Opinion ID: 550323
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Equity Skimming and Mail Fraud

Text: 20 The indictment also charged Thorn with mail fraud, equity skimming, and aiding and abetting mail fraud and equity skimming. The jury found Thorn guilty of six counts of aiding and abetting mail fraud and one count of aiding and abetting equity skimming. Thorn challenges his conviction on all seven counts, again alleging that the evidence is insufficient to support the jury's verdict. 21 Thorn was charged with substantive counts of aiding and abetting the substantive offenses. Aiding and abetting the commission of the offense is treated exactly the same under the statutory wording as the actual commission of the offense. To prove aiding and abetting, 18 U.S.C. Sec. 2 required the government to show that Thorn (1) associated with a criminal venture, (2) participated in the venture, and (3) sought by his action to make the venture succeed. United States v. Medina, 887 F.2d 528, 532 (5th Cir.1989). The government had to establish that Thorn willfully participated in the criminal venture by engaging in some affirmative conduct designed to aid the scheme. United States v. Ortiz-Loya, 777 F.2d 973, 981 (5th Cir.1985). 22 We find the evidence sufficient to support the jury verdict on all counts. Thorn associated with the criminal venture when he agreed to act as realtor for Jamison, a party he knew did not have the resources to purchase the 17 properties. He facilitated the purchase of these properties knowing that the rental proceeds would not be sufficient to service the mortgages, and that Jamison could not finance the difference. He participated in the venture and sought to make it succeed by misrepresenting Jamison's credentials to various sellers and realtors. The jury could infer the requisite intent to defraud the government from this evidence and find Thorn guilty of aiding and abetting equity skimming. 23 The mail fraud charge stems from the requirement in some of the leases that the rental payments be sent by mail to Jamison. The government offered evidence to show that renters made six rent payments by mail. Because he knew or reasonably could foresee that some of the rental payments would be made by mail, Thorn possessed the requisite criminal intent to subject himself to liability for aiding and abetting mail fraud. See Pereira v. United States, 347 U.S. 1, 8-9, 74 S.Ct. 358, 363, 98 L.Ed. 435 (1954). 24