People v. Menache

110 Misc. 2d 987, 443 N.Y.S.2d 204, 1981 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 3197
CourtNew York County Courts
DecidedOctober 1, 1981
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 110 Misc. 2d 987 (People v. Menache) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering New York County Courts primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
People v. Menache, 110 Misc. 2d 987, 443 N.Y.S.2d 204, 1981 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 3197 (N.Y. Super. Ct. 1981).

Opinion

OPINION OF THE COURT

Gerard E. Delaney, J.

By its order dated August 4, 1981 in this same matter the court reserved decision on defendant’s motion to dismiss the indictment pursuant to CPL 210.30 and implicitly CPL 210.20 (subd 1, par [f]). The court has now received a further memorandum of law from the People and reviewed that portion of the Grand Jury presentment relating to the instant indictment.

Defendant has been indicted for the crime of conspiracy in the sixth degree, in substance, that he is alleged to have conspired with a George Durr, Vincent Logozio and Ronald DiDonato to pay a fee of $5,000 to unnamed employees of the New York Medical College in order to have his son admitted to such school.

In his initial moving papers, defendant specifically attacked the sufficiency of the evidence before the Grand Jury on the basis that from the indictment’s alleged overt acts in furtherance of that conspiracy, no overt acts occurred within the running of the two-year Statute of Limi[988]*988tations for class B misdemeanors (see CPL 30.10, subd 2, par [c]), prior to the filing of the indictment on February 24, 1981 and thus implicitly also sought relief under CPL 210.20 (subd 1, par [f]). He also attacked the indictment under CPL 210.25 on the basis that it is defective within the meaning of CPL 200.50 (subds 6, 7). Under the same rationale this court found the indictment superficially correct under CPL 200.50, in that sufficient allegations of conspiracy in the sixth degree and certain proper overt acts appeared on the face to be valid; however, the court further stated that more was required in a conspiracy charge to avoid jurisdictional defects by not effectively charging the defendant with the commission of a crime. (Cf. People v Iannone, 45 NY2d 589, 594.) In order to convict on the charged conspiracy, section 105.20 of the Penal Law requires an “overt act [to be] alleged and proved to have been committed by one of the conspirators in furtherance of the conspiracy.” (Emphasis added.) Failure to allege a sufficient overt act is a failure to allege the crime of conspiracy and is a jurisdictional defect. (People v Russo, 57 AD2d 578, 579.)

Set forth below are the five overt acts alleged by the People and the court’s prior rulings on each:

“‘1. On or about and between December 1, 1978 and January 19, 1979, the defendant met with the said George Durr in the City of Peekskill and told the said George Durr that he, the defendant, would pay a sum of money to secure the admission of his son into the New York Medical College.’

“A meeting to discuss plans is not an overt act done in furtherance of the conspiracy, but is only part of the agreement itself. People v. Hines, 284 NY 93; People v. Russo, supra. This is not an overt act.

‘“2. On or about and between December 1, 1978 and January 15, 1979, George Durr and Vincent Logozio met with Donald DiDonato at the letters’ office at the Westchester Medical Center located at Valhalla, New York, and discussed the payment of $5,000.00 to be paid to unnamed employees of the New York Medical College to secure the admission of the defendant’s son to said college.’

[989]*989“This is not an overt act. See People v. Hines, and People v. Russo, supra.

“‘3. On or about and between January 1, 1979 and February 15, 1979, the defendant in the City of Peekskill gave George Durr $5,000.00 in United States Currency to be given to unnamed employees of the New York Medical College.’

“It is clear that this allegation, if true, constituted an act ‘for purposes of carrying out and furthering the unlawful agreement already entered into by all parties concerned,’ People v. DeCabia, 10 Misc. 2d 923, 925, aff’d 8 App. Div. 2d 825, aff’d 7 NY 2d 823, Accord People v. Teeter, 62 App. Div. 2d 1158, aff’d 47 NY 2d 1002, and is an overt act for purposes of this motion.

“‘4. On or about and between January 1, 1979 and February 15,1979, George Durr and Vincent Logozio gave $5,000.00 in United States currency to Ronald DiDonato at his office at the Westchester County Medical Center to be paid to unnamed employees of the New York Medical College. Ronald DiDonato was then an employee of the County of Westchester and in the position of Associate Director of the Westchester County Medical Center.’

“This alleges a sufficient overt act for purposes of this motion. Id.

“‘5. On or about and between January 1, 1979 and August 1,1979, the defendant communicated by telephone with Ronald DiDonato concerning the progress of DiDonato’s efforts to secure the admission of the defendant’s son into the New York Medical College.’

“This mere communication by telephone of defendant with one of his alleged co-conspirators did not constitute an overt act; People v. Russo; People v. Hines, supra, for purposes of this motion.”

As was noted earlier, and made clear by defendant’s motion, the problem occurs when the further observation is made that both overt acts Nos. 3 and 4 are alleged to have occurred “on or about and between January 1, 1979 and February 15, 1979.” Both acts are alleged to have occurred more than two years prior to the filing of the indictment on February 24, 1981 and thus would appear to fall beyond [990]*990the two-year Statute of Limitations for the prosecution of conspiracy in the sixth degree. (CPL 30.10, subd 2, par [c].) Generally the Statute of Limitations runs from the date of the last overt act done pursuant to the conspiracy. (Cf. Matter of Doyle, 257 NY 244; Dennis v United States, 384 US 855; Brown v Elliott, 225 US 392.)

If it is assumed, arguendo, that the “overt act” No. 5, as designated by the People, is not a sufficient overt act for the jurisdictional question, then the first issue is whether or not the Statute of Limitations (CPL 30.10, subd 2, par [c] — two years) bars prosecution of the instant crime where the only legal overt acts (Peoples’ Nos. 3 and 4) occurred over two years prior to the commencement of the criminal action. The resolution of such issue must, by necessity, rest on two major Court of Appeals cases: People v Hines (168 Misc 453, affd on other grounds 258 App Div 466, mod 284 NY 93) and People v Kohut (30 NY2d 183), both such cases decided on factual and legal grounds which occurred prior to the enactment of the CPL which became effective in September, 1971. (See infra.) There are several introductory steps which must be taken to appreciate both the law before the Hines and Kohut courts and the effect such had, and continue to have, on the recognition of the crime of conspiracy as it has been recognized by the New York courts for over 100 years.

“The offense of conspiracy was complete at common law on proof of the unlawful agreement. It was not necessary to allege or prove any overt act in pursuance of the agreement. (3 Ch. Cur. Laws, 142; Reg. v. O’Connell, 11 Clk & Fin. 155.) In this state this rule of the common law was changed by the Revised Statutes, and with certain exceptions, it was provided that no agreement should be deemed a conspiracy ‘unless some act beside such agreement be done to effect the object thereof by one or more of the parties to such agreement.’ (2 Rev. St. 692, § 10); [Cf.

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Related

People v. Menache
98 A.D.2d 335 (Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, 1983)

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Bluebook (online)
110 Misc. 2d 987, 443 N.Y.S.2d 204, 1981 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 3197, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-v-menache-nycountyct-1981.