Gerard v. United States

61 F.2d 872, 1932 U.S. App. LEXIS 4436
CourtCourt of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit
DecidedOctober 28, 1932
Docket4743
StatusPublished
Cited by11 cases

This text of 61 F.2d 872 (Gerard v. United States) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Gerard v. United States, 61 F.2d 872, 1932 U.S. App. LEXIS 4436 (7th Cir. 1932).

Opinion

SPARKS, Circuit Judge.

Appellant and Meyer I. Cohen, Harry Spivak, and Felix Rivkin, alias Felix Ribaa- *873 ov, were charged by indictment in seven separate counts. The first three counts charged said parties with having made and executed certain copper plates in the likeness of a plate designated for the printing of an obligation of tho United States; the fourth count charged said parties with having- said plates in their possession, custody, and control; the fifth count charged the same parties with having printed, photographed, made, and executed an engraving, photograph, print, and impression of an obligation of the United States; the sixth count charged possession of said prints, photographs, engravings, and impressions; and each of the six counts mentioned charged that the acts complained of were done unlawfully, willfully, knowingly, and feloniously, and without authority of the United States and in violation of 18 U. S. C. § 264. 1

The seventh eount charged said parties with having unlawfully, willfully, knowingly, and feloniously eonspired to commit the offenses set forth in tho preceding counts, in violation of 18 U. S. C. § 88. 2

Appellant was tried separately. His motion for a directed verdict was overruled, and the jury found him not guilty as charged in the first six counts, but found him guilty of conspiracy under tho seventh count. Motions for a new trial and in arrest of judgment being overruled, he was committed to the custody of the Attorney General for imprisonment.

There was substantial evidence submitted to support the following facts:

On tho morning of March 11, 1931, appellant purchased six copper plates, size five by seven inches, from the American Steel & Copper Plate Company in Chicago. The next morning he again purchased six copper plates of the same ■ size, and at tho” same place. On both of those occasions he was conveyed to said company’s place of business by Spivak and Coben in Spivak’s automobile, and they remained in tho car while appellant made the purchases. At the time of the second purchase, Spivak parked his ear at a distance of one-half block from the place where the purchase was made; and at each purchase Cohen gave appellant the money with which to make the purchase. At the time of the first purchase, Cohen gave appellant a piece of paper on which were written a description of the plates desired and the name o-f a radio concern, and instructed appellant, in ease he was asked for whom they were purchased, to say they were for a radio. After each purchase Spivak and Cohen conveyed appellant by automobile to bis place of business.

On the afternoon of March 12, 1931, Spivak purchased two bottles of iron chloride of tho company above referred to, and stated at that time that his partner had been there that morning to buy some copper plates.

At the time the second purchase of platas was made by appellant, and while be was waiting for than to be prepared, a woman stenographer of tho American Steel & Copper Plato Company went to another room and telephoned the government secret service department that there was a man in the office of whom she was suspicious, and requested that department to send a representative to tho company’s place of business. Ina few^minutos two representatives of that department appeared, and found appellant in the company’s office waiting for the plates. At that time there were no 'other automobiles *874 immediately in front of the building wherein .the purchases were made, and Spivak’s car was parked about one-half block to the south of that building. The secret service men saw appellant come from the building and drive away with Cohen and Spivak.

On March '24, 1931, appellant was observed in company with Cohen, and on the same day, but at a different time, appellant was seen in company with Spivak.

The movements of appellant, Cohen, and Spivak, and also of the defendant Rivkin, were rather- closely watched by government agents until March 27, 1931, when Spivak and Rivkin were arrested in the premises at 424 Central Park avenue. Cohen, Spivak, and Rivkin at numerous times had been observed entering and leaving those premises, but appellant had never been seen in or about there. On searching those premises, occupied by Spivak and Rivkin at the time of their arrest, the agénts found copper plates with impressions of twenty, fifty, and one hundred dollar federal reserve notes, negatives, press, ink, paper, films, acids, plate molders, and chemicals, all of which were adapted for use in counterfeit activities. Two of the copper plates found were positively identified as part of those sold by the American Steel & Copper Plate Company to appellant on March 11 and 12,1931, and upon one of these was impressed a fifty dollar note of the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago.

On the same day that Spivak and Rivkin were - arrested, Cohen was arrested at his place of business, and appellant was arrested at his home, both of which places were a considerable distance from 424 Central Park avenue. Appellant and Cohen were taken separately by the arresting officers to the premises where Spivak and Rivkin had been arrested. On the way there appellant, in answer to questions by the arresting officer, stated that he did not know Cohen, Spivak, or Rivkin; that he had never bought any copper plates from the American Steel & Copper Company; that he had never been at that company’s place of ’business; and that he had never been in Spivak’s ear. Later, at 424 Central Park avenue, he admitted that he bought the copper plates at the American Steel & Copper Company, that he knew Spivak and Cohen, and that he had been in Spivak’s car.

Appellant .testified in his own behalf and stated that he had never participated in the counterfeiting activities in which Cohen, Spivak, and Rivkin were engaged, and that he had no knowledge that they were thus engaged. He further stated that he purchased the copper plates because Cohen had asked him to do so, and that he thought they were to be used in a radio.

The jury in this case passed upon the weight of the evidence and the credibility of the witnesses. Its province was to consider all the evidence, and determine what facts had been proven or not proven. If it met with conflicts in the evidence, its duty was to reconcile those conflicts in such manner as to believe all the testimony of all the witnesses if it could be reasonably and fairly done. If the evidence could not be so reconciled, then the jury had the right to believe that which it thought most worthy of credit, and disregard that which could not be reasonably and fairly reconciled therewith. That duty has been performed, and although the result is adverse to appellant it is supported by substantial evidence, and we have no power to change it unless there is merit in one or more of the other alleged errors.

It is contended by appellant that there was error in admitting in evidence the articles found by the officers in the search of the premises at 424 Central .Park avenue.

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Bluebook (online)
61 F.2d 872, 1932 U.S. App. LEXIS 4436, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/gerard-v-united-states-ca7-1932.