People v. Swanson

183 Cal. App. 2d 424, 6 Cal. Rptr. 599, 1960 Cal. App. LEXIS 1770
CourtCalifornia Court of Appeal
DecidedAugust 1, 1960
DocketCrim. No. 3745
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 183 Cal. App. 2d 424 (People v. Swanson) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering California Court of Appeal primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
People v. Swanson, 183 Cal. App. 2d 424, 6 Cal. Rptr. 599, 1960 Cal. App. LEXIS 1770 (Cal. Ct. App. 1960).

Opinion

DRAPER, J.

Upon jury verdict finding defendants guilty of grand theft (Pen. Code, §§ 484, 487) judgment ordering imprisonment was entered against each, but execution of sentence was suspended and each was admitted to probation on condition he pay a substantial fine. Both appealed from the judgment, and Swanson appeals also from an order denying his motion for new trial. The prosecution concedes that it relies upon its showing of embezzlement to sustain the judgment.

Swanson was the business manager and Vandewark the treasurer of Operating Engineers Local Number 3, a union having jurisdiction in a substantial part of western United States.

In late February or early March, 1956, Swanson discussed with a salesman for a Salt Lake City automobile dealer the purchase of some automobiles for the union at a price of about $2,600 each. Shortly thereafter, Vandewark took up the negotiations and was given a price of $2,637 for each of seven cars to be purchased by the union. Carbon copies of order slips, showing this price, were given by the salesman to Vandewark. Vandewark discussed with the salesman purchase of a car for himself, but no price was then fixed. Later, the union agent in Salt Lake City telephoned Swanson that the price of each of the seven ears for the union would be $2,637. At about the [426]*426same time, the agent told either Swanson or Vandewark that the cost of Vandewark's car would be $2,477.

On March 12, Swanson told the union bookkeeper to draw a check for the ears. There is testimony that Swanson specified the sum of $21,000. Check for that amount was drawn, payable to cash, and was signed by both defendants as well as by the recording secretary. Swanson testified that he then directed Vandewark to take the check “and make out two checks, one for your car, and one for the Engineers’ cars, so we can keep the record straight.” Vandewark took the check payable to cash, endorsed it at a bank and used it to purchase two cashier’s checks, one for $18,459 (seven times $2,637), and one for $2,477. Both cashier’s checks were payable to the Salt Lake City automobile dealer. (The $64 by which the $21,000 check exceeds the total of the two cashier’s checks is but little discussed in the transcript, and is not material here.) No supporting voucher accompanied the check, although the custom was that a voucher or bill accompanied each check when it was circulated for signature.

Swanson then signed a letter, on union stationery, to the automobile dealer, enclosing the two checks and specifying their amounts. The letter gave delivery orders for each of eight cars, and as to that to be delivered to Vandewark stated “this is his own personal ear.” Title to that car was issued in Vandewark’s name, and the union never was reimbursed for its cost.

Some time later, the union bookkeeper entered the transaction on the union books as a purchase of seven ears for the union at $3,000 each. He testified that Swanson told him that the cars had cost $3,000 each. He also testified that he had made the entries from the order slip copies which had been given to Vandewark by the automobile salesman before the purchase was finally agreed upon. Those slips were produced from the union files. Each of the seven showed a cost price of $3,000. They were admitted in evidence. An expert testified that the slips had been altered, the figures $2,637 having been replaced by the figures $3,000. There is no evidence as to who altered these order slips or who gave them to the union bookkeeper.

Two extrajudicial statements of Vandewark, one made to an investigator for a committee of the United States Senate and one to a deputy district attorney, were admitted in evidence. In them, Vandewark admitted that the cheek transaction was to permit the union records to show that seven [427]*427cars had been purchased for $3,000 each, but said that he had paid the $2,477 for his car to Swanson. This evidence was admitted against Vandewark only.

Swanson contends that the evidence is insufficient to support his conviction. No issue is raised as to the sufficiency of the evidence to sustain the conviction of Vandewark.

Swanson personally conducted the original negotiation for purchase of automobiles for the union. He knew that seven were to be bought and that they would cost approximately $2,600 each. He knew that the final negotiation fixed the price at $2,637 each. Nevertheless he directed the bookkeeper to prepare a check for $21,000—$2,541 more than required for the union purchase. The check was made to cash, contrary to the usual practice of the union in such purchases. Swanson denies that he noticed this denomination of the payee, but he admits signing the check and the jury could infer his knowledge of what he signed. Swanson told Vandewark to secure two checks, one for the union’s cars and one for Vandewark’s personal car. Swanson signed a letter to the automobile dealer describing the vehicle which was to be Vandewark’s “own personal car,” thus assuring that documents of title would be issued to Vandewark, rather than the union. The bookkeeper’s testimony gives rise to the inference that Swanson told him to enter the price of the union cars at $3,000 each. Although he also testified that the information for these entries came from the altered order slip copies, the inference that Swanson directed the false entry could be, and doubtless was, accepted by the jury. Swanson argues that the evidence is completely consistent with the view that the transaction was a loan by the union to Vandewark. Swanson’s testimony supports this view. But the entries made in the union books are inconsistent with Swanson’s claim, and the evidence that they were false, if believed, belies any claim of loan. The jury could reasonably have found that Vandewark and Swanson conspired to misappropriate the value of Vandewark’s car from the union.

The elements necessary to prove embezzlement are set forth in People v. Swanson, 174 Cal.App.2d 453, page 457 [344 P.2d 832]. This case involved the same union and the same Victor Swanson. All these elements could well be found by the jury from the evidence summarized above, and the conclusion that Swanson and Vandewark conspired to embezzle union funds is entirely warranted. It is true that the evidence is largely circumstantial, but that is necessarily true in most conspiracy [428]*428cases, and such evidence is ample to sustain a verdict (People v. Robinson, 43 Cal.2d 132, 136 [271 P.2d 865]).

Swanson complains that the instructions were erroneously confusing as they relate to the use against Swanson of acts and declarations of Yandewark. Yandewark did not testify at the trial. However, two extrajudicial statements by him, made in January and March, 1958, were introduced in evidence. These were admitted only against Yandewark. As to both, and as to the testimony of two witnesses called in Yandewark’s behalf, the jury was admonished not to consider them against Swanson. In its instructions, the court said that it had “admitted evidence to be considered solely against the defendant. . . Yandewark, ’’ and directed that “such evidence, so limited to . . . Yandewark, cannot be considered by you for any purpose at all in considering the guilt or innocence of the defendant.. . Swanson. ’ ’ The jurors were instructed in this connection to “put out of your minds and discard any and all evidence that has only been admitted against the defendant Yandewark. ’ ’

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People v. Marrone
210 Cal. App. 2d 299 (California Court of Appeal, 1962)

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Bluebook (online)
183 Cal. App. 2d 424, 6 Cal. Rptr. 599, 1960 Cal. App. LEXIS 1770, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-v-swanson-calctapp-1960.