United States v. Harold T. BradleyUnited States v. Harold T. Bradley
Harold T. Bradley was found guilty after a jury trial before Judge Robert J. Ward in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York on one count of making false statements in connection with a loan application to a federally insured bank in violation of
We affirm Bradley’s conviction, and we find no error in Judge Duffy’s comments on the defendant's prior record and on the effect of his crimes; however, we remand to Judge Duffy for the entry of findings, or disclaimers of reliance, upon disputed items in the presentence report pursuant to
BACKGROUND
The facts proved at trial and largely undisputed on appeal may be briefly summarized.
On May 23, 1984, Bradley telephoned the office of Alfred Brittain, the Chairman of the Board of Directors of Bankers Trust Company (“Bankers Trust”), a federally insured bank in New York City, and spoke to Brittain’s secretary, Christine Powell. Bradley told her that he was relocating from the West Coast and wanted to open a personal account and obtain a loan for the purchase of real estate in New Jersey. In the course of the conversation, Bradley suggested to Powell that he was acquainted with John Brooks, a member of the board of directors of Bankers Trust. Powell reported Bradley’s telephone call to the Private Clients Lending Group, a unit of Bankers Trust which specializes in loans to high-income individuals.
As a result of that referral, Robert Davis, a vice president of Bankers Trust assigned to the Private Clients Lending Group, telephoned Bradley and arranged to meet with him on May 29, 1984. The meeting took place at a Park Avenue location which Bradley identified as his office. At that meeting Bradley informed Davis, as he had informed Powell, that he had just relocated from California and was seeking a loan for the purchase of real estate in New Jersey. Bradley also told Davis that he was currently living on a “family compound”, in New Jersey, but that he wished to buy his own home on the Jersey shore and would require a loan of $85,000 in order to do so. .
When questioned by Davis-about his financial status, Bradley stated that he had a net worth of at least $2 million, and that his brother would repay him a substantial amount of money in four to six months, thus enabling him to repay the Bankers Trust loan. In response to an inquiry from Davis about whether it had been Alfred Brittain who had recommended Bradley to Bankers Trust, Bradley replied in the af
At the close of the meeting, Bradley signed a demand note and account signature cards, and was given a blank financial statement with the request that he complete it and submit it to the bank. Instead of returning the financial statement, a day or two later Bradley submitted to Davis a balance sheet listing assets of $2,805,700 and liabilities of $34,430, for a total net worth of $2,771,270. On May 31, 1984, Davis approved the loan of $85,000, crediting that amount to the newly-opened Bankers Trust checking account in Bradley’s name.
This loan provided the only funds ever deposited in the checking account. Bradley wrote checks totalling $32,221.10 on the checking account — including $18,000 in checks made out to “cash” — over a period of several months before the bank closed the account. He made no repayments either before or after the issuance of the indictment on November 1, 1985.
At trial the Government presented evidence to show that Bradley had never met Alfred Brittain; that his only brother had never borrowed any money from him; that the office at which Bradley had met Davis had been occupied by Bradley two weeks earlier with no down payment of rent; that the only rental payments Bradley made in connection with that office were with two checks drawn on the Bankers Trust account in early June 1984; and that Bradley subsequently abandoned the office space, leaving behind accrued rental charges totaling $11,715.
In addition, evidence was presented that in April 1983, thirteen months before Bradley’s meeting with Davis, Bradley filed a petition in bankruptcy in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of New Jersey, in which he had stated that his liabilities exceeded his assets by more than $100,000, and that in May 1983 Bradley filed a supplemental bankruptcy document providing a twenty-four page list of judgments that had been entered against him and his wife. The Government also offered sworn testimony given by Bradley in the Bankruptcy Court on December 6, 1984, stating that as of October 1983, after not having worked for two years, he was starting from “ground zero” financially, and that for the next six or seven months — i.e., through at least April 1984 — he had had no income whatsoever. Immediately before resting, the Government offered a stipulation between the parties indicating that intent and knowledge were not at issue in the case.
At sentencing, counsel for Bradley challenged several assertions in the presentence report: that Bradley had been charged with two earlier offenses and convicted of one of them (counsel did not challenge a number of other convictions); that he had not graduated from college; that he had abused his son; and that he liked to dress up in women’s clothing.
DISCUSSION
I.
The Jury Instruction on
Title
The trial judge instructed the jury that the elements of the offense were (1) that the bank was federally insured; (2) that the defendant took and carried away money that had been in possession of the bank; and (3) that the defendant took the money intentionally, knowing that he was not entitled to it and with an intent to steal it. He also explained to the jury that the statutory phrase “steal and purloin” could include “obtaining money under false pretenses.” The parties had stipulated that the bank was federally insured and that the defendant had the requisite criminal intent, and the trial judge also instructed the jury
On appeal, Bradley argues for the first time that Judge Ward committed “a grave error of law” in failing to charge that he could be found guilty only if the bank
relied
on his false statements in turning over funds to him. Even if we assume for the argument that
The essence of criminal liability under
Even if one assumes for the argument that the absence of an objection or of a request to charge on the reliance element at trial did not constitute a waiver, Bradley’s substantive argument on the reliance issue is also without merit. Bradley assumes that in holding that
Our reading of
In sum, the jury was properly instructed in the three elements of the crime of bank larceny in violation of
II.
Applicability of
A.
Bradley next argues that
[Ajbsent evidence of congressional intent to repeal, when a new statute overlaps a portion of an older one, the two statutes should be permitted to coexist unless the two are mutually exclusive____
[T]he mere existence of a later enacted, specific statute does not implicitly repeal the overlapping portion of an earlier, general statute____
B.
Bradley contends that he cannot be convicted under both
where the same act or transaction constitutes a violation of two distinct statutory provisions, the test to be applied to determine whether there are two offenses or only one, is whether each provision requires proof of a fact which the other does not.
Blockburger v. United States,
“[T]he Court’s application of the test focuses on the statutory elements of the offense. If each requires proof of a fact that the other does not, the Blockburger test is satisfied, notwithstanding a substantial overlap in the proof offered to . establish the crimes.”
Albernaz v. United States,
Applying the
Blockburger
test to the case at bar, it is clear that each of the two statutes at issue “requires proof of a fact which the other does not.” For example,
III.
Sentencing
Bradley argues that the judge’s comments at sentencing reveal that the máxi
A.
The claim that the sentencing judge’s comments reveal that he improperly evaluated Bradley’s prior record and the effect of Bradley’s crimes on his victims is without merit. It is beyond doubt, as appellant concedes, that the presentence report may include, and a sentencing judge may consider, a wide range of information concerning a defendant at sentencing, including “any prior criminal record.”
B.
The final issue raised by Bradley concerns the sentencing judge’s response at sentencing to allegations by Bradley’s
In the particular circumstances presented here, the alleged inaccuracies in the presentence report are virtually
de minim-is,
and the particular lapse of the sentencing judge in failing to make findings or to disclaim reliance upon disputed items in the presentence report is a matter of little apparent consequence; however, a decision of this court issued one week
after
the sentencing in this case,
United States v. Ursillo,
While we hold that the failure of the district judge to comply with the literal requirements of
CONCLUSION
The court having considered each of Bradley’s six arguments, and having found all but one to be unavailing, the judgment is affirmed and the case is remanded for
Notes
. This case was originally assigned to Judge Duffy, but was transferred to Judge Ward for trial because of calendar concerns.
. Bradley was represented by different counsel at trial and on appeal. After Bradley’s trial counsel was allowed to withdraw, Ms. Dembitz was appointed counsel for this appeal pursuant to the Criminal Justice Act. After Ms. Dembitz’s brief was filed, Mr. Bradley sought to delay consideration of the appeal on the grounds that he desired to retain private counsel. Private counsel not having been retained, we proceeded to hear the appeal which was argued by Ms. Dembitz. After the appeal was heard, Mr. Bradley again indicated his dissatisfaction with his representation and we granted permission to him to file a brief, either pro se or through counsel, on or before September 30, 1986. No brief was filed by that date, and Mr. Bradley again sought to delay a decision by requesting more time for health reasons. He stated that he would submit a brief "as soon as possible.” As of the present date, no brief has been filed. We have independently reviewed the record and determined that Mr. Bradley was well represented on appeal and that no meritorious issue was overlooked. We see no reason to delay a decision any further.
. The government proceeded on the theory that Bradley took and carried away money within the meaning of
. Bradley’s reliance upon
Bell
for the arguments that
. Title
Whoever knowingly makes any false statement or report, or willfully overvalues any land, property or security, for the purpose of influencing in any way the action of ... any bank the deposits of which are insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation ... upon any ... loan ... shall be fined not more than $5,000 or imprisoned not more than two years, or both.
. The Double Jeopardy Clause of the Fifth Amendment provides that
[no person shall] be subject for the same offence to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb[.]
.
If the comments of the defendant and his counsel or testimony or other information introduced by them allege any factual inaccuracy in the presentence investigation report or the summary of the report or part thereof, the court shall, as to each matter controverted, make (i) a finding as to the allegation, or (ii) a determination that no such finding is necessary because the matter controverted will not be taken into account in sentencing. A written record of such findings and determinations shall be appended to and accompany any copy of the presentence investigation report thereafter made available to the Bureau of Prisons or the Parole Commission.
. Bradley’s appeal brief only requests resentencing; however, at oral argument, Bradley’s counsel argued that in the event of a remand for resentencing, the matter should be assigned to a different judge.
. In light of our rejection of Bradley’s claim that he must be resentenced, it follows a fortiori that he cannot be resentenced before another judge. However, because we have left open the possibility that formal resentencing may ultimately take place, we take this opportunity to note that any resentencing need not be conducted by a different judge.
As a general rule, even when a sentencing judge has been shown to have held erroneous views or made incorrect findings — which is not the case here — resentencing before a different judge is required only in the rare instance in which the judge’s fairness or the appearance of the judge’s fairness is seriously in doubt.
United States v. Robin,
. On remand, a determination by the sentencing judge that the disputed items were or were not taken into account in determining the defendant’s sentence should be recorded in a memorandum provided to all counsel of record and ordered attached to all copies of the defendant’s presentence investigation report, as required by