Opinion ID: 2317934
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 11

Heading: Fourteenth Exception.

Text: The respondent excepted to the denial of his motion in arrest of judgment on the ground that the indictment failed to set forth the crime of conspiracy. The alleged deficiency in the indictment may properly be raised by such a motion. State v. Beattie, 1930, 129 Me. 229, 151 A. 427. The argument of the respondent is that a preliminary combination, or agreement, aimed at the giving and receiving of a bribe made by only the prospective givers and the prospective taker of the bribe, cannot amount to a criminal conspiracy, since the ultimate acts of giving and receiving a bribe themselves involve concert of action, agreement and combination. The effect of a verdict in favor of Zahn was to remove him from the case. With Zahn stricken from the indictment, that is from those parts in which he allegedly is an actor, there is left a sufficient charge of conspiracy against Sahagian and the respondent. Prospective givers alone are thus charged with a conspiracy. The prospective taker has been eliminated. Where the indictment contains surplusage as shown by the verdict, the offending words may be stricken and the motion denied if the remainder charges a crime. State v. Chartrand, 1894, 86 Me. 547, 30 A. 10. Where concurrence between giver and taker is required to establish the substantive crime of bribery, it is argued that it is improper to deal with that same substantive offense under the guise of conspiracy. But whatever may be the rule in other jurisdictions, in this state and under our statute (supra), concurrence is not required to establish a substantive crime of bribery. State v. Vallee, 1940, 136 Me. 432, 12 A.2d 421. And where the concurrence and agreement, essential to conspiracy but not to bribery, are shown to exist between prospective givers, the crime is properly charged as conspiracy. The exception is overruled.