United States v. March

251 F. Supp. 642, 1966 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 7883
CourtDistrict Court, M.D. Pennsylvania
DecidedMarch 11, 1966
DocketCrim. No. 13968
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 251 F. Supp. 642 (United States v. March) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, M.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. March, 251 F. Supp. 642, 1966 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 7883 (M.D. Pa. 1966).

Opinion

FOLLMER, District Judge.

This matter is before the Court on motions of John U. March for judgment of acquittal and for new trial.

Defendant March was charged with co-defendant, Robertas Shoemaker, in a one count indictment, with devising and intending to devise a scheme and artifice to defraud and to obtain money by means of false and fraudulent pretenses, representations and promises from certain named persons in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1341.

After a trial by jury, a verdict of guilty was returned as to both defendants on April 12, 1965. On April 15, 1965 defendant March filed a standard form motion for judgment of acquittal and motion for new trial. On July 12, 1965 he filed an additional reason for a new trial alleging that “there was conduct [643]*643on the part of representatives of the United States Government which rendered it impossible for the defendant to obtain a fair, just and impartial verdict, which conduct deprived the defendant of his constitutional rights to a trial before an impartial jury as guaranteed in the Sixth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States.”

On January 28, 1966 defendant March filed additional reasons for new trial alleging :

1. The Court erred in failing to charge the jury that good faith on the part of the defendant would render him not guilty.

2. The Court erred in refusing to grant defendant’s thirteenth point for charge, which read as follows:

“If the Defendant March did whatever he did, no matter how ridiculous, in good faith and lacked criminal intent, he would not be guilty of anything.”

After the filing of the transcript of the trial, counsel agreed that briefs would be submitted by both defendant and the Government and that the Court would dispose of the motions without oral argument.

Defendant’s brief confines itself exclusively to the Court’s refusal of defendant’s thirteenth point, supra, and claims that the Government failed to prove the intent to defraud and that in consequence thereof, defendant March is entitled to an acquittal. No mention is made in defendant’s brief of the earlier motions for new trial, including the reference to the alleged conduct of representatives of the United States Government which it is claimed deprived defendant of an impartial trial. This is a very serious charge and cannot be permitted to remain in the record unsupported and unchallenged.

In view of the fact that defendant has quite obviously decided not to press the reason given for new trial in Paragraph 3 of the motion filed July 12, 1965, Paragraph 3 will be stricken from the record.

Defendant’s claim here is predicated on the refusal by the Court to affirm his Point No. 13, supra.

This point was refused because, as the Court stated, it was covered in the charge. No exceptions were taken to the charge or rulings on submitted points by defendant March, nor did the said defendant make any request of the Court for clarification thereof.

During the trial the Government produced the testimony of persons associated with defendants in the enterprise, the fourteen victims from fourteen different states mentioned in the indictment, the bank account and cancelled checks of the enterprise, the Postmaster of the Post Office in which the uses of the mail were made in execution of the scheme, and the admissions of defendant March to the Postal Inspector.

The prosecution stems from the conduct of a business venture initiated by defendants. In the latter part of 1961 defendant March contacted one Emig to obtain financing for a plastic boat manufacturing business to be called Seaboard National Plastics & Research Co., Inc., (hereinafter called “Seaboard”) and to obtain the incorporation of the company. March was unable to get the financing and the company was never incorporated.

Early in 1963 one Dowell became involved in the plastic boat business, his part was to manufacture boats for sale and for this purpose he needed a starting capital of $6,000.00. Although Emig was unable to produce the capital, defendant March and Dowell went ahead with the enterprise by using clippings from an advertisement of a legitimate boat producing firm in making a layout of an advertisement, which March took to an advertising man where it was completed and produced.

When Dowell entered the enterprise he moved his equipment to a plant at New Kingston, Pennsylvania, where power was available. On April 14, 1964 he was required by defendants to move to an[644]*644other building in Wellsville, Pennsylvania. There was no power available here which precluded any manufacturing activity. Dowell complained to defendants that production could not start unless electric power was installed, and that a deposit of $180.00 was needed. Defendants never provided electricity, nor did they make the deposit. Although no boats were ever produced, an advertisement dated March 25, 1963 represented, inter alia, that the boat pictured was in existence and was being produced in a complete and operating fabrication and manufacturing plant, and that the boat was ready for immediate shipment to dealers for sale in the Spring sales season, then in progress. A later advertisement dated April 6, 1963 was printed restating the first advertisement and incorporating another boat. Defendant March admitted mailing these advertisements.

At the instance of Dowell, a jet pump was ordered from and shipped by a California concern to New Kingston. On defendants’ failure to pick up or pay for same, the pump was returned to the shipper.

Each of the fourteen victims mentioned in the indictment were produced and by their testimony proved the mailings of the advertisements, the fraud upon them and subsequent lulling letters. Bank records showing the account of Seaboard, including cancelled checks, deposit agreement and signature card signed by both defendants, were produced. The Secretary of Seaboard, who was also part time Secretary for defendant Shoemaker, testified that defendant March called the office used by Seaboard regularly. The New Kingston Postmaster produced her office records regarding the post office box number used in the advertisement prepared and mailed by defendant March. She also testified that Dowell, Ashmore and March regularly picked up mail delivered to that box.

Ashmore testified that he was defendant March’s accountant prior to his association with the enterprise in this case, that he wrote many checks drawn on enterprise’s bank account, and that several were endorsed for deposit to credit of Pappagallo, Inc., which he identified as a restaurant owned by defendant March’s wife and mother, located in a hotel owned by March.

Postal Inspector testified regarding defendant March’s admissions that March was to receive a share in ownership of Shur Zero, a company being developed by defendant Shoemaker, that Shoemaker was to use the New Kingston plant then occupied by Dowell, that Dow-ell was to move to Wellsville, that defendant admitted opening the accounts at a Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, bank.

The Government rested and defendants’ motion for a directed verdict of not guilty was denied by the Court.

Defendant March denied knowledge of the operation. Defendant Shoemaker produced testimony showing that March was intimately involved in the operation.

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Bluebook (online)
251 F. Supp. 642, 1966 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 7883, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-march-pamd-1966.