Osser v. City of Philadelphia

503 A.2d 466, 94 Pa. Commw. 116, 1986 Pa. Commw. LEXIS 2071
CourtCommonwealth Court of Pennsylvania
DecidedJanuary 9, 1986
DocketAppeal, No. 14 T.D. 1982
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 503 A.2d 466 (Osser v. City of Philadelphia) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Osser v. City of Philadelphia, 503 A.2d 466, 94 Pa. Commw. 116, 1986 Pa. Commw. LEXIS 2071 (Pa. Ct. App. 1986).

Opinion

Opinion by

Judge MacPhail,

On March 27, 1985, our Supreme Court entered an order1 reversing a prior order of this Court2 and remanding this case to us for disposition of the remaining issue as originally certified by the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas.3 We will affirm the trial court.

The history of this case and the relevant factual •background is found in the prior reported decisions of the trial court, our Court .and our Supreme Court. Suffice it to say that Maurice Osser (Appellant) was convicted in the Federal District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania of the crimes of mail fraud, conspiracy and endeavoring to obstruct a criminal investigation. At the time of the alleged crimes, Appellant was an elected City Commissioner of the City of Philadelphia (City). Following his conviction, Appellant resigned his city position and then applied for his pension.' When that. application was denied by the .City’s Board of Pensions and Retirement, .Appellant filed a complaint in assumpsit in the Court of Common Pleas of Philadelphia. Appellant then moved for judgment on the pleadings.4 The trial court denied the motion. Appellant then filed a. notice of appeal, and the .trial court subsequently certified for appeal its [119]*119order denying the motion. The certification order stated the necessary averments to comply with the provisions of 42 Pa. C. S. §702 (h)5 relating to interlocutory appeals by permission. This Court ultimately received the case on a transfer order from the Superior Court and addressed the matter of the constitutionality of Section 217.1 of the Philadelphia Retirement System Ordinance (Ordinance).6 We held the provision to he unconstitutionally applied to Appellant. The Supreme Court reversed.

Appellant petitioned for reargument and/or remand pursuant to which our Supreme Court modified its previous order of reversal to read as follows: '

[120]*120‘Order of the Common-wealth Court reversed and the-case is remanded to the Commonwealth Court for disposition of the remaining issue as originally certified by the Philadelphia Court of -Common Pleas.

Osser v. City of Philadelphia, 506 Pa. 339, 344, 485 A.2d 392, 395 (1984). In order to address the question of what is now before us we must examine what the trial court' certified for appellate consideration. The trial court stated that its order denying Appellant’s motion for judgment on the pleadings

involves controlling-questions of law as to which there 'are substantial grounds for difference of opinion, including: the constitutionality of the pension ordinance and whether the statutory definition .of malfeasance applies to the general crime of mail fraud. It is further certified that an immediate appeal from the said Order would materially advance the ultimate termination of the matter as the factual matters are not in dispute. (Emphasis added.)

The trial judge’s opinion which denied Appellant’s motion for judgment on the pleadings addresses the four reasons Appellant advanced in an attempt to induce the trial court to enter judgment on the pleadings. in his favor, namely that (1) he was not convicted of any of the offenses enumerated under Section 217.1 of the Ordinance; (2) payment of his pension was mandated by statute; (3) his pension rights were vested; and (4) his due process and equal protection rights would be violated if his pension rights were’denied.

The City contends that our present review is limited to the issue of whether the statutory definition of malfeasance applies to the general crime of mail fraud, because that is the only other issue mentioned in the trial court’s'certification. Appellant’s brief asserts [121]*121and it has been argued to us that there are two questions for us to consider: (1) did the trial court err in finding that Appellant’s conviction disqualified-him from receiving his city pension;-' and (2) did the trial court err in holding that the pension-was not a vested right which could not be forfeited? It is possible that the word “including” in the trial court’s order of certification indicates that more than the two issues he thereafter set forth were to be considered on appeal. Whether we have one or several issues, to determine involves an interpretation of a remand , order, of the Supreme Court, a matter which can best be resolved by that Court. Since both parties have briefed both issues and a ruling on both issues by this- Court-may avoid another remand in the event of a subsequent appeal, we, out of an abundance of- caution, will now proceed to address the questions raised by the Appellant.

Was Appellant’s conviction of mail fraud a disqualifying event which compelled the forfeiture of his pension rights under- the provisions of Section 217.1 of the Ordinance?

The trial court’s discussion of this issue concludes as follows:

That Osser’s conviction rests upon acts which give rise to disqualification, particularly under Section 217.1(a), subsections (2), (3) and (5) is beyond cavil.

Osser v. City of Philadelphia, 10 D. & C. 3d 690, 697-98 (1979). Appellant argues that his conviction falls under none of the provisions of Section 217.1; City argues that the conviction is disqualifying under Subsection (5).

As we have noted, Appellant was convicted of mail fraud, conspiracy and intent to obstruct a criminal investigation. To support a conviction for mail fraud, the government’s evidence must show that the defend[122]*122aiit agreed'to participate in a scheme to defraud someone and that he caused the mails to be used in the furtherance of such a scheme. Pereira v. United States, 347 U.S. 1 (1954); United States v. Sturm, 671 F.2d 749 (3d Cir. 1982), cert. denied, 459 U.S. 842 (1982). In order to sustain such a'conviction, the government must also prove an intent to defraud. United States v. Stull, 743 F.2d 439 (6th Cir. 1984).

It is apparent from the pleadings that at all material times Appellant was an elected city commissioner of Philadelphia and that his' office empowered him to purchase election equipment on the basis of competitive bidding. It-further appears that under the Philadelphia Home Rule Charter no elected official whose salary is paid from the city treasury may benefit from or have an interest in any city purchase contract.7 Appellant was indicted on charges that he conspired with officials of two printing firms to defraud the City by receiving pre-programmed bids and sending through the mails to one of the printing firms involved: seven checks' totaling $175,786.35 in conjunction with the schéme to defraud the City. He, of course, was convicted of those charges.

■ We agree with Appellant that there is no basis for disqualification under Subsections (1), (2) and (4) of Section 271.1.

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Bluebook (online)
503 A.2d 466, 94 Pa. Commw. 116, 1986 Pa. Commw. LEXIS 2071, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/osser-v-city-of-philadelphia-pacommwct-1986.