Opinion ID: 590887
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 8

Heading: Aiding and Abetting Travel Act Violation

Text: 77 Dischner contends that the evidence is insufficient to show that he aided and abetted a violation of the Travel Act, 18 U.S.C. § 1952 (based on a violation of the commercial bribe receiving statute, Alaska Stat. § 11.46.660 (1990)). Count thirty-one involved Mathisen's travel from Alaska to Seattle in order to collect a $113,000 payment owing from one of Geoff Fowler's companies, Pacific Management & Engineering (PM & E). This payment was alleged to have been one of the ten percent kickbacks, the price for continuing business in the North Slope Borough. PM & E made the payment on a Friday, funneling it through McCool-McDonald Architects to Dischner's bank account on the following Monday. Dischner wrote a check to Mathisen for half of the payment that same day. 78 Given the evidence at trial concerning the ten percent payments, the relationship between Dischner and Mathisen, that the money was paid to Dischner, that Dischner paid Mathisen half the amount the same day, and that Dischner told Fowler that Mathisen appreciated the payment because he had to pay some taxes, the jury could properly find Dischner was a knowing participant in the travel to facilitate payment.