Opinion ID: 309617
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 6

Heading: Sufficiency of The Evidence Against Spotts

Text: Spotts, finally, argues that the evidence against him on Counts I through VI and VIII is insufficient as a matter of law to convict him. The record, however, contains evidence from which a jury could conclude beyond a reasonable doubt not only the essential interstate movement of the orders but also could find Spotts guilty as charged in that (a) during the period when Karen Knauf was passing forged money orders, Spotts, in concert with Rogers, developed a scheme for passing forged money orders, which scheme included Knauf as the one who would actually cash the money orders, and (b) when Knauf cashed the money orders on which Spotts and Rogers were convicted, she was acting under the direction and control of both Spotts and Rogers even though both were not at all times physically present with her. Cf. Phillips, supra at 307. Accordingly, the convictions appealed from in both 72-1305 (Rogers) and 72-1306 (Spotts) are affirmed.  Senior District Judge William J. Campbell of the Northern District of Illinois is sitting by designation  District Judge Jesse E. Eschbach of the Northern District of Indiana is sitting by designation 1 Rogers made no objection when the money orders supporting Counts I and II were admitted into evidence. As to the money orders named in Count III through VIII, he made no objection regarding the printing and stamp on the back, and he only objected in vague terms to some extraneous matter written on the front of the money orders. (Emphasis added) 2 On their facts Mara and Dionisio are limited to actions by a grand jury. However, the language of the Court was broad: Handwriting, like speech is repeatedly shown to the public, and there is no more expectation of privacy in the physical characteristics of a person's script than there is in the tone of his voice. Mara, supra at 21 of 410 U.S., 93 S.Ct. 774. In Katz v. United States, 389 U.S. 347, 88 S.Ct. 507, 19 L.Ed.2d 576 (1967), we said that the Fourth Amendment provides no protection for what a person knowingly exposes to the public, even in his home or office. . . . 389 U.S. 347, 351, 88 S.Ct. 507, 511. Dionisio, supra at 14 of 410 U.S., 93 S.Ct. 764. In any event, the facts in this case satisfy any possibly applicable Fourth Amendment standards. Schmerber v. California, 384 U.S. 757, 86 S.Ct. 1826, 16 L.Ed.2d 908. 3 As stated, the Dionisio case arises in the setting of a grand jury hearing, while in the instant case questions relate in part to activities at trial. There is language in Wade which suggests that a trial setting raises separate questions. (In Wade, the defendant was made at a line-up to speak words used by a robber.) However, it appears that in Wade the jury was made aware of the defendant's exemplar. Moreover, the Court in Dionisio referred to Gilbert as being exactly on point, and in Gilbert the exemplars were clearly used at trial. In short, it is not constitutionally significant whether the words of an exemplar are in terms related or unrelated to the particular case or used at trial so long as the exemplar is treated solely as a standard of comparison