Opinion ID: 167108
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: participation in conduct alleged in counts 2-4

Text: 66 Mr. Wittig directs another challenge at counts 2-4, which involve the April 27, 2001 loan proposal, Mr. Weidner's May 14, 2001 response to the officer's questionnaire, and Mr. Weidner's May 31, 2001 financial statement. He notes that these documents were prepared by Mr. Weidner and Ms. Gurney, and he contends that there was no evidence that he aided and abetted in the preparation and submission of these documents. 67 As we have observed above, in order to convict a defendant of a violation of § 1005, the government is not required to prove that the defendant made the false bank entries himself. See Wolf, 820 F.2d at 1504. A defendant may be convicted of a § 1005 charge if he or she conspires with or aids and abets a bank official's making of a false entry. See, e.g., Copple, 827 F.2d at 1186; Phillips, 406 F.2d at 601-02. Here, the evidence we have discussed in addressing Mr. Wittig's challenge to the conspiracy convictions provides sufficient support for the § 1005 convictions alleged in counts 2-4. The loan proposal, questionnaire responses, and personal financial statement addressed in those counts all failed to disclose the loan from Mr. Wittig to Mr. Weidner. Based on those omissions, a jury could reasonably conclude that the submission of each document was an overt act committed in furtherance of the conspiracy charged in count 1. Because the evidence is sufficient to support the conclusion that Mr. Wittig was a member of that conspiracy, a jury could properly convict him for the submission of the documents addressed in counts 2-4, even though he did not personally prepare those documents. See United States v. Russell, 963 F.2d 1320, 1322 (10th Cir.1992) (During the existence of a conspiracy, each member of the conspiracy is legally responsible for the crimes of fellow conspirators. . . that are committed in furtherance of the conspiracy.) (citing Pinkerton v. United States, 328 U.S. 640, 646-49, 66 S.Ct. 1180, 90 L.Ed. 1489 (1946)). 68