United States v. Bailey
Decision Date | 13 April 1960 |
Docket Number | No. 12810.,12810. |
Citation | 277 F.2d 560 |
Parties | UNITED STATES of America, Plaintiff-Appellee, v. James Cromwell BAILEY, Defendant-Appellant. |
Court | U.S. Court of Appeals — Seventh Circuit |
Glenn C. Fowlkes, Edward R. Gayles, Chicago, Ill., for appellant.
Charles R. Le Master, Asst. U. S. Atty., Kenneth C. Raub, U. S. Atty., Fort Wayne, Ind., Martin H. Kinney, George Vann, Asst. U. S. Attys., Hammond, Ind., for appellee.
Before HASTINGS, Chief Judge, KNOCH, Circuit Judge, and PLATT, District Judge.
The defendant-appellant was tried to the court on a two count indictment. The indictment charged:
Joe Gillom and Dorothea Scott, co-defendants pleaded guilty and testified for the government. After hearing the evidence the court found the defendant guilty on both counts and sentenced him to the custody of the Attorney General for a period of 20 years and imposed a fine of $2,000.00 upon Count I, and twenty-five years upon Count II, the sentences to run concurrently. The government introduced in evidence pursuant to § 7237(a),1 Title 26 U.S.C.A., the indictment and prior conviction of the defendant wherein the defendant was sentenced to five years for violation of § 2553(a) (now § 4704(a) and § 2554(a) (now § 4705), Title 26 U.S.C.A., and § 174, Title 21 U.S.C.A.
Defendant now contends:
Count I of the indictment is based upon § 4704(a), Title 26 U.S.C.A. which reads as follows:
The defendant contends that the indictment fails to negative the first exception "in the original stamped package." (Emphasis supplied.) The defendant failed to present this omission to the trial court. It may be properly raised for the first time in this court. Fed.Rules Crim.Proc. rule 12(b), 18 U.S.C.A.; United States v. Calhoun, 7 Cir., 1958, 257 F.2d 673; Jones v. United States, 10 Cir., 1959, 263 F.2d 959; Davidson v. United States, 10 Cir., 1959, 263 F.2d 959; Burley v. United States, 10 Cir., 1959, 263 F.2d 912; Robinson v. United States, 10 Cir., 1959, 263 F.2d 911. But see United States v. Wora, 2 Cir., 1957, 246 F.2d 283. In determining the validity of this indictment the court must look to the purpose of the statute, which was "to impose taxes for the sale of an elusive subject, to require conformity to a prescribed method of sale and delivery calculated to disclose or make more difficult any escape from the tax." Nigro v. United States, 1928, 276 U.S. 332, 345, 48 S.Ct. 388, 391, 72 L.Ed. 600. In Alston v. United States, 1927, 274 U.S. 289, 47 S.Ct. 634, 71 L.Ed. 1052, the court held that the Revenue Act to collect a tax on narcotics was constitutional and in referring to a section thereof, which was worded the same as the statute in the instant case, the court said at page 294 of 274 U.S., at page 635 of 47 S.Ct.:
* * *"
Applying these principles of law to Count I of the indictment in the instant case to charge unlawful selling of narcotics would not be an offense. The offense described in the statute must be interpreted in the light of the purpose of the statute which was to "lay taxes." The offense consists not only of selling or dispensing narcotics, but in selling or dispensing narcotics not "in the original stamped package or from the original stamped package." (Emphasis supplied.) To omit not "in the original stamped package" omits a necessary element of the offense. (Emphasis supplied.) These words are descriptive of the offense and must be included in the charge. Hale v. United States, 4 Cir., 1937, 89 F.2d 578. The government maintains this allegation is not necessary, relying upon the provisions of § 4724(c), Title 26 U.S.C.A. which states in part:
"* * * Provided further, That it shall not be necessary to negative any of the aforesaid exemptions in any complaint, information, indictment, or other writ of proceedings laid or brought under this subpart or sections 4701 to 4707, inclusive." (Emphasis supplied.)
Clearly this refers to the exemptions set forth in § 4724(c),2 Title 26 U.S.C.A. The exceptions in § 4704, Title 26 are set forth in § 4704(b)(1)(2).3 These exceptions need not be negatived in the indictment since they do not describe the offense. United States v. Winnicki, 7 Cir., 1945, 151 F.2d 56, 57, relied upon by the government, is clearly distinguishable. There the defendant was charged with unlawfully receiving the transfer of automobile tires and the unlawful possession thereof without surrendering or without having certificates "issued by the local War Price and Rationing Board * * * in accordance with the provisions of * * * Ration Order 1A as amended." At page 58 the court said:
Count I in the instant indictment would not state an offense if it alleged the selling of the narcotic drug without setting forth not in and from the original stamped package. This exception described an element of the crime as we have already explained. However, the charge need not negative the exceptions set forth in § 4704(b)(1)(2), Title 26 U.S.C.A. which are matters of defense, as in the Winnicki case it was necessary to deny the order permitting the transfer by the War Production Board, which is a defense.
Count II of the indictment charges a violation of § 174, Title 21 U.S.C.A. which reads in part as follows:
Count II reads exactly on the statute and charges the second offense. No element is omitted. A similar indictment was held sufficient in the following cases: Brown v. United States, 9 Cir., 1955, 222 F.2d 293; United States v. Rodgers, 5 Cir., 1955, 218 F.2d 536; and Rodriguez v. United States, 5 Cir., 1955, 218 F.2d 810.
Defendant further contends that the heroin admitted in evidence was not properly identified as the heroin which was obtained from one of the co-defendants, Joe Gillom. The narcotic agent Johnson testified that he received the package from Joe Gillom on June 24, 1959, who had been designated by the defendant to deliver the heroin to Johnson; that he paid Gillom $35.00 for the heroin and received a tin-foil package which contained powder from Gillom. Johnson joined the other agents, delivered the package to Agent Leek, and a field test of the contents of the package was performed which indicated the powder contained an opiate. The package containing the powder was placed in an envelope which was identified as Government's Exhibit 1-C which was initialed by Leek and Johnson. All of the agents drove back to Chicago, Illinois, from Gary,...
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