United States v. William Edward Beard, United States of America v. Harold Garrison, 414 F.2d 1014, 3rd Cir. (1969)

414 F.
2d 1014
UNITED STATES of America

v.
William Edward BEARD, Appellant.
UNITED STATES of America
v.
Harold GARRISON, Appellant.
Nos. 17471, 17472.
United States Court of Appeals Third Circuit.

Argued June 5, 1969.
Decided Aug. 20, 1969.
Arthur A. Kusic, Harrisburg, Pa., for appellants.

Harry A. Nagle, Asst. U.S. Atty., Lewisburg, Pa., Bernard J. Brown, U.S.
Atty., Scranton, Pa., for appellee.
Before KALODNER, VAN DUSEN and STAHL, Circuit Judges.
OPINION OF THE COURT
VAN DUSEN, Circuit Judge.
On February 13, 1967, defendants were separately indicted in two counts for
violation of the following offense described in 18 U.S.C. 2314:1
'Whoever, with unlawful or fraudulent intent, transports in interstate * * *

commerce any falsely made, forged, altered, or counterfeited securities * * *,
knowing the same to have been falsely made, forged, altered, or counterfeited;
***
'Shall be fined not more than $10,000 or imprisoned not more than ten years, or
both.'
Without objection by defendants, a joint trial of both defendants was held in
November 1967 and a verdict of guilty as to each defendant on each count was
returned. After denial of motions for new trial, judgments of conviction were
entered on the verdicts on July 10, 1968. These appeals, filed later that month,
challenge the judgments of conviction.
For the first time, defendants contended on appeal that the indictments were
fatally defective for failure 'to state one essential element' of the abovedescribed
crime, namely, 'unlawful or fraudulent intent.' 2
Since the counts of these indictments do not allege the essential element of
'unlawful or fraudulent intent,' this case is governed by United States v.
Manuszak, 234 F.2d 421, 423 (3rd Cir. 1956), where Judge Staley said:
'For this reason the count is a nullity as a charge of a federal crime and should
be quashed. The defect is not one of form which will be overlooked after a
verdict when no prejudice is shown. Although after a verdict every intendment
should be indulged in support of the count, neither the verdict nor the evidence
supporting the verdict can be used as a basis for dispensing with the rule that
the indictment must state all the essential ingredients of the crime.'
The Government's contention that the failure to allege in these indictments the
statutorily prescribed intent is a 'technical deficienc(y) which did not prejudice
the accused' is not supported by the federal cases. See Smith v. United States,
360 U.S. 1, 9, 79 S.Ct. 991, 996, 3 L.Ed.2d 1041 (1959),3 where the court said:
'But the substantial safeguards to those charged with serious crimes cannot be
eradicated under the guise of technical departures from the rules. The use of
indictments in all cases warranting serious punishment was the rule at common
law. (Citing cases.) The Fifth Amendment made the rule mandatory in federal
prosecutions in recognition of the fact that the intervention of a grand jury was
a substantial safeguard against oppressive and arbitrary proceedings.'
10
See, also, United States v. Britton, 107 U.S. 655, 2 S.Ct. 512, 27 L.Ed. 520
(1882); United States v. Tornabene, 3 Cir., 222 F.2d 875, 878 (1955);4 cf.
Rosen v. United States, 161 U.S. 29, 33, 16 S.Ct. 434, 40 L.Ed. 606 (1896).
11
In United States v. Blackshere, 282 F.Supp. 846 (D.N.M.1968), the court held
that an allegation that the defendant knew the property to be stolen was
insufficient to charge that an act was caused to be done 'wilfully' under 18
U.S.C. 2, using this language at 847:
12
'The allegation that the defendant knew the cattle to have been stolen does not
supply the indictment with the necessary element of willfulness, for it cannot
be said to have the same meaning.'
13
Although in the instant case the trial judge included in his charge a reading of
the offense as described in 18 U.S.C. 2314 and further instructed the jury that
an essential element of the crime is action 'with an unlawful or fraudulent
intent,'5 the grand jury, by returning the indictment as worded, made no finding
of probable cause to believe that an essential element of this federal crime,
namely 'unlawful or fraudulent intent,' was present. In Russell v. United States,
369 U.S. 749, 770, 82 S.Ct. 1038, 1050, 8 L.Ed.2d 240 (1962), the court
pointed out:
14
'To allow the prosecutor, or the court, to make a subsequent guess as to what
was in the minds of the grand jury at the time they returned the indictment
would deprive the defendant of a basic protection which the guaranty of the
intervention of a grand jury was designed to secure. For a defendant could then
be convicted on the basis of facts not found by, and perhaps not even presented
to, the grand jury which indicted him.'
15
See, also, Van Liew v. United States, 321 F.2d 664, 669 (5th Cir. 1963). In
Stirone v. United States, 361 U.S. 212, 215, 217-218, 80 S.Ct. 270, 272, 273, 4
L.Ed.2d 252 (1960), the court said:
16
'The crime charged here is a felony and the Fifth Amendment requires that
prosecution be begun by indictment.6 '* * * a court cannot permit a defendant
to be tried on charges that are not made in the indictment against him. * * *
'The very purpose of the requirement that a man be indicted by grand jury is to
limit his jeopardy to offenses charged by a group of his fellow citizens acting
independently of either prosecuting attorney or judge.'
17
This court has rejected the Government's contention that F.R.Crim.P. 34 7

precludes a challenge to the sufficiency of the indictment which is first made on
appeal. See United States v. Manuszak, supra, 234 F.2d at 422. 8
18
In view of the foregoing, it is not necessary to consider the remaining

arguments urged by defendants as requiring reversal of their convictions,
except to note that pre-trial examination of witnesses to a lineup is not
contemplated by United States v. Wade, 388 U.S. 218, 87 S.Ct. 1926, 18
L.Ed.2d 1149 (1967), and Gilbert v. California, 388 U.S. 263, 87 S.Ct. 1951, 18
L.Ed.2d 1178 (1967), despite defendants' contention to the contrary. The
recognized method for ascertaining impropriety in identification procedures is

by cross-examination of the identifying witnesses at trial. See United States v.
McKenzie, 414 F.2d 808 (3rd Cir., Opinion of 8/12/69). Cf. Simmons v. United
States, 390 U.S. 377, 384, 88 S.Ct. 967, 19 L.Ed.2d 1247 (1968); Wade, supra,
at 220, 87 S.Ct. 1926; Gilbert, supra, 388 at 271, 87 S.Ct. 1951.
19
The United States will be free to reindict and retry the defendants according to
law. See United States v. Ball, 163 U.S. 662, 16 S.Ct. 1192, 41 L.Ed. 300
(1896);9 United States v. Tateo, 377 U.S. 463, 465, 81 S.Ct. 1587, 12 L.Ed.2d
448 (1964); United States v. Ewell, 383 U.S. 116, 121, 86 S.Ct. 773, 15
L.Ed.2d 627 (1966); United States v. Williams, 412 F.2d 625 (3rd Cir., Opinion
of 6/18/69). We note that the statute of limitations has not run. 18 U.S.C. 3282;
cf. 18 U.S.C. 3288.
20
The judgments of conviction and sentences will be reversed and the cases
remanded with direction to dismiss the indictments.
The indictment of defendant Beard (No. 14,335 in M.D.Pa.) charged:

'COUNT I
'That on or about October 18, 1966, WILLIAM EDWARD BEARD,
did cause to be transported in interstate commerce a falsely made and forged
security from the City of York, * * * in the Middle District of Pennsylvania and
within the jurisdiction of this Court, to Baltimore, State of Maryland, to wit, a
check, No. 13880, payable to Curtis Turner, in the amount of $1280.00 and
signed A. K. Brady, knowing the same to be a falsely made and forged
security.
'In violation of Title 18 United States Code, Section 2314.
'COUNT II
'That on or about October 20, 1966, WILLIAM EDWARD BEARD,
did cause to be transported in interstate commerce a falsely made and forged
security from the City of York, * * * in the Middle District of Pennsylvania and
within the jurisdiction of this Court, to Baltimore, State of Maryland, to wit, a
check, No. 10796, payable to Herman Jordan, in the amount of $2800.00 and
signed William A. Becker, knowing the same to be a falsely made and forged
security.
'In violation of Title 18 United States Code, Section 2314.'

The Indictment of defendant Garrison (No. 14,338 in M.D.Pa.) contained the
same language as that used in the case against Beard except that it added a
reference to 18 U.S.C. 2, so that the last paragraph read:
'In violation of Title 18 United States Code, Sections 2314 and 2.' However,
'the indictment is adequate without reference to' 18 U.S.C. 2. Londos v. United
States, 240 F.2d 1, 7 (5th Cir. 1957); see, also, Hubsch v. United States, 256
F.2d 820, 822 (5th Cir. 1958).
2
Also, 18 U.S.C. 2, cited in the Garrison indictment (see footnote 1 above),

provides in subsection (b), inter alia, that 'Whoever willfully causes an act to be
done * * * is punishable as a principal.' If this wording is to be relied upon by
the Government (it was referred to in the charge), it would seem that any
reindictment based on 18 U.S.C. 2(b) should preferably contain an allegation of
wilfulness. But see United States v. Salliey, 360 F.2d 699 (4th Cir. 1966)
The examples of 'technical deficiencies' given in the Smith case are

significantly different from the situation presented by this record. It is only
where a 'technical deficiency' in the indictment is involved that the defendants
must show prejudice to challenge such indictment, under the language in Smith
v. United States, supra, at p. 9, relied on by the Government
In this case, this court said at page 878:

'We are aware that liberality is the guide today in testing the sufficiency of an
indictment, but this applies to matters of form and not of substance. We cannot
dispense with the requirement that the indictment charge all essential
ingredients of a crime.'
The charge contains these words at N.T. 136:

'To convict them of this offense the Government must prove beyond a
reasonable doubt that such securities were forged and falsely made, and that the
defendants, knowing this, caused them to be transported across state lines with
an unlawful and fraudulent intent. * * *
'An essential element of the crime of transporting forged securities in interstate
or foreign commerce, is that it must be done with an unlawful and fraudulent
intent.'
Subsequently, the trial judge sent the indictment out with the jury when they
retired to deliberate, 'to enable (the jury) * * * to follow the various charges in
the different counts', but failed to explain the absence of the essential element
of 'unlawful or fraudulent intent.'
6
The offense described in 18 U.S.C. 2314 is an 'infamous crime,' see Green v.

United States, 356 U.S. 165, 183, 78 S.Ct. 632, 2 L.Ed.2d 672 (1958), and the
Fifth Amendment requirement of 'indictment of a Grand Jury' applies to it. See
Russell v. United States, supra, 369 U.S. at 760-761, 82 S.Ct. 1038
F.R.Crim.P. 34 states:
'The court on motion of a defendant shall arrest judgment if the indictment * *
* does not charge an offense * * *. The motion in arrest of judgment shall be
made within 7 days after verdict or finding of guilty, or after plea of guilty or
nolo contendere, or within such further time as the court may fix during the 7day period.'
F.R.Crim.P. 12(b)(2) provides, in part, 'Defenses and objections based on
defects * * * in the indictment * * * other than that it fails * * * to charge an
offense may be raised only by motion before trial. * * * Lack of jurisdiction or
the failure of the indictment or information to charge an offense shall be
noticed by the court at any time during the pendency of the proceeding.' Cf.
F.R.Crim.P. 54(a)(1).
Other United States Courts of Appeals have reached the same result. See e.g.,
Scarbeck v. United States, 115 U.S.App.D.C. 135, 317 F.2d 546, 550 (1962),
cert. den. 374 U.S. 856, 83 S.Ct. 1897, 10 L.Ed.2d 1077, rehearing den. 375
U.S. 874, 84 S.Ct. 35, 11 L.Ed.2d 105 (1963); Walker v. United States, 342
F.2d 22, 26 (5th Cir.), cert. den. 382 U.S. 859, 86 S.Ct. 117, 15 L.Ed.2d 97
(1965); United States v. Bailey, 277 F.2d 560, 562-563 (7th Cir. 1960); Carlson
v. United States, 296 F.2d 909, 910 (9th Cir. 1961); Robinson v. United States,
263 F.2d 911 (10th Cir. 1959)
In the Ball case, supra, the court said at page 672, 16 S.Ct. at page 1195:
'* * * it is quite clear that a defendant, who procures a judgment against him
upon an indictment to be set aside, may be tried anew upon the same
indictment, or upon another indictment, for the same offense of which he had
been convicted.'

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414 F.

UNITED STATES of America

United States Court of Appeals Third Circuit.

Arthur A. Kusic, Harrisburg, Pa., for appellants.

'Whoever, with unlawful or fraudulent intent, transports in interstate * * *

Without objection by defendants, a joint trial of both defendants was held in

This court has rejected the Government's contention that F.R.Crim.P. 34 7

In view of the foregoing, it is not necessary to consider the remaining

recognized method for ascertaining impropriety in identification procedures is

The indictment of defendant Beard (No. 14,335 in M.D.Pa.) charged:

'In violation of Title 18 United States Code, Section 2314.'

Also, 18 U.S.C. 2, cited in the Garrison indictment (see footnote 1 above),

The examples of 'technical deficiencies' given in the Smith case are

In this case, this court said at page 878:

The charge contains these words at N.T. 136:

The offense described in 18 U.S.C. 2314 is an 'infamous crime,' see Green v.

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