Opinion ID: 3040568
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Temporal Nexus

Text: [6] The Tatoyans next argue that the language of § 5332 requires that the defendant have the intent to evade the reporting requirement at the time the actual concealment of currency occurs. A more natural reading of the statute, however, suggests that the intent to evade the reporting requirement can arise at any time prior to (and including) the moment of attempted transport—in other words that, as the district court found, “[c]oncealment is simply one part of a continuous course of conduct, at any stage of which the requisite intent can be formed.” If Congress had intended the meaning the Tatoyans now urge, it would have made this intent clear—for example, by using the word “concealed” instead of “conceals” in the statute. Indeed, if the interpretation urged by the Tatoyans were correct, travelers first learning of the reporting requirement at the airport—as most people do via the airport placards and customs inspector warnings—could not be guilty of violating § 5332 because they would not have known about the reporting requirement at the time of initial concealment. Even more troubling, sophisticated smugglers could entirely evade the consequences of § 5332 by having one person pack the bags containing excessive currency and having another person ultimately transport—and fail to report—this currency. The former would have concealed the money without having the requisite intent, while the latter would have had the requisite intent, but would not have participated in the actual concealment, rendering neither guilty—under the Tatoyans’ theory— of bulk cash smuggling. Statutes should be read to avoid such absurd results. See Griffin v. Oceanic Contractors, Inc., 458 U.S. 564, 575 (1982).9 9 Even if the intent to evade the reporting requirements were required to arise at the time the money was first physically concealed, a rational jury would still have found the Tatoyans guilty, rendering any jury instruction error harmless. See Neder v. United States, 527 U.S. 1, 18 (1999). The Tatoyans had carefully hidden the exact amount of money they failed to report, while they had put the money they admitted to possessing in more ordinary locations. UNITED STATES v. TATOYAN 1135