Larry Edward Magnus v. The State of Wyoming

2013 WY 13, 293 P.3d 459, 2013 WL 363473, 2013 Wyo. LEXIS 16
CourtWyoming Supreme Court
DecidedJanuary 31, 2013
DocketS-12-0134
StatusPublished
Cited by14 cases

This text of 2013 WY 13 (Larry Edward Magnus v. The State of Wyoming) 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
Larry Edward Magnus v. The State of Wyoming, 2013 WY 13, 293 P.3d 459, 2013 WL 363473, 2013 Wyo. LEXIS 16 (Wyo. 2013).

Opinion

HILL, Justice.

[11] A jury convicted Larry Magnus of conspiracy to obtain property by false pretenses, and the district court sentenced him *462 to a prison term of eight to ten years. On appeal, Magnus challenges the admission of uncharged misconduct evidence and alleges prosecutorial misconduct in the State's sentencing recommendation. We affirm.

ISSUES

[12] Magnus presents the following issues on appeal:

I. Did the district court abuse its discretion in admitting into evidence testimony of a prior incident where Mr. Magnus had solicited money in a similar manner under W.R.E. 404(b)?
II. Did prosecutorial misconduct occur when the State argued undocumented allegations in a Memorandum in Respect of Sentencing?

FACTS

[13] In 2011, Larry Magnus and his wife, Deb Magnus, representing themselves as a charitable organization for disabled and disadvantaged children, solicited and collected donations from individuals and businesses in Gillette, Wyoming. In conducting their operation, Deb Magnus generally would make the solicitations and Larry Magnus would collect the donations.

[14] Deb Magnus called numerous donors and requested a charitable donation of between twenty-five dollars and one-hundred dollars to send disabled or disadvantaged children to attend a magic show. She informed potential donors that any contribution was tax deductible as a donation to a charitable or non-profit organization. In at least one instance, Deb Magnus represented that she was affiliated with the Board of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES), an organization that provides education services and programs for children with special needs. After Deb Magnus received a commitment from a donor, Larry Magnus would collect the donation in person. Between January and March 2011, Larry Magnus collected donations from the Gillette community totaling $12,720.00. Contrary to what the donors were told, Larry and Deb Magnus were making a profit from the sales of the children's show tickets.

[15] On March 11, 2011, the State charged Larry Magnus with one count of obtaining property by false pretenses, which it later amended to a charge of one count of conspiracy to obtain property by false pretenses. On June 3, 2011, the State provided notice of its intent to present uncharged misconduct evidence pursuant to W.R.E. 404(b), identifying three prior incidents in which Magnus had engaged in conduct similar to the facts underlying the conspiracy charge. The first two incidents occurred in 2001 and involved solicitations for charitable donations to junior police academies in Casper, Wyoming and Evans, Colorado. Neither Casper nor Evans had a junior police academy program associated with the city police department. The third incident occurred in 2008 in Loveland, Colorado and was a conviction for charitable fraud in relation to solicitations for a Loveland Children's Show. The State's notice identified each incident and the proposed witnesses who would testify regarding each incident, but it did not provide any biographical informational concerning the witnesses.

[T6] Magnus objected to the proposed uncharged misconduct evidence, and on July 12, 2011, the district court held a Gleason hearing. During the Gleason hearing, the State described the prior incidents and the purposes for which it sought to introduce the evidence, but it again did not provide biographical information concerning the witnesses. Magnus argued that the State had failed to articulate with sufficient specificity the purposes the evidence was intended to serve. After taking the matter under advisement, the court, on July 14, 2011, issued an order allowing the uncharged misconduct evidence.

[17] On appeal, Magnus contests only the admission of the 2008 Loveland, Colorado conviction. Concerning admissibility of that evidence, the district court included the following findings in its order allowing the uncharged misconduct evidence:

8.
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(iii) Loveland, Colorado: the court finds the evidence of this incident is relevant to each of the proper purposes above-noted. *463 Specifically, the incident, if believed by the jury, demonstrates the following with respect to the instant case: the Defendant had the intent to violate the law as charged; he had the motive to do so (self-enrichment); he had knowledge of the fraudulent nature of his activity in the instant case inasmuch as he had in the prior instance been warned off his enterprise by law enforcement; and, for the same reason, he could not claim his activity in the instant case amounted to a mistake or an accident. Furthermore, the other act or wrong-and, with respect to this particular instance, a criminal conviction for charitable fraud-evidences a course of conduct or modus operandi on the part of the Defendant.
4, _... In evaluating each specific alleged instance, it is sufficiently clear the Defendant committed the prior acts, wrongs or, in the case of Loveland, Colorado, the prior crime alleged. As well, the defense appears to be the Defendant had no criminal intent in engaging in the activities charged in the Amended Felony Information. Therefore, his state of mind in engaging in these activities is squarely at issue. Certainly other evidence is available with respect to the charge contained in the Amended Felony Information-that is, evidence surrounding the presently charged acts-and the court weighs this fact in its decision. However, the evidence of other acts, wrongs or crimes is not unnecessarily cumulative. It establishes a pattern of fraudulent activity on the part of the Defendant utilizing a repeated mo-dus operandi.
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6. The prior instances of conduct are no more reprehensible than the present alleged instance of conduct. Therefore, the jury will not be tempted to punish the Defendant for the prior acts. In respect to the Loveland, Colorado act, the Defendant has already been punished by convietion of charitable fraud.
7. The alleged victims of the prior acts were no more vulnerable or sympathetic than the alleged victims in the instant case-in all instances the alleged victims were members of the general public. Therefore, the jury will not be tempted to punish the Defendant on account of any special vulnerability of the alleged victims in the previous instances.
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10. The prior alleged instances of conduct on the part of the Defendant are more relevant to the proper purposes announced (intent, motive, knowledge, course of conduct, modus operandi, absence of mistake or accident) than they are probative of bad character. The Defendant, according to these prior acts, had an especial proclivity for charitable fraud and, in this regard, his modus operandi and pattern were idiosyncratic and strong.

[T8] On September 20, 2011, the jury trial began on the charge against Magnus. During the trial, the State presented the testimony of thirty-four victims from the Gillette community concerning the solicitations and donations related to the charged crime.

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Bluebook (online)
2013 WY 13, 293 P.3d 459, 2013 WL 363473, 2013 Wyo. LEXIS 16, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/larry-edward-magnus-v-the-state-of-wyoming-wyo-2013.