Logsdon v. United States

• Decision Date: 05 March 1958
• Docket Number: No. 13137.,13137.
• Citation: 253 F.2d 12
• Parties: Paul J. D. LOGSDON, Appellant, v. UNITED STATES of America, Appellee.
• Court: U.S. Court of Appeals — Sixth Circuit

253 F.2d 12 (1958)

Paul J. D. LOGSDON, Appellant, v. UNITED STATES of America, Appellee.

No. 13137.

United States Court of Appeals Sixth Circuit.

March 5, 1958.

Rodes K. Myers, and George B. Boston, Bowling Green, Ky., for appellant.

J. Leonard Walker, U. S. Atty., Louisville, Ky., Charles M. Allen, Asst. U. S. Atty., Louisville, Ky., on brief, for appellee.

Before McALLISTER, MILLER and STEWART, Circuit Judges.

SHACKELFORD MILLER, Jr., Circuit Judge.

Appellant was convicted under an indictment which charged in thirty-five counts that he aided, abetted and induced a codefendant Barrett, acting as cashier of the Bank of Whitesville, Whitesville, Kentucky, the deposits of which were insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, to wilfully misapply moneys and funds of the insured bank, specifically stating in each count the date, amount and manner of each misapplication. Sections 2(a) and 656 Title 18 U.S.Code.

In the first twenty-seven counts the indictment charged with respect to the manner of the misapplication that the defendant issued a check drawn on the account of Alabama-Kentucky Building Supply Co., Inc., in the insured bank payable to a designated payee and that the cashier honored and paid the check from moneys and funds of the insured bank, when in truth and fact the defendants well knew there were insufficient funds with which to pay the check. The other counts made similar allegations with respect to checks drawn on the account of the appellant in the insured bank. The appellant received a sentence of five years under each count to be served concurrently, together with fines totaling $25,000.

The Bank of Whitesville was closed by Kentucky and Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation bank examiners on September 16, 1954. Their examination disclosed that Barrett had misapplied funds and credits of the bank by means of withdrawing and hiding ledger sheets, juggling accounts, overstating cash on deposits with correspondent banks, and by withdrawing and hiding checks drawn on the Bank of Whitesville so that such checks, although honored by the Bank, were not charged against the accounts of the various depositors. The Alabama-Kentucky Building Supply Company was a corporation almost wholly owned by the appellant. The evidence showed that on the date of the Bank's closing, some 135 depositors, including the appellant individually and the Alabama-Kentucky Building Supply Company, were found to be overdrawn in amounts ranging from 20 cents to $159,613.12. The total uncharged checks amounted to $535,086.09. The checks which were paid and hidden away without being charged to a depositor's account were not segregated as to depositors but were simply more or less in chronological order, having been hidden away as they arrived at the bank for payment. It was stipulated that the checks involved in the present case, which were hidden away, were issued by the appellant or by his wife on his personal account or on the account of the Alabama-Kentucky Building Supply Company, that they were issued to the payees for value received and that the payees received payment of the checks.

Timely motions by the appellant to dismiss the indictment, for a directed verdict of acquittal and for a new trial, all of which were overruled by the District Judge, raised the questions which are discussed on this appeal.

Section 656, Title 18 U.S.Code, 1948 Edition, provides: "Whoever, being an officer * * * of * * * any * * * member bank * * * willfully misapplies any of the moneys, funds or credits of such bank * * * shall be fined * * * or imprisoned * * *, or both." Prior to the 1948 revision the statute read: "Any officer * * * who * * * willfully misapplies any of the moneys, funds, or credit of such * * * bank * * * with intent in any case to injure or defraud such * * * bank * * *" (Emphasis added.) Section 592, Title 12 U.S.Code, 1940 Edition. It will be noticed that the 1948 revision used the words "wilfully misapplies" as contained in the earlier statute, but omitted the words "with intent in any case to injure or defraud such * * * bank." Each count of the indictment followed the 1948 wording, charging that Barrett, the cashier, aided, abetted and induced by the appellant, "did wilfully misapply moneys, funds and credits of the insured bank, to-wit, * * *" without using the specific words "with intent" to injure or defraud the bank. 132 F.Supp. 4.

Appellant contends that the indictment is fatally defective for failure to specifically charge intent, which is one of the essential elements of the offense. United States v. Wicoff, 7 Cir., 187 F.2d 886, 890. Appellant relies upon United States v. Britton, 107 U.S. 655, 669, 2 S.Ct. 512, 27 L.Ed. 520, and Johnson v. United States, 4 Cir., 95 F.2d 813, 815-816. Reliance upon certain language in the opinions in those cases is misplaced. The statutes involved included the element of intent as a necessary element of the crime and the indictments also charged intent. Neither case involved the failure of the indictment to charge intent. The issue involved was whether the words "wilfully misapplied" were sufficient, without more detailed facts, to show how the misapplication took place and that it was unlawful.

Appellant's contention was urged upon the District Judge, who ruled in a written opinion that the indictment, in following the words of the statute, was sufficient, in that the words "did wilfully misapply" constituted a sufficient charge of a criminal intent to defraud. United States v. Logsdon, D.C.W.D.Ky., 132 F.Supp. 3, 4. We concur in the ruling for the reasons stated in the opinion. See also: United States v. Ruse, D.C. W.D.Pa., 112 F.Supp. 667. Since the ruling involved only the wording of the indictment, it in no way impairs the necessity of proof by the Government of criminal intent on the part of the appellant. Morissette v. United States, 342 U.S. 246, 264, 274, 72 S.Ct. 240, 96 L.Ed. 288.

The most troublesome issue is raised by appellant's contention that the evidence was insufficient to take the case to the jury on the charge that he aided, abetted and induced the cashier to misapply the funds of the bank. We are not here dealing with the guilt of the cashier, which was adjudged through other proceedings. Since appellant was a depositor, but not an officer, director, agent or employee of the bank, he could not be guilty under Section 656, Title 18 U.S. Code, for misapplication of the bank's funds. United States v. Tornabene, 3 Cir., 222 F.2d 875, 877. He was not so charged. Nor would he be guilty on account of the cashier's misapplication of funds unless he aided, abetted or induced the cashier to so act. Section 2(a), Title 18 U.S.Code. That is the offense charged. The absence of any showing of collaboration or association between the person charged and the principal prevents a conviction under that section. United States v. Moses, 3 Cir., 220 F.2d 166. "In order to aid and abet another to commit a crime it is necessary that a defendant `in some sort associate himself with the venture, that he participate in it as in something that he wishes to bring about, that he seek by his action to make it succeed.'" Nye & Nissen v. United States, 336 U.S. 613, 619, 69 S.Ct. 766, 769, 93 L.Ed. 919; United States, v. Peoni, 2 Cir., 100 F.2d 401, 402. Appellant contends that although the evidence shows overdrafts on his checking accounts, it does not show any collaboration between him and the cashier or any attempt on his part to induce the cashier to withhold his checks without charging them to his account although paid out of the bank's funds. Overdrafts alone are not sufficient to show, in and of themselves, a violation of the statute. Seals v. United States, 8 Cir., 221 F.2d 243. The evidence fails to specifically show any reason for the actions of the cashier. The cashier repeatedly stated in his testimony that he didn't know why he did it, and at one point stated that mental fatigue was the only thing he could think of.

A review of the evidence shows more than the usual type of overdraft. During a period of 4½ years appellant and his wife issued checks aggregating $149,415.14 on his personal account at the bank in which there were total deposits of only $74,710.20, leaving an overdraft of $74,704.94, represented by 565 checks which were hidden away by the cashier. Their joint income tax return for 1953 showed income of $8,271.28. Checks written on this account and paid by the bank in 1953 totaled $13,941.93. The account of the Alabama-Kentucky Building Supply Company was overdrawn in the amount of $159,613.13 over a period of a year and seven months, represented by 557 checks which were hidden away by the cashier. The income tax return of the Company for 1953 showed gross receipts of $117,414.09. The Company issued checks for that year in the total sum of $211,888.20, which were paid. The cashier testified not only that he notified appellant numerous times that he was overdrawn and that appellant would say that he had some money coming in from the sale of property and would cover the overdraft, but also that appellant knew that when his checks...