Court Opinion

ID: 9453834
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-04 18:25:33.197033+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T17:33:49.661644
License: Public Domain

ORDER DENYING PETITION FOR REHEARING
PER CURIAM:
Following the rendition of this Court’s opinion on September 22, 1967, the appel-lee, United States of America, filed its petition for rehearing, in this cause as it pertains to Count Two of the indictment. The conviction of the appellant under Count Two of the indictment was reversed in this Court’s opinion (see page 540 F.2d).
The theory of the petition for rehearing is based on Pinkerton v. United States, 328 U.S. 640, 66 S.Ct. 1180, 90 L.Ed. 1489 (1946), to the effect that a party to a conspiracy is liable as a principal for substantive offenses committed in furtherance of the conspiracy while such party is a member of the conspiracy. This Court applied the Pinkerton principle in its opinion in Gradsky v. United States (5 Cir., 1967), 376 F.2d 993.
The Supreme Court stated in Pinkerton, 328 U.S. 640, at 647, 66 S.Ct. 1180, at 1184:
“ * * * so long as the partnership in crime continues, the partners act for each other in carrying it forward. * * * The governing principle is the same when the substantive offense is committed by one of the conspirators in furtherance of the unlawful project. Johnson v. United States, 9 Cir., 62 F.2d 32, 34. The criminal intent to do the act is established by the formation of the conspiracy. Each conspirator instigated the commission of the crime. The unlawful agreement contemplated precisely what was done. It was formed for the purpose. The act done was in execution of the enterprise. The rule which holds responsible one who counsels, procures, or commands another to commit a crime is founded on the same principle. That principle is recognized in the law of conspiracy when the overt act of one partner in crime is attributable to all. An overt act is an essential ingredient of the crime of conspiracy under § 37 of the Criminal Code, 18 U.S.C.A. § 88 [7 F.C.A. title 18, § 88]. If that can be supplied by the act of one conspirator, we fail to see why the same or other acts in furtherance of the conspiracy are likewise not attributable to the others for the purpose of holding them responsible for the substantive offense.”
The Pinkerton case was not called to the attention of the trial court and no instructions based on it were given to the jury. It was not relied upon by the government in its original brief in this case.
It should be emphasized that our original opinion sustained the sufficiency of the evidence to support conviction as to Count One only upon the following theory (page 540 F.2d):
“Based on the lengthy recital of the evidence in the introductory portion of this opinion, we are of the view that the jury was warranted in returning a verdict of guilty as to Count One. True, the main government witness, Tehoy testified that he did not know he was robbing a bank, but we think the jury was entitled to conclude that both defendants on trial, Granville and appellant, planned and knew what was taking place and that Tehoy was their dupe. This, with proof of one or more of the overt acts left in the indictment, *542(and there was competent proof as to each of overt acts 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5) was sufficient. The conviction under Count One is affirmed.”
This was tantamount to saying that the jury (in the light of Tehoy’s unequivocal testimony that he had no knowledge of any conspiracy) had no evidence before it upon which to reach a conclusion that Tehoy was a member of the conspiracy. It follows that in entering the bank and presenting the holdup note he was not acting in furtherance of the conspiracy. The conviction of Miss Thomas therefore may not be permitted to stand on the basis of her membership in the conspiracy and action by Tehoy as a member of and in furtherance of the conspiracy. Pinkerton, supra, is inapplicable to the case before us in the light of the peculiar factual situation here present.
Assuming nevertheless that Pinkerton would be applicable, the conviction under Count Two would still have to be set aside for the reason that the theory of Pinkerton was not submitted to the jury by the court’s instructions. See Nye & Nissen v. United States, 336 U.S. 613, 618, 69 S.Ct. 766, 769, 93 L.Ed. 919 (1949) where the Court referred to Pinkerton as holding:
“that a conspirator could be held guilty of the substantive offense even though he did no more than join the conspiracy, provided that the substantive offense was committed in furtherance of the conspiracy and as a part of it. A verdict on that theory requires submission of those fact issues to the jury. That was not done here. Hence Mon-charsh argues that he is entitled to a new trial.” (Emphasis supplied)
The court avoided granting a new trial in Nye & Nissen for failure to charge on the principles laid down in Pinkerton because there the jury was given an aider and abettor charge, and the court was of the view that there was ample evidence to support conviction under the aider and abettor charge. But here, as we stated at page 540 F.2d, no aiding and abetting of Tehoy by Miss Thomas took place. We said:
“No more than mere presence plus guilty knowledge on the part of appellant is shown as to the actual bank robbery. No active participation therein or even encouragement thereof on her part is shown by the testimony of any witness.”
It is thus clear that our original holding that the conviction under Count Two should be set aside must also stand upon this alternative theory.
The petition for rehearing is ordered denied.