Opinion ID: 441741
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Adequacy of the Indictment

Text: 24 Patricia Warren initially attacks the sufficiency of the indictment with regard to the conspiracy count. Her objections appear to be two-fold: first, that the indictment did not adequately inform her of the nature of the charge against her; and second, that there was a material variance between the overt acts stated in the indictment and the proof actually adduced by the government at trial. We conclude that her claims are without merit. 25 Rule 7(c)(1) of the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure provides that an indictment shall be a plain, concise and definite written statement of the essential facts constituting the offense charged. In general, an indictment need contain only those facts and elements of the alleged offense necessary to sufficiently inform the accused of the charge and to safeguard the accused from double jeopardy. Hamling v. United States, 418 U.S. 87, 117, 94 S.Ct. 2887, 2907, 41 L.Ed.2d 590 (1974). When analyzing challenges to the sufficiency of an indictment, courts give the indictment a common sense construction, and its validity is to be determined by practical, not technical, considerations. United States v. Morano, 697 F.2d 923, 927 (11th Cir.1983); United States v. Varkonyi, 645 F.2d 453, 456 (5th Cir. Unit A 1981). The indictment in this case was clearly sufficient to meet this standard. Paragraph 9 of the conspiracy count charged the defendants with knowingly presenting false claims to Medicare; it adequately set forth the elements of the alleged offenses and the nature of the defendants' criminal scheme, 9 which was further defined in paragraphs 10-19 of that count and in the overt acts listed under paragraph 20. 26 Warren also complains that the government sought to prove her involvement in the conspiracy by relying upon proof of events at trial that were not listed in the overt acts section of the indictment. Properly understood, however, a variance exists where the evidence at trial proves facts different from those alleged in the indictment, as opposed to facts which, although not specifically mentioned in the indictment, are entirely consistent with its allegations. See, e.g., Berger v. United States, 295 U.S. 78, 81, 55 S.Ct. 629, 630, 79 L.Ed. 1314 (1935) (fatal variance exists where indictment charges single conspiracy and evidence demonstrates two different and disconnected smaller conspiracies); United States v. Guthartz, 573 F.2d 225, 228 (5th Cir.), cert. denied, 439 U.S. 864, 99 S.Ct. 187, 58 L.Ed.2d 173 (1978) (fatal variance exists where an indictment enumerates the particular facts alleged to constitute the element of a charged crime and the proof makes out the elements in a different manner); Project, Thirteenth Annual Review of Criminal Procedure: United States Supreme Court and Courts of Appeals 1982-83, 72 Geo.L.J. 249, 390-91 (1983). 27 There is no constructive amendment here. Warren's claim is highly similar to that raised by the appellant in United States v. Malatesta, 583 F.2d 748 (5th Cir.1978), rehearing en banc, 590 F.2d 1379, 1381 (5th Cir.) cert. denied, 440 U.S. 962, 99 S.Ct. 1508, 59 L.Ed.2d 777 (1979). In Malatesta, the court noted that when the indictment charges a violation of a statute in general terms, proof of acts of the kind described, although those acts are not specifically mentioned in the indictment, does not constructively amend it, at least absent a demonstration that this was, or might have been, prejudicial to the defendant. Id. at 756. Because Warren was not convicted of an offense other than that alleged in the indictment, United States v. Gonzalez, 661 F.2d 488, 492 (5th Cir. Unit B 1981), nor inadequately apprised of the nature of the charges against her, Berger, 295 U.S. at 82, 55 S.Ct. at 630, she has not demonstrated any prejudice to her substantial rights as required by Fed.R.Crim.P. 52(a) and her challenge must be rejected.