United States v. Rabinowitz

176 F.2d 732, 1949 U.S. App. LEXIS 3101
Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit·Decided July 28, 1949·No. 269, Docket 21360·Published·Cited by 23 cases

Opinions

L. HAND, Chief Judge.

The defendant appeals from a judgment of conviction upon two counts of an indictment: the first, for selling' four altered postage stamps with intent that they should be “passed, published and used as true and genuine”; the second, for having in his possession 573 such stamps with intent to defraud. On the appeal he relies upon three alleged - errors: first, that to sell or possess the stamps in question was not a crime, because the fraud proved could .only have been upon stamp collectors and not upon the United States; second, that there was a fatal variance between the indictment and the evidence; third, that the stamps which were the Subject of the second count were obtained by an unlawful search and seizure. The facts, as the jury might have found them from the evidence, were as follows. On February 6,, 1943, the defendant, a seller of postage stamps to collectors, sold to an employee of the Post Office four cancelled stamps, across the face of which the defendant had caused to be printed what are known as “over-prints.” An “over-print” consists of letters, which, at times and for purposes not here material, the Post Office finds it convenient to print upon the face of some of an issue of postage stamps; and “over-printed” stamps have a scarcity value to collectors.. The defendant had taken stamps which had been isstied without “over-prints” and had been used and cancelled; and he had employed an engraver by means of forging plates to print “over-prints” over the cancellation marks. Based upon the purchase, a Post Office inspector on February 16th procured from a United States Commissioner a warrant for the arrest of the defendant; and in company with several others, he went to the defendant’s place of business, which consisted of a one room office, and arrested him. After making the arrest, the officials searched the office thoroughly for an hour and a half, opening filing cabinets, desk drawers and the like. Part of what they found they returned to the defendant; but they carried away 573 cancelled postage stamps with forged “over-prints,” like the four stamps purchased on the 6th; and it was the possession of these that the second count alleged as a crime.

The first question is whether the phrase, “with the intent that the same be [734] passed, published, or used as true and genuine” in § 268 [now § 473], or the phrase, “with intent to defraud,” in § 265 [now § 472], is limited to an intent directed against the United States, or whether it also includes an intent directed against others, among them stamp collectors. We agree that the phrase, “canceled stamps,” in the definitory section — § 261 [now § 8] — is not of itself conclusive upon that issue, for it is possible' so to alter cancelled stamps -as to defraud the United States.1 Nevertheless we think that for other reasons the' section should be read in the broader sense. It has been twice decided that the specific intent which § 262 [now § 471] makes an element of the crime, is satisfied by an intent to defraud third persons,2 and we can see no tenable distinction between § 262 and § 265 or § 268 in this regard. Moreover, as a new question, there is good reason to suppose that Congress wished to prevent citizens from being imposed upon by forged currency or forged stamps, even though the wrongdoer did not intend a fraud on the Treasury. In the first place, however limited the forger’s purpose, it does not follow that the instrument might not later be used to the detriment of- the United States. That is obvious in the case of money, and the statute does not distinguish between the specific intent necessary in the case of money and that necessary in the case of stamps. .Besides, quite aside from what may in addition have been a general desire to prevent people from being defrauded by these means, Congress may well have regarded it .as important that the reputation of its issue should not be impaired by the infiltration of counterfeits.

The second alleged error (that ■the pleading did not in detail forecast the evidence) reflects an attitude now long past. True, the allegations in an indictment must run enough in parallel with the evidence to identify the crime proved with that charged; but, that condition fulfilled, it is only necessary that the accused shall be well enough advised of the crime with which he is charged to prepare his defence; and that may be done by other means than the indictment. The first ten “forms,” incorporated into Rule 58 of the Criminal Rules, 18 U.S.C.A., are examples of the general terms now permissible; moreover, Rule 52(a) includes “variance” among “harmless error,” when it “does not affect substantial rights.” That had been the law before the Rules were promulgated;3 and the supposed variances here did not in the faintest degree “affect substantial rights” of the defendant. Nor would it make any difference in this respect though we thought that the sale of the four stamps on the 6th was not within § 268, but only within § 265.

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United States v. Rabinowitz, 176 F.2d 732, 1949 U.S. App. LEXIS 3101 (2d Cir. 1949).

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