United States v. Barnes

213 F. Supp. 510, 1963 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 6852
CourtDistrict Court, E.D. Pennsylvania
DecidedJanuary 7, 1963
DocketCrim. No. 21099
StatusPublished

This text of 213 F. Supp. 510 (United States v. Barnes) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, E.D. Pennsylvania primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
United States v. Barnes, 213 F. Supp. 510, 1963 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 6852 (E.D. Pa. 1963).

Opinion

GRIM, District Judge.

According to the government’s brief,1 the defendant Barnes, employed by the First Pennsylvania Banking and Trust Company,2 embezzled some $285,000 from his employer over a nine-month period in 1961. He used this money to gamble on sporting events, placing bets with the defendant McDevitt, a bookmaker, who learned during the period in question that Barnes was taking the money from the bank. The bets were in large amounts, many for over $5,000 each, and at least one for $20,000. Because of their magnitude, McDevitt “laid off” the bets with the defendants Miller and Dubas in much the same way that an insurance company, finding a risk too large for it to carry alone, will divide the risk among, or reinsure it with, other insurers. Miller and Dubas also learned that the money Barnes was betting was being taken by him from the bank. At one time or another during the betting both Miller and Dubas had personal contact with Barnes.

On the basis of this alleged state of facts a fifteen-count indictment was returned against Barnes, McDevitt, Miller, Dubas and Doheny. Barnes was indicted in one count for embezzling the money, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 656. In another count all the defendants were indicted under 18 U.S.C. § 371 for conspiracy to have Barnes embezzle the money, to have the other four defendants receive and dispose of the embezzled money, and to have the same four defendants aid, abet, and counsel and commission of those offenses.

Defendants Miller and Dubas have moved to dismiss the indictment.3

CONSPIRACY

Count I of the indictment charges conspiracy. Defendants Miller and Dubas attack Count I on the grounds (a) that it is vague and uncertain and does not adequately or fully inform the moving defendant of the exact nature of the charges against him in that the allegations of fact and the overt acts alleged are insufficient, uncertain, and ambiguous, and the count is insufficient in form and substance to plead the judgment in bar in another prosecution for the same offense; (b) that the overt, acts do not set forth any factual evidence of the conspiracy, do not indicate that any illegal agreement was entered into-by the moving defendant and others,, and fail to show that he acted in concert, with the others to accomplish an unlawful purpose; (c) that the count fails to-set forth the necessary facts constituting the corpus of the substantive offense-which was to be the object of the conspiracy ; (d) that the count and the overt acts do not indicate the commission of any criminal acts by the moving defendants; and (e) that the count is factually insufficient to charge the moving defendant with violating the statutes enumerated in the indictment.

Does Count I stand up in the face of the attack?

Count I charges that from August 7, 1961, to December 27, 1961, at Philadelphia, all the defendants:

“ * * * did knowingly and unlawfully conspire, combine, confederate and agree together and with each other, and with other persons to this Grand Jury unknown, to commit certain offenses against the United States of America, to wit: to violate Title 18 United States Code, Section 656.”

Count I continues:

“It was part of the plan and purpose of the said conspiracy that JOSEPH W. BARNES * * * embezzle and wilfully misapply the moneys, funds and credits * * * of such bank, and entrusted to its [512]*512custody and care, and to the custody and care of the defendant JOSEPH W. BARNES, to wit: $285,800.
“It was further part of the plan and purpose of said conspiracy that [the other four defendants] and each of them, receive, possess, conceal and dispose of said property and money belonging to and taken from, said bank, in violation of law..
“It was further part of the plan and purpose of the said conspiracy that [the other four defendants] aid, abet and counsel the commission of said offenses.”
“2. That at the times and places hereinafter named, in furtherance of the execution and for the purpose of carrying into effect the objects, designs and purposes of the said conspiracy [all the defendants] did do and perform the following overt acts:”

Of the 19 overt acts set forth under this introduction, the following are typical of a number:

“2. On or about August 28,1961, at Philadelphia, in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, ROBERT Mc-DEVITT, a/k/a Charles Robert Mc-Devitt, met and had a conversation with SAMUEL MILLER and ELIAS DUBAS.”
“3. On or about September 5, 1961, at Philadelphia, in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, JOSEPH W. BARNES delivered the sum of $5,000 to ROBERT McDEVITT, a/k/a Charles Robert McDevitt, at or near 49th Street and Baltimore Avenue.” times and places. The overt acts give no details of the substance of the conversations. They give no details of the source of the money or the circumstances surrounding its delivery. Indeed, the entire indictment says not a Word about betting or gambling, and the indictment charges no offenses against any laws having to do with gambling.

The eight other overt acts4 which mention defendants Miller and Dubas variously charge them with having met and had conversations with other defendants at Philadelphia at stated times and with having received from defendant McDevitt sums of money ranging in amount from $2,000 to $7,000 at stated

Viewing Count I as a whole, it alleges that at Philadelphia during the stated period of time, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 371, all the defendants conspired to violate 18 U.S.C. § 656, which condemns embezzlement of a bank’s funds by an employee. Count I alleges that it was part of the plan and purpose of the conspiracy (a) that Barnes embezzle money from the bank, (b) that the other four defendants receive and dispose of that money, and (c) that the other four defendants “aid, abet and counsel the commission of said offenses.” The overt acts in Count I allege meetings, conversations and transfers of money, all in futherance of the purposes of the conspiracy.

Section 371 of Title 18 U.S.C. provides :

“If two or more persons conspire * * * to commit any offense against the United States * * * and one or more of such persons do any act to effect the object of the conspiracy, each shall be fined * * or imprisoned * * * or both. * * *»

In United States v. Debrow, 346 U.S. 374, 376, 74 S.Ct. 113, 98 L.Ed. 92 (1953), the Supreme Court repeated the language of Mr. Justice Sutherland in Hagner v. United States, 285 U.S. 427, 431, 52 S.Ct. 417, 76 L.Ed. 861 (1932) :

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Related

Hagner v. United States
285 U.S. 427 (Supreme Court, 1932)
United States v. Debrow
346 U.S. 374 (Supreme Court, 1953)
United States v. Vannatta
189 F. Supp. 937 (D. Hawaii, 1960)
United States v. Matot
146 F.2d 197 (Second Circuit, 1944)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
213 F. Supp. 510, 1963 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 6852, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-barnes-paed-1963.