Opinion ID: 236617
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Second and Third Counts.

Text: 19 We need not take long to discuss the second and third counts brought against the defendant. These were for his alleged failure to file address cards in 1951 and 1952 as required by the law in effect for those years. 54 Stat. 673, 1940, as amended, 64 Stat. 1012, 1950, 8 U.S.C. § 456, Supp. V, 1952. 20 The government's sole proof in this case consisted of an affidavit from the official in charge of these alien address cards that the defendant's cards for the years in question could not be found in the official files. 2 The affidavit is not a shining example of perfect English. It says that the acting chief, records administration branch, has caused examination to be made of his records and 'that there does not appear therein any record of the filing of an annual Address Report card by Morris Ginn alias Michael Gates   .' Why he did not say that he found no card for Ginn in his files we do not know. But we will treat the affidavit as though that is what he said. The defendant gave rather elaborate testimony about filling out cards and leaving them at United States Post Offices. His evidence was corroborated in part by his wife. Of course, after verdict by a jury we cannot rely upon this. 21 Regardless of the defendant's explanation, however, there is no case for the government upon which a verdict can stand. The method prescribed for collecting these address cards is not one where their presence or absence from a file two or three years after the cards were supposed to be filled out and given to government officials proves must of anything. The turning in of such a card to a clerk at a post office window, 3 its assembly, with other cards of a similar nature, the packaging and forwarding to Washington, the arrangement of a card in a file, possible withdrawal for purposes of consultation by some government employee of cards in particular file drawers-- all provide too many chances of error, loss or misplacement to prove a criminal case by the simple absence of the cards from a file. We might add that it was not even proved that the cards were not in the file. The most the affidavit says is that the custodian looked and did not find them. 22 The district court devotes considerable time to a thoughtful analysis of the decisions in this Circuit which say, at any rate, that in a circumstantial evidence case proof must leave no reasonable basis for any verdict except that of guilty. United States v. Laffman, 3 Cir., 1945, 152 F.2d 393; United States v. Tatcher, 3 Cir., 1942, 131 F.2d 1002; United States v. Russo, 3 Cir., 1941, 123 F.2d 420; Paul v. United States, 3 Cir., 1935, 79 F.2d 561; Yusem v. United States, 3 Cir., 1925, 8 F.2d 6. The judge seems not quite sure that the language used in some of our former opinions is to be literally applied. 23 In this case we do not need to re-analyze those opinions to see whether there is anything inconsistent between them and the recent comment by the Supreme Court upon circumstantial evidence in tax cases. Holland v. United States, 1954, 348 U.S. 121, 75 S.Ct. 127. 4 The basis for our conclusion here and the reversal of the judgment of the district court is that the proof is insufficient to let a jury find beyond a reasonable doubt that this man did not file his address cards as required. If the result is that the government is embarrassed by having to prove a negative in this type of case the matter can easily be adjusted by legislation. 24 The judgment of conviction on these two counts will be reversed on the simple ground that the proof does not establish the commission of a crime. 25 The judgment of the district court will be reversed and the case remanded with the direction to enter judgment of acquittal on counts one, two and three.