Task: songer_indict

What follows is an opinion from a United States Court of Appeals. The issue is: "Did the court rule that the indictment was defective?" Answer the question based on the directionality of the appeals court decision. If the court discussed the issue in its opinion and answered the related question in the affirmative, answer "Yes". If the issue was discussed and the opinion answered the question negatively, answer "No". If the opinion considered the question but gave a mixed answer, supporting the respondent in part and supporting the appellant in part, answer "Mixed answer". If the opinion does not discuss the issue, or notes that a particular issue was raised by one of the litigants but the court dismissed the issue as frivolous or trivial or not worthy of discussion for some other reason, answer "Issue not discussed". If the opinion considered the question but gave a "mixed" answer, supporting the respondent in part and supporting the appellant in part (or if two issues treated separately by the court both fell within the area covered by one question and the court answered one question affirmatively and one negatively), answer "Mixed answer". If the opinion either did not consider or discuss the issue at all or if the opinion indicates that this issue was not worthy of consideration by the court of appeals even though it was discussed by the lower court or was raised in one of the briefs, answer "Issue not discussed". If the court answered the question in the affirmative, but the error articulated by the court was judged to be harmless, answer "Yes, but error was harmless". 

PER CURIAM:
Appellants were convicted by verdict of a jury of violating 18 U.S.C. § 1001 which provides:
“Whoever, in any matter within the jurisdiction of any department or agency of the United States knowingly and willfully * * * conceals or covers up by any trick, scheme, or device a material fact, or makes any false, fictitious or fraudulent statements or representations * * * shall be fined not more than $10,000 or imprisoned not more than five years, or both.”
The evidence shows that in connection with the distribution by appellants of pharmaceutical products in Vietnam and Cambodia, appellants received and made certain payments which they failed to disclose in answer to questions concerning such payments on forms provided by the Agency for International Development and filed by appellants in order to obtain payment for the products from foreign aid funds. Appellants contend that they were not required to disclose payments of the type which they admittedly received and made and that, therefore, their failure to do so does not constitute a violation of Section 1001.
The AID forms called for “information as to agents’ commissions, domestic and foreign * * * paid or to be paid,” to which appellants replied “None,” and contained the following statement which was signed by appellants without entering anything on the reverse of the form:
“The supplier has not given or received and will not give or receive by way of side payment, ‘kickbacks,’ or otherwise, any benefit in connection with said contract except as is disclosed on the reverse of this form.”
Appellants paid 10% of invoice prices to importers of the pharmaceutical products for what they called “promotion allowances.” Besides these regular payments appellants also paid from time to time various personal expenses of the importers including, for example, airplane tickets, hospital expenses, and transportation of an automobile.
Appellants also made regular payments of 2% of invoice price to one of the officials of its supplier.
Moreover, appellants received a 20% commission for acting as agent for their supplier.
It is obvious that appellants gave and received “benefits” some of which are also properly to be classified as “commissions,” “side payments” and “kickbacks.” Their failure to disclose these payments on the AID form clearly constituted a violation of Section 1001.
Affirmed.

Question: Did the court rule that the indictment was defective?
A. No
B. Yes
C. Yes, but error was harmless
D. Mixed answer
E. Issue not discussed
Answer:

Answer: E