Lafever v. United States

171 F. Supp. 553, 1959 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 3621
CourtDistrict Court, S.D. Indiana
DecidedMarch 26, 1959
DocketNo. IP 57-C-159
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 171 F. Supp. 553 (Lafever v. United States) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, S.D. Indiana primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Lafever v. United States, 171 F. Supp. 553, 1959 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 3621 (S.D. Ind. 1959).

Opinion

STECKLER, Chief Judge.

On remand and pursuant to mandate from the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, this cause came on for hearing on January 12, 1959, upon the petitioner’s application for motion to vacate sentence under and pursuant to Title 28 U.S.C. § 2255. Here involved are four specific counts in two indictments returned on September 14, 1955, charging petitioner with violating 18 U.S.C. § 2314(2) by aiding, abetting, counseling, commanding, inducing, and procuring certain named individuals to transport in interstate commerce from the State of Indiana to the State of Ohio, certain falsely made, forged, altered, and counterfeited checks, each payable to one Howard Wheeler. Each check was drawn against the Cleveland Trust Company, Terminal Office, Cleveland, Ohio, account of the New York, Chicago and St. Louis Railroad Company.

In the petitioner’s pro se pleadings before this court, he alleged in substance that at common law “there is no ‘forgery’ where an individual presents himself to a person cashing a check as ‘John Doe’, and proceeds to cash the instrument signing a ‘John Doe’ name * * * (petitioner) and his co-defendants did sign ‘John Doe’ names, such names being an alias and not purporting to represent any person other than that (sic) the co-defendants and the movant himself, it is urged that no crime of ‘forgery’ existed •x- * -x -¿hat in the presence of each person who cashed one of the aforementioned checks, the co-defendants represented ther (sic) selves to be the ‘John Doe,’ and so signed, the very presence of the persons aforementioned, thus the original and the counter-signature on each check did in no way purport to be the signature of any persons other than the movant and his co-defendants who was in effect ‘John Doe.’ ”

Thus in essence, the petitioner now claims that no federal offense was committed and that therefore the court was without jurisdiction to impose sentence.

On March 2, 1956, upon a plea of guilty to each of the four counts here involved, the court imposed sentence. On July 31, 1957, this court sustained the Government’s motion to dismiss the petitioner’s petition under § 2255 without a hearing.

On June 23, 1958, the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit reversed and remanded the case with directions. Lafever v. United States, 7 Cir., 257 F.2d 271. Pursuant to the mandate, this hearing was held. On February 20, 1959, the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, in the case of United States v. Hoyland, 264 F.2d 346, in affirming the action of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, Eastern Division, wherein the District Court after plea of guilty denied Hoyland’s motion to vacate judgment under Section 2255 on the ground, among others, that the trial court erred in denying defendant’s request to adduce evidence which it was claimed would show an absence of jurisdictional facts alleged in the indictment, had this to say with respect to the decision in Lafever v. United States, supra:

“We think it must be conceded that the case supports defendant’s contention, at least to the extent that he was entitled to a hearing on the issue thus raised. After a careful review of the eases, as well as the logic of the situation, we reach the definite conclusion that the LaFever case was erroneously decided. The order before the court in that case should have been affirmed, not reversed. Such being our conclusion, it becomes our distasteful duty to overrule that decision, and this we do.
“We refer particularly to two decisions of this court (both prior to La Fever) which support a contrary and we think correct rule. United States v. Caufield, [7 Cir.], 207 F.2d 278, and Klein v. United States, [7 Cir.], 204 F.2d 513.”

Even in view of the appellate court’s holding in United States v. Hoyland, supra, and its action in overruling [555]*555in that case its prior ruling in the La-fever case, it is incumbent that this court make findings of fact and conclusions of law upon the hearing granted petitioner in order to comply with the mandate of the appellate court. Upon the hearing held in this proceedings and upon the motion, files and records in this case, the court now makes the following findings of fact and conclusions of law:

Findings of Fact

1. The petitioner testified at great length in support of his petition. His testimony covered a wide area. When viewed in the light of authorities which prevailed in this circuit prior to the decision in Lafever v. United States, supra, much of the testimony given at this hearing over objection by the United States, clearly was inadmissible. Nevertheless, by virtue of the appellate court’s opinion in that case, this court was most liberal in its rulings on the admissibility of evidence. At the time of the hearing this court did not have the benefit of the decision in United States v. Hoyland, supra.

2. The counts here involved are contained in two separate indictments. In Cause No. IP 55-CR-107, Count II is involved, and in Cause No. IP 55-CR-108, Counts I, II and III are involved. Each of the four counts charged a defendant, other than petitioner, with the violation of Title 18 U.S.C. § 2314. Each count is couched in the same general language, save, with minor exceptions, as to names, dates and the amount of the checks. Each count of the indictment properly charges the defendant with the aiding and abetting offense under Title 18 U.S.C. § 2314(2). As an example, Count II in Cause No. IP 55-CR-107 reads as follows:

Count II

The Grand Jury further charges:

On or about October 1, 1955, the defendant, Sue Carol Bell, with unlawful and fraudulent intent, caused to be transported in interstate commerce from Kokomo, State of Indiana, in the Indianapolis Division of the Southern District of Indiana, to Cleveland, State of Ohio, a falsely made, forged, altered, and counterfeited security, to wit: a check numbered NK 793, dated September 27, 1955, payable to Howard Wheeler, in the amount of $87.30, bearing the signature of J. B. Carter, as cashier accountant of the New York, Chicago and St. Louis Railroad Company, and drawn against the account of the New York, Chicago and St. Louis Railroad Company, which said account is with the Cleveland Trust Company, Terminal Office, Cleveland, Ohio, which said check was falsely made, forged, altered, and counterfeited, as the said defendant, Sue Carol Bell, then and there well knew.

That Harry LaFever did aid, abet, counsel, command, induce, and procure the commission of said offense by said Sue Carol Bell.

At the hearing petitioner was represented by his privately engaged counsel who also represented the defendant at the time his pleas of guilty were entered and sentence was imposed.

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Related

Britton v. United States
566 F. Supp. 730 (E.D. Tennessee, 1981)
Harry La Fever v. United States
279 F.2d 833 (Seventh Circuit, 1960)

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Bluebook (online)
171 F. Supp. 553, 1959 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 3621, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/lafever-v-united-states-insd-1959.