The instant matter involves defendant’s habeas corpus motion in which he argues that the evidence presented at the preliminary hearing is insufficient to establish a prima facie case on the charges filed against him. The defendant is charged with theft by deception and receiving stolen property. The evidence produced at the preliminary hearing established that on February 10, 1994, he cashed a cashier’s check at the Union Bank in the amount of $5,110.42, on which there was a garnishment order. The defendant argues that the cashier’s check was drawn
The parties have agreed that the court may resolve the issues raised in the defendant’s motion by reference to the transcript of testimony given at the preliminary hearing and consideration of the briefs of the parties.
A review of the record of the preliminary hearing reveals that the Commonwealth did produce evidence to the effect that the defendant’s funds were the subject of garnishment at the time defendant cashed the check. (Transcript of preliminary hearing, 6/29/94 pp. 9, 10.) Furthermore, the Commonwealth presented evidence establishing that the defendant was aware of the fact that the check represented monies that were subject of the garnishment as he admitted that fact to bank officials the day after the check had been cashed when they went to visit the defendant to request that he return the money. (Transcript, 6/29/94 p. 12.) The evidence further established that defendant is in the coal business and had been required to pledge certain certificates of deposit that he owned to the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Resources as security for certain actions required of him by law in connection with his coal mining business. The Department of Environmental Resources had released its claim to the funds, after which defendant withdrew the funds from the bank by cashing seven separate cashier’s checks made payable to him. The check that he cashed on February
The Commonwealth must present evidence at the preliminary hearing with regard to each of the material elements of the charges against the defendant and establish sufficient probable cause to warrant the belief that the accused committed the offense charged. Commonwealth v. Harvin, 346 Pa. Super. 575, 500 A.2d 98 (1985). Although the Commonwealth need not produce evidence of such character or quantum of proof as to require a finding of the accused’s guilt beyond a reasonable doubt, the evidence must be such that if presented at trial, and if accepted as true, a judge would be warranted in allowing the case to go to the jury. Commonwealth ex rel. Scolio v. Hess, 149 Pa. Super. 371, 27 A.2d 705 (1942).
Theft by deception is defined in section 3922 of the Crimes Code which provides: “[a] person is guilty of theft if he intentionally obtains or withholds property of another by deception. A person deceives if he intentionally: (1) creates or reinforces a false impression . . . ; (2) prevents another from acquiring information which would affect his judgment of a transaction; or (3) fails to correct a false impression which the deceiver previously created or reinforced ... . ” 18 Pa.C.S. §3922.
Defendant argues that there was insufficient evidence produced at the preliminary hearing to prove that he committed any act of “deception.” He argues that he did not present any forged instrument nor did he say anything which was deceptive or false. However, it
The defendant also argues that the monies he obtained from the Union Bank were his own and that, therefore, he did not obtain “the property of another.” However, “[i]t is beyond cavil in Pennsylvania that [mjoney deposited in a bank ceases to be the money of the depositor and becomes the money of the banking institution in which deposited. It is the business of a bank to receive money on deposit and use it as its own, being accountable as debtor to the depositor for the money so deposited which may be subject to check or draft or payment upon notice or demand as the parties may agree. . . . [T]he relation of a bank to its depositors
The David court went on to state that money deposited in a bank becomes a part of the general fond of the bank and comprises “the property of the bank in the sense that the bank may use it as its own” subject to the bank’s obligation to repay the depositor upon pledge by the depositor and receipt by the bank of a mutually agreeable demand for payment. Id. See also, Erie Forge & Steel Corp., 456 F.2d at 801 (3rd Cir. 1972). Thus, the funds in the instant case were not the unencumbered property of the defendant as they were subject to the claim of R/S Financial and defendant was aware of this at the time that he presented the cashier’s check for payment. As such, the bank did not have the obligation to repay the defendant the monies until the garnishment was lifted. Defendant’s presentation of the cashier’s check was not a “mutually agreeable demand for repayment. ” Under these circumstances we hold that the Commonwealth has presented a prima facie case against the defendant and deny his habeas corpus petition on the theft by deception charge.
Defendant is also charged with the offense of receiving stolen property defined as follows:
“Section 3925. Receiving stolen property
“(a) Offense defined. — A person is guilty of theft if he intentionally receives, retains, or disposes of movable property of another knowing that it has been stolen, or believing that it has probably been stolen, unless the property is received, retained, or disposed with intent to restore it to the owner.
“(b) Definition. — As used in this section the word ‘receiving’ means acquiring possession, control or title, or lending on the security of the property.”
Accordingly, we enter the following:
ORDER
And now, November 10, 1994, at 2:30 p.m. the defendant’s habeas corpus motion on the theft by deception charge is denied. The defendant’s habeas corpus motion on the receiving stolen property charge is granted and that charge is dismissed.
The Commonwealth’s motion to add the charge of defrauding a secured creditor, made in the brief, is denied but leave is granted to the Commonwealth to file such an additional charge if it so desires.
. In Stafford, supra, the Commonwealth argued vigorously that changes to the Crimes Code had redefined the offense of receiving stolen property so as to eliminate the requirements that the Commonwealth prove that the goods were actually stolen. The Superior Court reasoned that despite the legislature’s redefinition of the offense, the established case law mandated the necessity of the Commonwealth proving that the goods were actually stolen. The court held that the elimination of that requirement would create a situation in criminal
