Opinion ID: 552757
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: The Sufficiency of the Evidence on the False Personation Counts

Text: 24 Appellant challenges, finally, the sufficiency of the evidence supporting her conviction on the three charges of false personation, alleging that she never held herself out as an officer or employee of the federal government as required by 18 U.S.C. Sec. 912. We reject this claim as well. 25 The government's evidence, again uncontradicted by appellant, clearly showed that appellant represented herself in personal conversation, on her letterhead, and in correspondence and other documents as a Special Consultant to the United States Department of the Treasury in connection with the U.S. Recycle Program, a business appellant claimed to be running on behalf of, or in conjunction with, the Treasury Department. The evidence also indicated that the Treasury Department had never retained appellant in any capacity, nor had it authorized or had any dealings with the U.S. Recycle Program. Appellant's representations caused Charles Waggoner, Harold Gardner, and Leo Hansen--the three persons specifically mentioned in the false personation charges against appellant--to conclude that appellant was acting on behalf of and under the authority of the Treasury Department. 26 Specifically, appellant represented to Hansen that the U.S. Recycle Program was a top secret program created by the Treasury Department that was authorized to receive funds on behalf of the Treasury Department and to issue special Treasury Bonds. She represented to Gardner that the U.S. Recycle Program was a top secret program approved by the Treasury Department with authority to sell government commodities, with the proceeds going to the government. Finally, she represented to Waggoner that the U.S. Recycle Program was set up to sell natural gas owned by the United States Government. Appellant also corresponded with these individuals using letterhead bearing an embossed seal and stating that she was a Special Consultant to the Treasury Department. 27 The false personation statute, 18 U.S.C. Sec. 912, makes it a crime to falsely assume[ ] or pretend[ ] to be an officer or employee acting under the authority of the United States or any department, agency or officer thereof[ ] and act[ ] as such.... 10 Under 18 U.S.C. Sec. 6, agency is defined as any department, independent establishment, commission, administration, authority, board or bureau of the United States or any corporation in which the United States has a proprietary interest ... (emphasis added). Even if the evidence was insufficient to establish that appellant claimed to be directly employed by the United States, we believe that, viewing the evidence in the light most favorable to the government, there was ample evidence establishing that, in her representations concerning the U.S. Recycle Program, appellant held herself out as an officer or employee of an independent establishment, authority, or proprietary corporation of the United States. 11 28 Appellant also asserts that the government was required to, but did not, plead and prove that she had an intent to defraud while falsely impersonating an officer or employee of the government. This circuit, however, clearly holds that intent to defraud does not have to be pleaded and proved under Sec. 912. See United States v. Rosser, 528 F.2d 652 (D.C.Cir.1976). 12 III. CONCLUSION 29 We conclude that the search warrant used to search appellant's apartment was overbroad, but that suppression of the evidence seized is not required because the executing officers relied on the warrant's validity in objectively reasonable good faith. We reject appellant's arguments alleging that the evidence was insufficient to sustain her convictions on any of the counts charged against her. Appellant's convictions are therefore 30 Affirmed.