United States v. Duff

529 F. Supp. 148
District Court, N.D. Illinois·Decided November 25, 1981·No. 81 CR 475, 81 CR 589·Published·Cited by 7 cases

Opinion

MEMORANDUM OPINION AND ORDER

ASPEN, District Judge:

Defendants John F. Duff and Howard Hansen were indicted by a federal grand jury for violations of §§ 501(c) and 209(c) of the Labor Management Reporting and Disclosure Act of 1959. 29 U.S.C.

§ 501(c); 1 29 U.S.C. § 439(c). 2 This action is presently before the Court on defendants’ motion to dismiss the charges. 3 For the reasons set forth below, that motion will be denied.

The indictment and information charge that at the time of the alleged offenses Duff was Vice-President of the Distillery, Wine and Allied Workers International Union, Secretary-Treasurer of the Chicago Local 3 and Special Representative of the International Union assigned to oversee the affairs of Detroit Local 42 and that Hansen was President of the Chicago Local 3. Duff is charged with converting approximately $76,607.14 from Locals 3 and 42, in violation of § 501(c), through an unauthorized salary increase, unauthorized expense payments, abstraction of checks from Local’s bank account, and a political contribution. Hansen is similarly charged with converting approximately $9,735 from Local 3, in violation of § 501(c), through an unauthorized salary increase. In addition, both defendants are accused of diverting approximately $17,457 in dues checkoff monies from Local 42 to Local 3 in violation of § 501(c) and of making a false entry in a record of Local 3, in violation of § 439(c), regarding the purported approval by the executive board in obtaining a $75,000 loan to purchase furniture and remodel Local 3’s office space.

Defendants have moved to dismiss the charges on the grounds that they are .vague and indefinite, fail to inform them of the accusations with the specificity required by law and make it impossible for them to prepare a defense or to plead double jeopardy in the future. The motion also alleges that federal jurisdiction is lacking, and that the charges violate Rule 7 of the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure as well as the Sixth Amendment to the Constitution.

Rule 7(c)(1) of the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure provides that an indictment or information “shall be a plain, concise and definite written statement of the essential facts constituting the offense charged. . . . It need not contain ... any other matter not necessary to such statement. ...” 4 In evaluating the sufficiency of an indict *151 ment, 5 common sense and reason prevail over technicalities. United States v. Willis, 515 F.2d 798, 800 (7th Cir. 1975); United States v. Climatemps, 482 F.Supp. 376, 382 (N.D.Ill.1979) citing Parsons v. United States, 189 F.2d 252, 253 (5th Cir. 1951). Thus, an indictment is sufficient if it, “first, contains the elements of the offense charged and fairly informs a defendant of the charge against which he must defend, and, second, enables him to plead an acquittal or conviction in bar of future prosecutions for the same offense.” Hamling v. United States, 418 U.S. 87, 117, 94 S.Ct. 2887, 2907, 41 L.Ed.2d 590 (1974).

*150 Any person who embezzles, steals, or unlawfully and willfully abstracts or converts to his own use, or the use of another, any of the moneys, funds, securities, property, or other assets of a labor organization of which he is an officer, or by which he is employed directly or indirectly, shall be fined not more than $10,000 or imprisoned for not more than 5 years, or both.
Any person who willfully makes a false entry in or willfully conceals, withholds, or destroys any books, records, reports or statements required to be kept by any provision of this subchapter shall be fined not more than $10,000 or imprisoned for not more than one year, or both.

*151 Section 501(c) Counts

Counts One through Eight of the indictment charge one or both defendants with violations of 29 U.S.C. § 501(c). Each of these counts specifically allege the approximate date of the transaction, the dollar amount involved, and that the entity unlawfully deprived of its assets was a “labor organization” engaged in an industry affecting commerce within the meaning of 29 U.S.C. §§ 402(i) and 402(j). 6 Each count tracks the language of § 501(c), which has been held “to cover almost every kind of taking, whether by larceny, theft, embezzlement or conversion.” United States v. Harmon, 339 F.2d 354, 357 (6th Cir. 1964), cert. denied, 380 U.S. 944, 85 S.Ct. 1025, 13 L.Ed.2d 963, reh. denied, 380 U.S. 989, 85 S.Ct. 1330, 14 L.Ed.2d 282.

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United States v. Duff, 529 F. Supp. 148 (N.D. Ill. 1981).

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