United States v. Longknife

258 F. Supp. 303, 1966 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 10024
CourtDistrict Court, D. Hawaii
DecidedAugust 1, 1966
DocketCr. No. 12112
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 258 F. Supp. 303 (United States v. Longknife) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. Hawaii primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
United States v. Longknife, 258 F. Supp. 303, 1966 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 10024 (D. Haw. 1966).

Opinion

DECISION

'TAVARES, District Judge.

Defendant plead guilty to one count of an indictment charging him with falsely concealing assets in connection with his voluntary petition in bankruptcy; he was granted probation.

There is pending a motion to revoke probation on the ground that at the time probation was granted, the defendant had fraudulently concealed from the Court various other falsehoods contained in his petition and schedules, such as the fact that he had obtained a discharge in bankruptcy less than six years prior to the [305]*305current filing, and that he either obtained the previous discharge under a false name or filed the subsequent petition under a false name.

During the hearing on the motion to revoke probation, defendant purported to invoke the privilege against self-incrimination with regard to questions concerning the subject of the inquiry.

Defendant argues that this Court lacks power to revoke his probation, claiming that he has done nothing to violate the conditions of probation since it was granted, and that to revoke probation because of statements on the bankruptcy schedules already considered in the original prosecution would be to place him twice in jeopardy for the same offense.

Neither point is well taken. There is ample precedent for revoking probation when a probationer refuses to answer questions directed to him concerning the crime of which he stands convicted.

In Kaplan v. United States (8 Cir. 1956), 234 F.2d 345, 347, the court said:

“We have here, then, the situation of a defendant who, while on probation, was specifically ordered by the court to appear before the grand jury and disclose the source of his heroin purchases and who refused in the presence of the court to follow such orders. Completely regardless of the subsequent contempt proceedings, this was of itself sufficient justification for revoking probation. Here was a specific order of the court to do a certain thing — disclose information needed in a grand jury’s investigation of illegal traffic in narcotics. In effect, it could be considered as an additional condition of probation, even though it was not included in the original written conditions. 18 U.S.C.A. § 3651, among other things, provides: ‘The court may revoke or modify any condition of probation, or may change the period of probation.’ No claim of constitutional privilege was or could have been maintained. To hold that such a specific refusal to follow the court’s order was not a violation of probation could lead to rather bizarre results in that every contingency would need be anticipated and might have the effect of limiting the use of probation. Campbell v. Aderhold, D.C.N.D.Ga., 1929, 36 F.2d 366, 367.”

And at page 348, quoting from Kirsch v. United States (8 Cir. 1949), 173 F.2d 652, 654:

“Probation is not a matter of right but a matter of grace and clemency and when granted it confers no vested right upon a defendant. It is a system of tutelage under the control of the court having jurisdiction over the convicted defendant and it is concerned with the rehabilitation of moral character.”

The Kaplan case was followed in almost identical circumstances in United States v. Qualls (N.D.Ill.1960), 182 F. Supp. 213, in which the court said at page 216:

“There are, however, additional reasons for revoking this probation. The court is called upon to make a determination whether this probationer has fully met the standards required and can be considered a good probationary risk at this time. The court is of the opinion that he has not met those standards and that he can no longer be so considered. It is in making this determination that the court must penetrate to the center of the concept of probation. The Court of Appeals for the' Seventh Circuit in United States v. Steiner, 7 Cir., 1957, 239 F.2d 660, 662, stated ‘Judicial discretion is the fabric from which probation is cut and tailored.’ In that case a defendant convicted of tax violations was admitted to probation on condition that he make effort to pay his taxes and discharge his liability. The court determined that no bona fide effort had been made to meet this condition and revoked the probation. A revocation, of course, need not be based upon the violation of specific terms of the probation. United States v. Kaplan, supra; United States ex rel. Grossberg v. Mulligan, 2 Cir., 1931, 48 F.2d 93.
[306]*306“The determinative question is whether the probationer’s conduct has been inconsistent with a bona fide effort to accomplish his own rehabilitation.”

The case of United States v. Rosner (S.D.N.Y.1958), 161 F.Supp. 234 is analogous. There the defendant had plead guilty to income tax evasion, served a prison term, paid fines, and had nearly completed serving a period of probation. The court granted a petition for extension of that probation, because the Internal Revenue Service was still negotiating with the defendant regarding the amount of taxes due, and the Internal Revenue Service wanted more time in which to evaluate the degree of the defendant’s cooperation. The probationer objected on the ground that he had met all the conditions of probation and that therefore he was entitled to release from supervision at the expiration of the original term of probation. Following the leading case of Burns v. United States, 287 U.S. 216, 53 S.Ct. 154, 77 L.Ed. 266, and other pertinent cases, the court extended the period of probation, saying (161 F.Supp. at page 236):

“Nor do the imposition of specific conditions impose any limit upon the court’s discretion to modify the terms of probation, impose other conditions or revoke it. Burns v. United States, supra, 287 U.S. at page 222, 53 S.Ct. at page 156.
“Since the Burns case, cases dealing with the scope of the court’s power to deal with the terms of probation have not been frequent but have consistently held that the court has very wide latitude in exercising its discretion. See United States v. Squillante, 2 Cir., 235 F.2d 46, affirming United States v. Squillante, D.C.S.D.N.Y., 137 F.Supp. 553; United States v. Squillante, D.C.S.D.N.Y., 144 F.Supp. 494; Reed v. United States, 9 Cir., 181 F.2d 141; United States v. Edminston, D. C.W.D.La., 69 F.Supp. 382; United States v. Koppelman, D.C.M.D.Pa., 61 F.Supp. 1007.
“In the second Squillante case the court went so far as to deny termination of probation despite ‘the fact that the defendant has finally complied with the express condition of his probation’ which was to pay his tax liabilities in full because ‘the best interests of society warrant the continuation of supervision over the probationer.’ 144 F. Supp. at page 495.”

Mr.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

United States v. Bailey
343 F. Supp. 76 (W.D. Missouri, 1971)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
258 F. Supp. 303, 1966 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 10024, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-longknife-hid-1966.