Quinn v. State

662 So. 2d 947, 1995 WL 412367
District Court of Appeal of Florida·Decided September 29, 1995·No. 93-1789·Published·Cited by 8 cases

Opinion

662 So.2d 947 (1995)

Edward T. QUINN, Jr., Appellant,
v.
STATE of Florida, Appellee.

No. 93-1789.

District Court of Appeal of Florida, Fifth District.

July 14, 1995.
Order Granting Clarification September 29, 1995.
Rehearing Denied November 13, 1995.

*948 Kirk N. Kirkconnell and David A. Henson of Kirkconnell, Lindsey and Snure, P.A., Winter Park, for appellant.

Robert A. Butterworth, Atty. Gen., Tallahassee, and Carmen F. Corrente, Asst. Atty. Gen., Daytona Beach, for appellee.

W. SHARP, Judge.

Edward Quinn appeals from an order withholding adjudication of guilt, which placed him on probation for three years and imposed a fine of $68,500.80. After a jury trial, *949 Quinn was found guilty of conspiring to fraudulently represent an entity as a socially and economically disadvantaged business enterprise in violation of section 337.135, Florida Statutes (1989), a third-degree felony. Quinn argues numerous points on appeal, which we find without merit or not sufficient to cause a reversal of his conviction. However, we agree the fine imposed as "pecuniary gain" pursuant to section 775.083(1)(f) cannot be sustained, based on the evidence presented in this case.

Quinn, his former wife, Carol Quinn, and an administrator in the Quinn's business (Markings and Equipment Corporation), Sue Bell, were charged with a conspiracy to violate section 337.135 between July 1987 and March 23, 1989. That statute provides:

It is unlawful for any individual to fraudulently represent an entity as a socially and economically disadvantaged business enterprise for purposes of qualifying for certification as such an enterprise under a program of the department designated to assist socially and economically disadvantaged business enterprises in the receipt of contracts with the department of the provision of goods or services. Any person who violates this provision is guilty of a felony of the second degree, punishable as provided in s. 775.082, s. 775.083, or s. 775.084.

Carol Quinn was also charged with fraudulently representing that Markings was a socially and economically disadvantaged business enterprise. Carol Quinn and Sue Bell pled guilty to the charges brought against them. This appeal concerns Edward Quinn only.

The evidence at trial showed that Carol Quinn and her sister-in-law incorporated Markings in 1980. Its function was to paint stripes on highways. Because Markings was owned and operated by women, it qualified as a socially and economically disadvantaged business enterprise.[1] The disadvantaged business enterprise or DBE program was established by the federal government to increase the participation of minority and women-owned companies in the field of construction. Under this program, the state sets goals on certain federal aid contracts. The goals range from three to twelve percent. The prime contractor must subcontract out a set percentage of subcontracts to DBEs. The Department of Transportation maintains a list of DBEs and a company seeking certification must apply and be recertified each year.

From January 1988 through February 1989, Markings obtained 268 contracts, of which 79 were Department of Transportation contracts. The total value of Marking's contracts during that period was 5.6 million and those through the Department of Transportation was 3.3 million, or about 59 percent of its total business. In 1987, 1988 and 1989, Markings' application to the Department asserted that Carol Quinn owned the company and exercised day-to-day control over it. That was the sole basis for its being considered a DBE, although by 1987 Carol no longer exercised day-to-day control or management over Markings.

The testimony established that in 1980, Edward Quinn, Carol's husband, began working at Markings. Carol and he experienced marital difficulties and, by 1987, Carol no longer came to the office. The evidence was overwhelming that during 1987 to 1989, Edward controlled and ran the company. Carol and Edward were divorced in October of 1989. As part of the divorce settlement, Carol transferred to Edward 67 percent of the stock in Markings. It ceased to be a potential DBE because of the shift in ownership of stock at that time, and Edward sold the company to a third party in 1990.

However, during the period of 1987 through 1989, Edward, Carol, Sue and others went to considerable lengths to keep agencies (including the Department) with minority programs from discovering that Carol no longer was running the company on a day-to-day basis. All calls involving such programs were referred to Carol. The Department of Transportation did do an inspection, but *950 Markings had advance notice. Carol met with a Department representative at Markings' offices. Edward's office had been transformed with pictures and knickknacks to make it look like it was Carol's office, and employees were instructed to act like it was normal for Carol to be there. Sue Bell testified that Edward told her that with regard to the DBE certification process, "we would just have to do what we have to do."

I. Construction of section 337.135

Quinn argues that the trial court should have granted his motion to dismiss for failure to state a crime, that it should have granted his motion for acquittal, and it erred in not giving an instruction requested by the defense because the criminal statute requires, as an essential element, that the state must allege and prove the fact that Markings was not a DBE. The indictment charged that Quinn conspired with others to:

[F]alsely represent that Carol Quinn exercised day-to-day control of Markings ... for the purpose of qualifying Markings ... as a disadvantaged business enterprise, thereby giving Markings ... a competitive advantage in gaining subcontracts with the prime contractor of the Florida Department of Transportation ... for the purpose of continuing Markings' ... certification as a disadvantaged business enterprise in violation of sections 777.04 and 337.135, Florida Statutes.

Although the indictment does not exactly track the statute, it comes sufficiently close in our view, to fully put Quinn on notice of the nature of the criminal offense with which he was charged. It would be superfluous to require the indictment to say Quinn conspired to falsely represent Markings was a DBE by falsely representing Carol exercised the day-to-day control over the company. Obviously, that was the false representation which qualified Markings as a DBE. And, if the indictment merely tracked the statute by saying Quinn conspired to falsely represent Markings was a DBE, it might be challenged as too vague because it fails to particularize what false representations were conspired about.

We also reject Quinn's argument that the state had to charge and prove that Markings was not a DBE from 1987 to 1989. That would require the state to explore and disprove all possible ways Markings could have qualified as a DBE. Proving such negative scenarios could make a conviction under that statute almost an impossibility. We construe the statute as making it a crime to make or conspire to make a false representation in order to obtain certification. It is the making of a false claim or conspiracy to make that false claim that the statute is designed to punish.

Quinn also argued he was not guilty of this crime because at all material times Markings was a legitimate DBE.

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Quinn v. State, 662 So. 2d 947, 1995 WL 412367 (Fla. Ct. App. 1995).

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