Philip Stein v. United States

363 F.2d 587
CourtCourt of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit
DecidedAugust 2, 1966
Docket22770_1
StatusPublished
Cited by8 cases

This text of 363 F.2d 587 (Philip Stein v. United States) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Philip Stein v. United States, 363 F.2d 587 (5th Cir. 1966).

Opinions

CHOATE, Senior District Judge:

Appellant was convicted in the district court for making and submitting false documents to the Tax Court in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1001, which provides:

“Whoever, in any matter within the jurisdiction of any department or agency of the United States knowingly and willfully falsifies, conceals or covers up by any trick, scheme, or device a material fact, or makes any false, fictitious or fraudulent statements or representation, or makes or uses any false writing or document knowing the same to contain any false, fictitious oi fraudulent statement or entry, shall be fined not more than $10,000 or imprisoned not more than five years or both. June 25, 1948, c. 645, 62 Stat. 749.”

At the same time the jury acquitted appellant of perjury. Both charges grew out of proceedings in the Tax Court, wherein appellant had sought review of the disallowance by the Commissioner of Internal Revenue of certain gambling losses during..the years 1952-54. In the Tax Court appellant testified that his practice was at the end of each gambling day to note his winnings or losses on match book covers, cocktail napkins, cards, etc., and later to transfer the data to his notebook, which he used to make out his tax return. Appellant introduced into evidence in the Tax Court Exhibit 12, a shoebox containing match book covers, etc., with notations of amounts won and lost on specific dates in 1952.

Appellant’s testimony as to how he noted and recorded his gambling winnings and losses, as a “contemporaneous record,” was the basis for Count One charging him with perjury (18 U.S.C. § 1621); the introduction of Exhibit 12 into evidence was the basis for Count Two charging him with making and submitting false documents to the Tax Court (18 U.S.C. § 1001).

At trial below appellant admitted that the notations on the items comprising Exhibit 12 were not in existence in 1952. He contends that he used them in the Tax Court, not as originals contemporaneously made, but as “examples” of how he kept records. Thus, he argues, he can be convicted under the wording of the second count without having committed a crime.1 Appellant’s contentions on appeal, in the order in which they will be discussed, center on: the sufficiency of the indictment; the alleged inconsistency of the verdict of not guilty on Count One and guilty on Count Two; the sufficiency of the evidence as to the false document offense.

1. Count Two of the indictment was not fatally defective. It is sufficient in setting forth the elements of the offense (Mathes, “Jury Instructions & [589]*589Forms for Federal Criminal Cases,” 27 F.R.D. 39, 136) and in apprising the person charged of what he must be prepared to meet. See United States v. Debrow, 346 U.S. 374, 74 S.Ct. 113, 98 L.Ed. 92 (1953). The essential element of falseness is charged by the allegation that the notations on the match book covers “were not made on the dates shown.” This was enough to apprise appellant that he was charged with holding out these notations as having been made on the dates shown on the items when in fact they were not made then.

2. The verdict of acquittal on the perjury count is no basis for setting aside the conviction on the false documents count. The verdict is not necessarily inconsistent, since different crimes, with different elements and burdens of proof were charged. In addition, on the perjury charge the Government must prove the falsity of the testimony by at least two witnesses or by one witness and corroborating evidence, whereas this burden is not on the Government in connection with the false documents charge. See Neely v. United States, 300 F.2d 67, 93 A.L.R.2d 718 (9th Cir.), cert. denied, 369 U.S. 864, 82 S.Ct. 1030, 8 L.Ed.2d 84 (1962). More important, actual or apparent inconsistency in a jury verdict in a criminal case is no basis for setting it aside. In Dunn v. United States, 284 U.S. 390, 52 S.Ct. 189, 76 L. Ed. 356 (1932), defendant was convicted of maintaining a nuisance by keeping liquor for sale, but was acquitted of possessing and selling liquor at the same time and place. The conviction was sustained. See also Steckler v. United States, 7 F.2d 59 (2d Cir. 1925) and 8 Moore, Federal Practice |f 31.05 (2d ed. 1965).

3. The evidence was sufficient to sustain the guilty verdict as to the false documents offense. Appellant had testified in the Tax Court that he “found” the items while “going through the garage, cleaning it up the other day”; that he had thrown out the slips for other years. When asked, “Was it from these [items of Exhibit 12] you then made your entry into the books [for 1952] ?,” appellant replied, “I did.” The jury could properly conclude that the documents had been introduced into evidence upon the false representation that appellant made the notes thereon on the dates shown on the items — that appellant'was guilty as one who “knowingly and willfully falsifies, conceals or covers up * * * a material fact, * * * or makes or uses any false writing or document knowing the same to contain any false, fictitious or fraudulent statement or entry” as prohibited by the statute.

An additional issue, raised by the court sua sponte and briefed by both parties at the court’s request, is whether the Tax Court is a department or agency of the United States within the contemplation of 18 U.S.C. § 1001. The question has not been judicially determined; however, the definitions provided in 18 U.S. C. § 6, considered in conjunction with the status and nature of the Tax Court, require an affirmative answer.

As used in Title 18, “department and agency” are defined by section 6.

“The term ‘department’ means one of the executive departments enumerated in section 1 of Title 5, unless the context shows that such term was intended to describe the executive, legislative, or judicial branches of the government.
“The term ‘agency’ includes any department, independent establishment, commission, administration, authority, board or bureau of the United States or any corporation in which the United States has a proprietary interest, unless the context shows that such term was intended to be used in a more limited sense.”

The Board of Tax Appeals, predecessor of the Tax Court, was created by Congress in 1924 (Revenue Act of 1924, ch. 234, § 900, 43 Stat. 253, 336, as amended by Revenue Act of 1926, ch. 27, § 1000, 44 Stat. 105) to give taxpayers, prior to payment of the taxes, an opportunity for independent review of the Commissioner’s determination that additional taxes are due. Old Colony Trust Co. v.

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Philip Stein v. United States
363 F.2d 587 (Fifth Circuit, 1966)

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Bluebook (online)
363 F.2d 587, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/philip-stein-v-united-states-ca5-1966.