Opinion ID: 2172607
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 11

Heading: The alleged variance.

Text: As his fifth issue under the embezzlement conviction, the appellant contends that there is a fatal variance between the allegations of the second count of the indictment and the proof. This second count alleges embezzlement of United States Currency, the property of the said Commissioners of Leonardtown. There was evidence that the appellant, from time to time, received checks on account of the Town for taxes, water rents, etc., that these checks were restrictively endorsed for deposit only to the account of the Town and listed on a deposit slip for deposit in the Town's accounts. On the deposit slip the appellant designated the total amount of the checks with the notation less cash and upon presenting the deposit to the bank received, in cash the amount so designated by him. Only the difference between the total amount of the checks and the cash received by him was credited to the Town's accounts. There was testimony that in some instances, the appellant asked a teller receiving deposits in this fashion to give him larger bills and said he was going to put them in the other bank. In fact, no deposits were made in the Town's other account. The appellant urges that the banks were obligated to credit the full amount represented by the checks to the accounts in the name of the town because of the restrictive endorsement of them for deposit only and that since this was not done, the cash given the appellant without authority was not the Town's money but the bank's money, the banks being liable to the Town for the full amount of the checks when they were collected. This argument is predicated upon the Code, Art. 11, Sec. 121 in effect at the time of these transactions providing that an endorsement of an item by a depositor for deposit was deemed a restrictive endorsement and indicated that the endorsee bank was an agent for collection and not the owner of them. The Court of Special Appeals considered and rejected this argument and we agree with its decision and the reasons therefor. We point out further that there is no specific requirement in Sec. 129 of Art. 27 that ownership of the money embezzled be either alleged or proved, the statute only requiring that the money, shall be delivered to or received, or taken into possession by him for or in the name or on account of his    employer. It was judicially determined that the ownership of such money must be alleged in the indictment in State v. Tracey, 73 Md. 447, 21 A. 366, because the statute makes its violation larceny and the common law crime of larceny required an allegation of ownership of the stolen property. The Court of Special Appeals quite rightly pointed out that in indictments for larceny an allegation of the ownership of stolen goods may be supported by proof of any legal interest or special property in the goods, Richardson v. State, 221 Md. 85, 156 A.2d 436, and we feel that no more stringent requirement with respect to embezzlement should be applied than to a claim of variance with respect to a charge of larceny. Moreover, we point out that, even accepting the contention of the appellant that the money in the cash drawer of the teller, before delivery to the appellant, belonged to the bank, it is clear that this teller when such money was delivered by him to the appellant intended to pass title thereto to the Town. It can hardly be contended that this teller intended to deliver this cash for appellant's personal use. A secret intent on the part of the appellant to appropriate this money to his own use can hardly be used by the appellant as an argument to defeat a charge of embezzlement of the Town's money. Compare Territory v. Hale, 13 N.M. 181, 81 Pac. 583, 13 Ann. Cas. 551, a case dealing with embezzlement under the New Mexico statute. It is not in point on the facts but does deal with the ownership of monies improperly drawn from the general account of a county. It was there stated at page 190 as follows: But when a check is drawn there is a segregation of that much money from the general funds of the bank which becomes the property of the depositor. This may be placed to the credit of the payee of the check, or it may be handed him in money, or otherwise disposed of as the parties may elect. But for a space of time, however, the money of the depositor is being dealt with    . (Emphasis supplied) So, also, here when the teller pursuant to the less cash deposit slip, segregated funds belonging to the banks and delivered such funds to the appellant, title thereto was in the Town of Leonardtown for a period of time however short. Cf., also, State v. Lockie, 43 Idaho 580, 253 Pac. 618. Reliance upon the intricacies of civil liability as between the Town of Leonardtown and the banks has little relevance to the criminal charge here involved and the question of guilt or innocence is not dependent upon the many issues that can be raised in connection with the deposit of commercial paper, title thereto and the right to charge back credit given. For a discussion of these many issues that we find not relevant to a criminal trial for embezzlement see 10 Am.Jur.2d, Banks, para. 402-413 inclusive. Civil liability as between the Town and the banks is an issue completely collateral to the criminal charge of embezzlement. We hold, therefore, as did the Court of Special Appeals, that there was sufficient evidence for the jury to find that the Town was the owner or had a legal interest or special property in the money and that therefore there was no fatal variance between the allegata and the probata.