State v. Cronin

255 S.E.2d 240, 41 N.C. App. 415, 1979 N.C. App. LEXIS 2678
CourtCourt of Appeals of North Carolina
DecidedJune 5, 1979
DocketNo. 791SC49
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 255 S.E.2d 240 (State v. Cronin) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of North Carolina primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State v. Cronin, 255 S.E.2d 240, 41 N.C. App. 415, 1979 N.C. App. LEXIS 2678 (N.C. Ct. App. 1979).

Opinion

MITCHELL, Judge.

The defendant has brought forward on appeal four assignments of error. Each of those assignments involves ques[417]*417tions concerning the essential elements of the crime of obtaining property by false pretenses. G.S. 14-100. To evaluate those assignments in an orderly manner, we will, therefore, first examine and discuss the essential elements of that crime.

The crime of obtaining property by false pretenses has existed as a statutory crime in North Carolina since 1811. See 1811 N.C. Sess. Laws Ch. 814 § 2. Since that time, the elements of the crime have been set forth in many cases. See, e.g., State v. Davenport, 227 N.C. 475, 42 S.E. 2d 686 (1947); State v. Johnson, 195 N.C. 506, 142 S.E. 775 (1928); State v. Phifer, 65 N.C. 321 (1871). Each of those cases indicated in some manner that it was necessary for the State to prove as an essential element of the crime that the victim was deceived by a false pretense and that something of value was obtained as a result of the deception created by such false pretense. Under the law in effect at the time such opinions were rendered, those were indeed essential elements of the crime. However, a recent revision of G.S. 14-100 by the General Assembly has rendered those elements no longer essential and has eliminated the necessity of proving their existence in order that a conviction for obtaining property by false pretenses may be sustained.

In 1975, G.S. 14-100 was substantially revised by the General Assembly. 1975 N.C. Sess. Laws Ch. 783. By its action, the General Assembly dictated that, effective 1 October 1975, G.S. 14-100 was to be applied as follows:

If any person shall knowingly and designedly by means of any kind of false pretense whatsoever, whether the false pretense is of a past or subsisting fact or of a future fulfillment or event, obtain or attempt to obtain from any person within this State any money, goods, property, services, chose in action, or other thing of value with intent to cheat or defraud any person of such money, goods, property, services, chose in action or other thing of value, such person shall be guilty of a felony. . . .

Although the statute as revised is similar to the former statute, there are two important differences. First, the revised statute creates an offense when the false pretense “is of a past or subsisting fact or of a future fulfillment or event.” Formerly, the statute had created an offense only when the false pretense was [418]*418of a past or subsisting fact. Now, the statute truly provides for “any kind of false pretense whatsoever” and makes criminal false pretenses relating to past, present or future facts.

The second important difference is that the former statute was violated only when the defendant obtained something of value as a result of his false pretense, whereas the revised statute provides that the crime of obtaining property by false pretenses has been committed when the defendant attempts to obtain something of value by virtue of a false pretense. Proof that the victim parted with something of value by virtue of his belief in the deception created by the false pretense is no longer required. This interpretation of the statute is technically in conflict with its title — “Obtaining property by false pretenses” — but the intent to the legislature as clearly expressed in the language of the statute must control over its title or caption. Appeal of Forsyth County, 285 N.C. 64, 203 S.E. 2d 51 (1974); Blowing Rock v. Gregorie, 243 N.C. 364, 90 S.E. 2d 898 (1956).

In light of the 1975 amendment to G.S. 14-100, we find that the essential elements of the crime of obtaining property by false pretenses are as follows: (1) the knowing and designed use of any kind of false pretense of any fact whatsoever, (2) to obtain or attempt to obtain anything of value, (3) from any person whomsoever within this State, (4) with the intent to cheat or defraud any person whomsoever of such thing of value. We caution both Bench and Bar that those cases setting forth the essential elements of the crime of obtaining property by false pretenses as that crime existed prior to the amendment of 1 October 1975 no longer constitute reliable or binding interpretations of G.S. 14-100, as that statute has been significantly altered by the 1975 amendment.

Although our Supreme Court has recently set forth the elements of G.S. 14-100 in State v. Louchheim, 296 N.C. 314, 250 S.E. 2d 630 (1979), and State v. Agnew, 294 N.C. 382, 241 S.E. 2d 684, cert. denied, --- U.S. ---, 58 L.Ed. 2d 124, 99 S.Ct. 107 (1978), as has this Court in State v. Rogers, 30 N.C. App. 298, 226 S.E. 2d 829, cert. denied, 290 N.C. 781, 229 S.E. 2d 35 (1976), those cases dealt with situations involving criminal acts committed prior to 1 October 1975 and do not constitute binding precedent with regard [419]*419to the elements of the crime of obtaining property by false pretenses as that crime is now defined in G.S. 14-100 as revised in 1975.

We further note that our recent case of State v. Hines, 36 N.C. App. 33, 243 S.E. 2d 782 (1978), indicated that G.S. 14-100 does not require proof that a defendant attempted to or did obtain something of value “without compensation” in order that a violation might be shown. We did not undertake in Hines, however, to set forth the elements of the crime proscribed by G.S. 14-100 as revised in 1975.

We turn now to the specific assignments of error brought forward on appeal by the defendant in the present case. The defendant first assigns as error the trial court’s failure to dismiss the charges against him. In support of this assignment, the defendant contends that the bill of indictment does not assert facts supporting every essential element of the crime of obtaining property by false pretenses. The defendant could have challenged the sufficiency of the bill of indictment to charge an offense by making a motion to dismiss pursuant to G.S. 15A-954(a)(10). That motion might properly have been made at any time. G.S. 15A-952(d). However, the defendant did not make a motion to dismiss at any time for failure of the pleadings to charge an offense. Nonetheless, we have chosen to review the bill of indictment.

Every bill of indictment must contain:

A plain and concise factual statement in each count which, without allegations of an evidentiary nature, asserts facts supporting every element of a criminal offense and the defendant’s commission thereof with sufficient prevision clearly to apprise the defendant or defendants of the conduct which is the subject of the accusation.

G.S. 15A-924(a)(5). The bill of indictment in the present case charges that on or about 31 March 1978 the defendant knowingly and designedly used a false pretense in dealing with the Bank of Currituck, a banking corporation, in Currituck County, that the defendant knowingly and designedly used that false pretense to obtain $5,704.54 from the Bank of Currituck and that he did so “with intent then and there to defraud.” Those allegations sup[420]*420port every essential element of the crime of obtaining property by false pretense as it now exists and the bill of indictment is valid.

The defendant next assigns as error the failure of the trial court to grant his motion for judgment as in the case of nonsuit.

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Bluebook (online)
255 S.E.2d 240, 41 N.C. App. 415, 1979 N.C. App. LEXIS 2678, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-cronin-ncctapp-1979.