United States v. Philippe

• Decision Date: 19 May 1959
• Citation: 173 F. Supp. 582
• Parties: UNITED STATES of America, v. Claudius Charles PHILIPPE, Defendant.
• Court: U.S. District Court — Southern District of New York

173 F. Supp. 582

UNITED STATES of America, v. Claudius Charles PHILIPPE, Defendant.

United States District Court S. D. New York.

May 19, 1959.

Arthur H. Christy, U. S. Atty., New York City, for the Government, Daniel F. McMahon, Bronxville, N. Y., Samuel Sheres, New York City, of counsel.

Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Carrison, New York City, for defendant, Simon H. Rifkind, Edward N. Costikyan, John G. Simon, New York City, of counsel.

THOMAS F. MURPHY, District Judge.

Defendant was indicted in four counts for attempted income tax evasion for the years 1953-1956, and in a fifth count for making a false statement in a matter within the jurisdiction of the Treasury Department in violation of Title 18 U.S.C.A. § 1001. Defendant makes three motions seeking respectively, a bill of particulars, discovery and inspection and dismissal of count five.

The Motion To Dismiss.

Count five alleges in effect that defendant denied receiving cash currency and kickbacks during certain years from suppliers of services to the Hotel Waldorf-Astoria, and that such denial was false. Upon the oral argument the government attorney conceded that the alleged false statement referred to in Count five was made during the course of an interrogation of defendant under oath, conducted by a Special Agent of the Intelligence Division, Internal Revenue Service, on September 12, 1955. Such interrogation was in the course of an investigation by the Special Agent of suspected criminal tax evasion by defendant. (Queries seeking to elicit these additional facts were set out in defendant's demand for a bill of particulars and the government's concession should be considered an affirmative answer to those queries).

At the threshold we dispose of the government's assertion that we may not consider such admissions on this motion because of the rule that a bill of particulars, or in this case admissions, may not be incorporated with an indictment in ruling upon its sufficiency. Under appropriate circumstances which we deem to exist here such a rule "serves no useful purpose" but on the contrary "impedes and delays the administration of justice." United States v. McKay, D.C.E.D.Mich. 1942, 45 F.Supp. 1001, 1004.

Proceeding then to the merits, the issue which we have for determination is, whether a false oral denial by defendant of a suspected source of income made to a Special Agent of the Internal Revenue Service investigating and interrogating defendant for possible criminal income tax evasion constitutes a false statement within the purview of 18 U. S.C.A. § 1001? We think not.

By the enactment of this statute, the Supreme Court has stated, Congress intended "to protect the authorized functions of governmental departments and agencies from the perversion which might result from the deceptive practices described." United States v. Gilliland, 312 U.S. 86, 93, 61 S.Ct. 518, 522, 85 L. Ed. 598. The "statements" attributed to defendant herein we are convinced are hardly calculated to, and cannot possibly pervert the authorized functions of a Special Agent of the Intelligence Division, Internal Revenue Service or for that matter the service or the department. The queries of the Special Agent in this case were designed to elicit answers from defendant which would have, if truthful, (we must assume for the purpose of this motion) constituted a confession or admission of vital links in the chain of evidence necessary to a successful prosecution of defendant for tax evasion. While the Special Agent may have been disappointed that defendant would not truthfully answer himself into a felony conviction, we fail to see that his investigative function was in any way perverted. The only possible effect of exculpatory denials however false, received from a suspect such as defendant is to stimulate the agent to carry out his function. It would be strange to expect that the agent would accept defendant's denials and conclude that his investigation should be closed. Unless it were a confession or admission, any statement of defendant could lead only to further investigation to uncover the facts, and that is the very function of the Special Agent. (See Murphy, The Investigative Procedure for Criminal Tax Evasion, 27 Fordham L.R. 48, 56-59 (1958)). Manifestly, therefore, refusal of a suspect to affirmatively assist a criminal investigator in preparing a case for criminal prosecution against himself has no tendency to pervert the investigator's function. (A valid distinction is readily apparent where the suspect proffers, e. g., false net worth statements, affidavits, or question and answer statements revealing facts peculiarly within the knowledge of the suspect, not otherwise obtainable by the investigator and upon which the latter is requested to rely).

There is persuasive authority supporting the conclusion we here reach. United States v. Davey, D.C.S.D.N.Y.1957, 155 F.Supp. 175; United States v. Levin, D. C.D.Colo.1953, 133 F.Supp. 88; United States v. Stark, D.C.Md.1955, 131 F. Supp. 190. See also United States v. Aronson, 8 U.S.C.M.A. 525 (1957); United States v. Geib, 9 U.S.C.M.A. 392 (1958); United States v. Thomas, 10 U. S.C.M.A. 54 (1958) involving a closely analogous statute construed by those courts as equivalent to 18 U.S.C.A. § 1001 and given effect consistent with our present holding. For a detailed analysis of the statute with which we are concerned and its legislative history see United States v. Bramblett, 348 U.S. 503, 75 S. Ct. 504, 99 L.Ed. 594 and United States v. Stark, supra.

The cases relied on by the government in opposition to the motion to dismiss are distinguishable. Knowles v. United States, 10 Cir., 1955, 224 F.2d 168, and Cohen v. United States, 9 Cir., 1953, 201 F.2d 386 certiorari denied 345 U.S. 951, 73 S.Ct. 864, 97 L.Ed. 1374, both involved false written net worth statements submitted by the defendants to Internal Revenue Agents investigating into the possible tax liability of each defendant. The perverting potential of such false net worth statements is obvious, in that the detailed facts and figures they set forth furnish the foundation for further inquiry and computation, and if false, lead the government down wrong paths and blind alleys. Those cases are further distinguishable from the instant one in that they involve affirmative representations of the defendant's net worth during particular years, while this case involves a negative exculpatory denial of a suspected source of income.

It should be pointed out, too, that in the Knowles case Judge Pickett was a member of the panel of the court and it was he who as a Circuit Judge wrote the opinion in the district court in United States v. Levin and came to an opposite conclusion when dealing with a false oral denial to an F.B.I. agent.

Neither party has referred us to Smith v. United States, 1958, 257 F.2d 133 another and later opinion by the Tenth Circuit, but in our opinion and with respectful deference we think wrongly decided. On the facts it is indistinguishable from the present case. In fairness, however, we must state that the point was not raised for we have sent for and examined the briefs and, parenthetically, Judge Pickett was not a member of the panel.

In United States v. Silver, 2 Cir., 1956, ...