United States v. Barket

380 F. Supp. 1018, 1974 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 6960
CourtDistrict Court, W.D. Missouri
DecidedAugust 29, 1974
DocketNos. 74 CR 141-W-1, 74 CR 168-W-1
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 380 F. Supp. 1018 (United States v. Barket) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, W.D. Missouri primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
United States v. Barket, 380 F. Supp. 1018, 1974 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 6960 (W.D. Mo. 1974).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM AND ORDER GRANTING DEFENDANT’S MOTIONS FOR BILLS OF PARTICULARS

JOHN W. OLIVER, District Judge.

Numerous pretrial motions pend in both of the above cases. Defendant has requested that all motions not requiring an evidentiary hearing be determined before such a hearing is held. We have concluded that defendant’s motions for a bill of particulars should be granted in each case and that action on all other motions be deferred until the government has filed an appropriate bill in each case. The reasons supporting that exercise of discretionary power requires a brief review of the earlier history of the government’s prosecution of the defendant in the now dismissed case of United States v. Alexander J. Barket and Civic Plaza National Bank, No. 73 CR 231-W-l, filed October 11, 1973.

On November 23, 1973, for reasons fully stated, this Court granted a motion to dismiss filed jointly by both the defendants named in that earlier indictment. That indictment attempted in Count I to charge the two named defendants with an alleged violation of 18 U.S.C. § 610. That earlier indictment also attempted to charge defendant Barket in Counts II and III with alleged violations of 18 U.S.C. § 656 and 18 U.S.C. § 1005, respectively. The government appealed [1019]*1019our order of dismissal. That appeal, however, was dismissed by order of the Court of Appeals on the government’s motion on January 25,1974.

The government took no further action until May 9, 1974. On that date the government obtained a new indictment against defendant Barket alone in Case No. 74 CR 141-W-l, entitled United States v. Alexander J. Barket. Still later, and on May 21, 1974, the government attempted to proceed by way of information against the Civic Plaza National Bank alone in Case No. 74 CR 160-W-4, entitled United States v. Civic Plaza National Bank. On June 25, 1974, Judge Hunter dismissed the information filed against the Civic Plaza National Bank on the ground that any action against the defendant Bank was barred by the statute of limitations.

Both the pending case, No. 74 CR 141-W-l against defendant Barket, and the now dismissed case, No. 74 CR 160-W-4, against the defendant Bank, in substance, realleged in separate charges the same § 610 charges which the government attempted to allege jointly against both defendants in a single count, Count I, in Case No. 73 CR 231-W-l, dismissed on November 23, 1973.

The second case which pends before this Court, Case No. 74 CR 168-W-l, was filed June 12, 1974, and is entitled United States v. Alexander J. Barket. That case relates to an alleged $30,000 contribution to the Regular Democrats on or about July 28, 1970. That indictment, like the indictment in No. 74 CR 141-W—1 (which relates to an alleged $7,500 contribution in connection with the 1968 election) is in two counts.

The first count of each pending indictment alleges that defendant Barket “unlawfully, willfully, and knowingly did consent to the contribution and expenditure of moneys belonging to the Civic Plaza National Bank,” in alleged violation of 18 U.S.C. § 610. The second count of each indictment, however, apparently referring to at least portions of the same acts and transactions alleged in Count I, alleges that defendant Barket “with intent to injure and defraud the said Civic Plaza National Bank, did willfully and knowingly misapply and cause to be misapplied money and funds of said bank” in alleged violation of 18 U.S.C. § 656. (Count II in No. 74 CR 168-W-l also cites, but does not explain, 18 U.S.C. § 2, as an additional alleged violation. That section was not cited in the earlier indictment in No. 73 CR 231-W-l. Nor does the government attempt to charge defendant Barket with an alleged violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1005 in either of the new indictments, as it did earlier in Count III of No. 73 CR 231-W-l.)

As was true in regard to the earlier dismissed case, the form of the government’s indictments in the two pending cases has spawned numerous motions in both cases. Many of those motions raise common questions of law. Case No. 74 CR 141-W-l, however, is complicated by what impact, if any, the government’s failure to proceed properly against Civic Plaza National Bank by reindictment, rather than by information, may have on the new indictment obtained against defendant Barket in that particular case.

Study of United States v. C. I. O., 335 U.S. 106, 68 S.Ct. 1349, 92 L.Ed. 1849 (1948); United States v. Auto. Workers, 352 U.S. 567, 77 S.Ct. 529, 1 L.Ed.2d 563 (1957); Pipefitters v. United States, 407 U.S. 385, 92 S.Ct. 2247, 33 L.Ed.2d 11 (1972); United States v. Lewis Food Co., (9th Cir. 1966) 366 F.2d 710; United States v. Boyle, (1973) 157 U.S.App.D.C. 166, 482 F.2d 755; United States v. Silverman, (2nd Cir. 1970) 430 F.2d 106; and United States v. Seafarers International U. of No. Amer., (E.D.N.Y.1972) 343 F.Supp. 779, establishes that prosecutions for alleged violations of 18 U.S.C. § 610 usually present many complicated and difficult questions of law. The statute itself, portions of which were enacted as early as 1907, as recognized by the cited cases, is not a model of clarity. We believe it obvious that if the difficulties encountered in the reported cases are to [1020]*1020be avoided, it is essential that the defendant be fully and fairly advised of the details of the government’s charges in order that he may properly prepare whatever defense he may have under the circumstances and in order that prejudicial surprise at trial also be avoided.

Other substantial questions are presented by various motions to dismiss and to require the government to elect. Some of those motions cannot be given appropriate consideration until and unless the government is required to file bills of particulars in each case

The procedural situation presented in this case is not totally dissimilar from that presented in United States v. Boston & M. R. Co., 380 U.S. 157, 85 S.Ct. 868, 13 L.Ed.2d 728 (1965). In that case the Supreme Court was required to review on direct appeal a district court order dismissing a prosecution under 15 U.S.C.

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Related

United States v. Williams
65 F.R.D. 422 (W.D. Missouri, 1974)

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Bluebook (online)
380 F. Supp. 1018, 1974 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 6960, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-barket-mowd-1974.