Sarkisian v. United States

• Decision Date: 09 December 1924
• Docket Number: 6582,6512,6583.,No. 6511,6511
• Citation: 3 F.2d 599
• Parties: SARKISIAN v. UNITED STATES.
• Court: U.S. Court of Appeals — Eighth Circuit

3 F.2d 599 (1924)

SARKISIAN v. UNITED STATES.

Nos. 6511, 6512, 6582, 6583.

Circuit Court of Appeals, Eighth Circuit.

December 9, 1924.

Thomas Ward, Jr., of Denver, Colo., for plaintiff in error.

Clarence L. Ireland, Asst. U. S. Atty., of Denver, Colo. (George Stephan, U. S. Atty., of Denver, Colo., on the brief), for the United States.

Before STONE, Circuit Judge, and MUNGER and MILLER, District Judges.

MILLER, District Judge.

T. Sarkisian, a practicing physician at Denver, Colo., for 18 years, a graduate of Rush Medical College at Chicago, Ill., with postgraduate work in Vienna, Berlin, Paris, and London, was indicted in April, 1922, under nine counts charging violation of the Harrison Anti-Narcotic Law (Comp. St. §§ 6287g-6287q), and again in June, 1923, under two counts charging violation of the same law.

Pleas of not guilty were entered on both indictments. On July 12, 1923, both cases were consolidated by order of the court and trial proceeded before a judge and jury.

On July 16th the jury returned verdicts of guilty on each count of both indictments, on which the trial judge sentenced the defendant under the last-mentioned indictment to one year and six months in the federal penitentiary on each of the two counts, such sentences to run concurrently, and on the first-mentioned indictment defendant was sentenced to serve a term of three years in the federal penitentiary at Ft. Leavenworth on each count thereof, said sentences to run concurrently, and beginning on the expiration of the sentence under the second indictment.

No exceptions were saved during the trial to rulings of the court either on the admission or exclusion of evidence, or to any instruction given by the court. Nevertheless defendant now asks this court to consider errors now assigned, to wit: (1) That the lower court erred in refusing to permit the defendant to testify regarding two alleged conversations, one between him and H. V. Williamson and one between him and Dr. J. N. Chipley, both government narcotic agents at Denver. No offer of proof was made as to what such conversations were, or any exception saved to the ruling of the court. (2) That the lower court erred in the giving of certain instructions; (3) in receiving and entering the verdict of the jury; and (4) in passing sentence upon the defendant.

Unless it manifestly appears from the record that substantial rights are affected, this court will not consider errors assigned which were not presented to the trial court by exceptions...