Court Opinion

ID: 9467945
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-05 02:00:31.611382+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T17:40:36.495164
License: Public Domain

VANCE, Circuit Judge,
dissenting:
Through use of a stolen check with an altered endorsement, Bell succeeded in inducing a federally insured savings and loan *285association to part with possession of ten thousand dollars that did not belong to him. This court in Thaggard v. United States, 354 F.2d 735 (5th Cir. 1965), cert. denied, 383 U.S. 958, 86 S.Ct. 1222, 16 L.Ed.2d 301 (1966), upheld a conviction under 18 U.S.C. § 2113(b) of a defendant who withdrew money that he knew his bank had mistakenly credited to his account. I am of the opinion that Thaggard is controlling. In Thaggard, we expressly rejected the view of the fourth circuit in United States v. Rogers, 289 F.2d 433, 437 (4th Cir. 1961), and held that section 2113(b) is not to be so narrowly construed that its applicability is limited only to larceny as that crime was known to the common law. The second and seventh circuits also have adopted this view. United States v. Fistel, 460 F.2d 157, 162 (2d Cir. 1972); United States v. Guiffre, 576 F.2d 126 (7th Cir.), cert. denied, 439 U.S. 833, 99 S.Ct. 113, 58 L.Ed.2d 128 (1978). These decisions rely on the Supreme Court’s interpretation of the word “stolen” in United States v. Turley, 352 U.S. 407, 77 S.Ct. 397, 1 L.Ed.2d 430 (1957) as a basis for broadly interpreting section 2113(b) to apply to felonious takings with intent to deprive the owner of rights and benefits of ownership. In Guiffre the seventh circuit upheld the conviction under section 2113(b) of a defendant who deposited stolen checks with forged endorsements into three separate accounts and later withdrew the money. Although the court did not discuss the requisite intent required for a conviction when a defendant deposits a stolen check with an alteration and later withdraws the money, it affirmed the conviction of a defendant charged by the indictment with “taking and carrying away with the intent to steal.” The court did not require testimony concerning the law of negotiable instruments.
The evidence here provided sufficient basis for the jury’s conclusion that Bell violated section 2113(b). To my mind Bell’s actions in establishing an account with a nonexistent home address and incorrect date of birth and social security number provide ample evidence of specific intent. Appellate review of the sufficiency of the evidence to support appellant’s conviction requires that the evidence be viewed in the light most favorable to the government. Glasser v. United States, 315 U.S. 60, 62 S.Ct. 457, 86 L.Ed. 680 (1942); United States v. Black, 497 F.2d 1039 (5th Cir. 1974). This court has ruled that “[a]ll reasonable inferences and credibility choices as will support the jury’s verdict of guilty must be made.” Id. at 1401. When measured against this standard, the evidence before us requires that Bell’s conviction be affirmed.