Opinion ID: 411647
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Record of other financial transactions

Text: 14 Among the charges of fraud against appellant was that he stole money from clients by taking checks from them made payable to him personally under the pretense that the funds would be applied to insurance premiums. The government introduced seven checks that appellant had received from a Mary Robertson and alleged that he had illegitimately cashed them and retained the money for his own use. Appellant attempted to introduce into evidence another check--drawn by a Gladys Robertson, payable to him and returned for insufficient funds--as well as a financial record of charges to his bank account resulting from that and perhaps other returned checks. These documents were offered to show a business relationship in which situations occurred entitling appellant to seek personal reimbursement from the Robertsons. 15 [T]he government is alleging there would be no reason for Joseph Martin to be taking personal checks from the Robertsons. I think we are entitled to produce evidence indicating the contrary. 16 The offered evidence was excluded as irrelevant because it did not relate directly to the checks that the government had alleged were part of a fraudulent scheme. 17 Arguing that that exclusion was error, appellant relies on United States v. Shavin, 287 F.2d 647 (7th Cir.1961). The defendant in that case, an attorney, was charged with mail fraud in forwarding claims to insurance companies with fraudulently increased doctors' bills. Defendant's attempt to introduce evidence that he had submitted many other claims to insurance companies with correct medical billings was rejected by the trial court as irrelevant. The Seventh Circuit reversed and ordered a new trial, finding the offered evidence relevant to rebut the government's proof of a scheme with intent to defraud. Id. at 654. 18 We find Shavin distinguishable from the case before us. Unlike the legitimate insurance claims offered by the defendant in Shavin, there was no indication here whether the bounced check and bank record offered were evidence of legitimate or illegitimate transactions between appellant and the Robertsons, nothing in the offer of proof to indicate whether the transactions were or were not part of a fraudulent scheme. In short, they were irrelevant as offered to the charges against appellant.