Commonwealth v. Bovaird
Commonwealth v. Bovaird
Opinion of the Court
Opinion by
Defendant was convicted and sentenced on six indictments, four charging fraudulent conversion and two embezzlement. The charges of fraudulent conversion were brought under §834 of The Penal Code of 1939, 18 PS §4834, and those of embezzlement under §824 of the Code, 18 PS §4824.
At the close of the testimony defendant moved for a directed verdict for the reason that the Commonwealth had not made out a prima facie case; that the indictments for fraudulent conversion were “repugnant” with those for embezzlement; and that the Commonwealth had not charged nor proved a crime as set forth in the sections of The Penal Code under which the indictments were drawn. The motion was overruled, and after the jury had found defendant guilty as indicted the same questions were raised in motions in arrest of judgment and for a new trial. They were likewise overruled and this appeal followed.
On July 27, 1934, an agreement, headed with the notation “Cotenancy Agreement”, was entered into by defendant and his then wife, Margaret C. Bovaird, and John J. Carter and his wife, Beth M. Carter (now Beth M. Putnam), the prosecutrix. The agreement was drawn up by attorney John K. Bovaird, a brother of defendant. It recited in part that the parties had formed a “cotenancy” to be known as Carter & Company (hereinafter referred to as the Company) for the purpose of acquiring and operating for petroleum and natural gas certain properties or tracts of land in Mc-Kean County, Pa. The proportionate share of each of said “cotenants” was a one-fourth Interest. Defendant, who described himself as a “better than avérage operator,” in testifying as to what “led up” to the forma
The agreement provided further that Bovaird would “in all respects . . . manage, control and operate said property with as full and ample authority and unrestricted power as if he were the sole owner thereof . . . and for this service” he was to “be paid the sum of two hundred dollars monthly [later increased to $250].” Carter was “entitled, at any time he . . . [might] so desire, to work for Carter & Company” and he did so work later on “at the stipulated sum of two hundred dollars per month [likewise increased to $250], under the direction of the Agent, the aforementioned George Bovaird, Jr.”
As “Agent” Bovaird was to receive and “deposit ... to a special company account, all moneys . . . realized from oil sales . . ., and to issue checks thereon.” The defendant collected the oil runs and was billed for the production costs.
The indictments at Nos. 17, 18, 19 and 29 each relate to a separate transaction, but in substance they are the same. They charged that defendant being “an agent of Carter and Company and as such agent being entrusted for the safe custody of the monies, accounts and properties of said Carter and Company, did . . . fraudulently, unlawfully and feloniously withhold, convert and appropriate to his own use” a certain sum of money “being the funds of Carter and Company, by drawing a check of Carter and Company ... on the account of said company in the Citizens National Bank of Bradford payable to . . . [himself], and thereafter . . . using the proceeds of said check for his own use and benefit.”
Section 834 of the Code (18 PS §4834) provides in part that: “Whoever, having received or having possession, in any capacity or by any means or manner, of any money or property, of any kind whatsoever, of or belonging to any other person, or which any other person is entitled to receive and have, fraudulently withholds, converts, or applies the same, or any part thereof, oí the proceeds or any part of the proceeds,
In Commonwealth v. Gartman, 83 Pa. Superior Ct. 108, 111, this Court said: “It was the evident intention of the legislature in the adoption of the Act of 1917 to provide for cases not specifically included in any of the previous legislation on the subject of embezzlement.” In Pearl Assurance Co. v. National Insurance Agency, Inc., 151 Pa. Superior Ct. 146, 152, 30 A. 2d 333, 336, the Court said: “It [Act of May 18, 1917, P. L. 241] was designed to cover those border line cases between embezzlement and larceny by bailee, where the faithless agent or custodian sometimes escaped his just deserts on the ground that his actions were only a breach of trust for which he was not responsible by criminal prosecution, or even by civil action except in assumpsit.”
As stated in the opinion of the lower court, “The language of this statute is quite sweeping. ‘In any capacity or by any means or manner/ may be taken to indicate that the section is intended to be quite inclusive.” In Commonwealth v. Schuster, 158 Pa. Superior Ct. 164, 167, 44 A. 2d 303, 305, we said: “The prosecution is properly brought against one who has received property in any capacity and afterwards fraudulently misapplies it, even though an indictment for a different statutory offense would have been proper under the circumstances.” (Emphasis added.) And in Commonwealth v. Cavanaugh, 159 Pa. Superior Ct. 113, 116, 46 A. 2d 579, 581, we said: “Under the Penal Code (Act of June 24, 1939, P. L. 872, §834, 18 PS 4834) proof of receiving money or property In any capacity or by any means or manner’ will support the charge [of fraudulent conversion], if fraudulently withheld from
The indictments at Nos. 31 and 33 charged that defendant “being ... an agent of Carter and Company and as such agent being entrusted for safe custody of the money, accounts and properties belonging to Carter and Company, of which Beth M. Putnam was entitled to have a one-half share of interest. . ., did unlawfully, fraudulently and feloniously take, convert and apply to his own use” a certain sum of money, “said money being the property of Carter and Company.”
Section 824 of the Code (18 PS §4824) provides in part that: “Whoever, being a banker, broker, attorney, merchant or agent, and being intrusted, for safe custody, with the property of any other person, and, with intent to defraud, sells, negotiates, transfers, pledges, or in any manner converts or appropriates to or for his own use or the use of any other person, such property, or any part thereof, is guilty of embezzlement, a felony . . .” The section is a substantial re-enactment of §114 of the Act of March 31, 1860, P. L. 382 (18 PS §2481).
Appellant is right in his contention that under certain circumstances, depending upon the relationship between the parties, it is necessary in charging the crime of embezzlement under this section that the nature of the relationship between the parties be specifically set forth. But that would have no application under the circumstancés of this case. The cotenancy agreement clearly sets forth the relationship between
In answer to appellant’s contention that the indictments for fraudulent conversion were “repugnant” with those for embezzlement, it is sufficient to point out that each indictment relates to a separate and distinct transaction and, furthermore, that §834 specifically provides that “The offense specified in this section may be joined in the same bill of indictment with any other felony or misdemeanor arising out of the same transaction, and there may be included in the same indictment as many counts as there are separate and distinct misdemeanors hereunder committed against the same person.” Since each of the offenses could have been covered in a single indictment containing two counts, one charging a violation of §824 and the other a violation of §834, the indictments were not “repugnant” nor was defendant prejudiced in any way by having the charges laid in separate indictments.
Paragraph 5 of the agreement provides in substance that, upon complete payment of all obligations of the Company incurred in the course of operating the said properties and “reimbursement of initial installment and other advances by the aforesaid cotenants,” Bovaird should thereafter remit to the several cotenants their proportionate shares of the net profits of said business and. at any and all times exhibit to the several
Since the reasons assigned in support of defendant’s motion for a new trial are - substantially the reasons adyanced.in the motion in arrest of judgment,.we. will
One important question, however, still remains to be disposed of. Robert B. Apple, a member of the Bar of McKean County, had in 1948 caused a judgment to be confessed against appellant and in favor of Mrs. Putnam which included an attorney’s commission of $1,500. Apple was appointed a deputy district attorney September 30, 1950, due to the illness of the regularly elected district attorney. As a deputy district attorney he appeared before the grand jury which returned the indictments on which defendant was tried. In support of his motion to quash the indictments, defendant .argued that “There was no necessity for the appointment of an assistant district attorney or deputy district attorney as a special prosecutor in this case.” We agree that there was no necessity for the appointment of a special prosecutor; but we do not agree that there was no necessity for the appointment of a deputy distinct attorney. On petition of the district attorney, stating that as a result of a serious illness he was unable to discharge the duties of his office, the court appointed Apple as a deputy district attorney “to represent the Commonwealth before the grand and petit juries, during the October Sessions, 1950, . . . said appointment to expire with the October term of court.” The appointment was strictly in accordance with the provision of article III, §260 of the Act of May 2, 1929, P. L. 1278, 16 PS §260, which provides: “In any case where there is no regularly appointed assistant district attorney, if in case of sickness or from any other cause the district attorney shall be unable to attend to the duties and business of the term of a court, he may appoint some competent attorney of the county, with the approbation of the court, to act as his deputy for one term, but for no longer period.” Since the appointment was in strict compliance with the statute, it is not nec
As to the charge that Apple was incompetent to serve as a deputy district attorney because the confession of judgment at No. 214 October Term, 1946, in the Court of Common Pleas of McKean County, included an attorney’s commission of $1,500, suffice it that “This commission does not belong to the attorney, but to the creditor.” Commonwealth v. Pennsylvania Loan Corporation, 127 Pa. Superior Ct. 253, 256, 193 A. 141, 143.
The judgments are affirmed, and it is ordered that the defendant appear in the court below at such time as he may be there called, and that he be by that court committed until he has complied with his sentence or any part of it which had not been performed at the time the appeal in this case was made a supersedeas.
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