LEXIS 263, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/commonwealth-v-moody-pasuperct-1922.