United States v. Michael R. McIntosh

124 F.3d 1330, 1997 WL 527424
CourtCourt of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit
DecidedSeptember 24, 1997
Docket96-3270
StatusPublished
Cited by43 cases

This text of 124 F.3d 1330 (United States v. Michael R. McIntosh) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
United States v. Michael R. McIntosh, 124 F.3d 1330, 1997 WL 527424 (10th Cir. 1997).

Opinion

PAUL KELLY, Jr. Circuit Judge.

Michael M. McIntosh appeals from his conviction and sentence on four counts of bankruptcy fraud in violation of 18 U.S.C. §§ 2 and 152 and on nine counts of money laundering in violation of 18 U.S.C. §§ 1956-1957. Our jurisdiction arises under 28 U.S.C. § 1291 and 18 U.S.C. § 3742. We affirm in part, reverse in part, and remand the matter to the district court.

Background

When nearly $445,000 in overdue federal and state tax obligations threatened to cause eviction from his law office, Mr. McIntosh filed a petition for bankruptcy relief under Chapter 11 on November 12, 1991. Alleged omissions from the schedules and reports required in connection with that petition formed the basis of the criminal charges against Mr. McIntosh. The alleged omis *1333 sions concerned a contingency fee received during the pendency of the bankruptcy proceedings, the house in which Mr. McIntosh lived, and his interest in an unincorporated business.

In 1987, Mr. McIntosh entered into a contingency fee arrangement pursuant to which he represented Wanda Pilcher in a wrongful termination suit against her former employer, Wyandotte County. The agreement provided that, in exchange for his legal services on Ms. Pilcher’s behalf, Mr. McIntosh would receive half of any amount recovered after a second trial or an appeal. The agreement also provided that if Ms. Pilcher had no recovery Mr. McIntosh would receive no payment. After the verdict in the first trial was set aside following an appeal, the matter was again tried in a Kansas state court before a jury, which found for Ms. Pilcher. That judgment was affirmed by the Kansas Court of Appeals, and the Supreme Court of Kansas denied certiorari on March 10, 1992. Wyandotte County thereafter issued a check in satisfaction of the judgment, and made it payable to both Mr. McIntosh and Ms. Pilcher.

On March 26,1992, Mr. McIntosh and Ms. Pilcher negotiated the cheek from Wyandotte County and had several smaller checks issued. Mr. McIntosh’s share was divided into two checks: one for $57,500 made payable to Mr. McIntosh’s law firm and the other for $68,000 made payable to Mr. McIntosh. Mr. McIntosh then negotiated the $68,000 check at another bank and had a number of cashier’s checks issued in his own name. The largest of those cheeks — for approximately $22,700 — was deposited into an account held by Mr. McIntosh on behalf of his unincorporated business, Fortex Industries (Fortex). Five other cashier’s cheeks in varying amounts indicated that they were to satisfy personal obligations. Mr. McIntosh’s March Operating Report was submitted to the bankruptcy trustee on July 1, 1996. It reported receipt of only $57,500 of the total fee Mr. McIntosh had received from Ms. Pilcher.

Eleven of the counts for which Mr. McIntosh was indicted were based upon these transactions pertaining to the Pilcher fee. Count 3 of the indictment charged Mr. McIntosh with fraudulent concealment of $68,000 of the Pilcher fee in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 152 (bankruptcy fraud), and Count 13 charged him with making a false statement on the March Operating Report by virtue of reporting only a portion of the fee, in violation of the same section. Counts 4 through 12 of the indictment charged Mr. McIntosh with money laundering in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1956(a)(l)(A)(i). Counts 4 and 5 pertained to the exchange of the check from Wyandotte County in settlement of the Pil-cher matter for the $57,500 check made payable to Mr. McIntosh’s law firm and the $68,000 check made payable to Mr. McIntosh personally. Counts 6 through 12 corresponded to the individual cashier’s checks for which Mr. McIntosh exchanged the $68,000 cheek. Count 11 of the indictment charged Mr. McIntosh with money laundering in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1956(a)(l)(B)(i) in connection with his deposit of a cashier’s check for approximately $22,700 into the Fortex account. Count 12 charged Mr. McIntosh with engaging in a monetary transaction in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1957 in connection with his use of a cashier’s check for approximately $14,465 to pay off a bank loan.

Mr. McIntosh’s bankruptcy filings also failed to disclose his financial interest in For-tex, a business which placed cassette tapes and other items for sale at truck stops and convenience stores, and income that business earned. Mr. McIntosh mentioned Fortex to the attorney who represented him in the bankruptcy proceeding, but the attorney decided not to disclose Fortex on the initial schedules because he needed to discuss the valuation of that interest with Mr. McIntosh’s accountant. Fortex was never included in the bankruptcy filings; the attorney testified at trial that he was remiss about the matter. The attorney also testified that he recalls mentioning in passing at the 341 meeting the need to amend the schedules to include Fortex, but no mention of Fortex is contained on the transcription of the tape made of the meeting. Count 1 of the indictment charged Mr. McIntosh with fraudulent concealment of his financial interest in For-tex- — and in the house in which he lived — in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 152; Count 2 charged him with fraudulent concealment of approximately $68,500 in income from Fortex in violation of the same section.

*1334 Mr. McIntosh and his children lived in a home at 8401 New Jersey in Kansas City, Kansas (the New Jersey property). Mr. McIntosh’s father purchased that property in 1983. In lieu of rent payments, Mr. McIntosh made the mortgage payments on the property. The New Jersey property was not reported on the bankruptcy filings. As noted, Count 1 of the indictment also charged Mr. McIntosh with fraudulent concealment of his financial interest in the New Jersey property in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 152.

Mr. McIntosh was tried before a jury, which convicted him on all thirteen counts. The district court denied Mr. McIntosh’s motion for a judgment of acquittal, and imposed a sixty-month prison sentence for the bankruptcy fraud counts and a concurrent sentence of sixty-three months for the money laundering counts. The district court also ordered Mr. McIntosh to pay a special assessment of $650. Mr. McIntosh appeals both his convictions and his sentence.

Discussion

Mr.

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

Related

United States v. Yurek (Wendy)
925 F.3d 423 (Tenth Circuit, 2019)
10 — Crimes — Forgery
2018 COA 89 (Colorado Court of Appeals, 2018)
People v. Zadra
2013 COA 140 (Colorado Court of Appeals, 2013)
United States v. Colón Ledée
967 F. Supp. 2d 516 (D. Puerto Rico, 2013)
First National Bank v. Woods (In re Woods)
465 B.R. 196 (Tenth Circuit, 2012)
United States v. Moser
453 F. App'x 762 (Tenth Circuit, 2011)
United States v. Washington
724 F. Supp. 2d 1122 (D. Kansas, 2010)
United States v. Greene
239 F. App'x 431 (Tenth Circuit, 2007)
United States v. Espino
206 F. App'x 799 (Tenth Circuit, 2006)
United States v. Taylor
175 F. App'x 970 (Tenth Circuit, 2006)
United States v. Harwell
426 F. Supp. 2d 1189 (D. Kansas, 2006)
United States v. Nickl
427 F.3d 1286 (Tenth Circuit, 2005)
United States v. Nunez
419 F. Supp. 2d 1258 (S.D. California, 2005)
United States v. Lonedog
67 F. App'x 543 (Tenth Circuit, 2003)
United States v. Jenkins
313 F.3d 549 (Tenth Circuit, 2002)
United States v. Paul Giovanni Graham
305 F.3d 1094 (Tenth Circuit, 2002)
United States v. Graham
Tenth Circuit, 2002
United States v. Higgins
282 F.3d 1261 (Tenth Circuit, 2002)
United States v. Love
17 F. App'x 796 (Tenth Circuit, 2001)
United States v. Morris
247 F.3d 1080 (Tenth Circuit, 2001)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
124 F.3d 1330, 1997 WL 527424, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-michael-r-mcintosh-ca10-1997.