Case Name: The People of the State of New York, Respondent, v. Joseph Greenberg and Fred Graf, Appellants
Court: New York Court of Appeals
Jurisdiction: New York
Decision Date: 1942-07-29
Citations: 289 N.Y. 72
Docket Number: 
Parties: The People of the State of New York, Respondent, v. Joseph Greenberg and Fred Graf, Appellants.
Judges: 
Reporter: New York Reports
Volume: 289
Pages: 72–75

Head Matter:
The People of the State of New York, Respondent, v. Joseph Greenberg and Fred Graf, Appellants.
Argued June 4, 1942;
decided July 29, 1942.
Abraham Wilson and Daniel J. McMahon for appellants.
The trial court charged the jury that the code agreement was a legal, valid and enforceable instrument. Appellants should not have been convicted, nor should the case have been submitted to the jury unless it had been established that they used the code as an instrument of oppression. (People v. Powell, 63 N. Y. 88; People v. Friedlander, 280 N. Y. 437; People v. Flack, 125 N. Y. 324; Cuyler v. McCartney, 40 N. Y. 221; People v. O’Farrell, 175 N. Y. 323; People v. Miles, 123 App. Div. 862; 192 N. Y. 541; Minner v. United States, 57 Fed. Rep. [2d] 506.)
Charles P. Sullivan, District Attorney (James F. T. Delaney of counsel), for respondent.
(Schechter Poultry Corp. v. United States, 295 U. S. 495.) The evidence justified the jury’s finding as to the appellants’ guilt of the crimes of extortion and their conviction thereof is warranted in law. (People v. Barondess, 133 N. Y. 649; People ex rel. Short v. City Prison, 145 App. Div. 861; 206 N. Y. 632 ; People v. Hughes, 137 N. Y. 29; People v. Weinseimer, 117 App. Div. 603; 190 N. Y. 537.)

Opinion:
Per Curiam.
Under the law of the case as established by the charge of the trial judge the evidence was insufficient to sustain a conviction of either defendant of the crime of extortion or of conspiracy to commit extortion under any of the counts of the indictment as framed.
The judgments should be reversed and a new trial ordered.