Public-domain · open source
OpenJurist

330 F.2d 920

Docket No. 7534.

McDowell v. United States

Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals

Decided April 17, 1964.

Certiorari Denied June 22, 1964.

Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals · decided 1964-04-17

Cited by 16 later decisions — most recently July 1970

15 federal appellate · 1 state decisions

2 counsel of record

Applies 28 U.S.C. § 2255 (Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act of 1996)

Relies on Etchieson v. Texas · Rivera v. United States · Todd v. Peninsular & Occidental Steamship Co.

Good law ✅— No negative treatment on recordhow we know

Opinion by (per_curiam) · Decided 1964-04-17

View the full empirical analysis of this case →

¶1See 84 S.Ct. 1944.

¶2Donald D. Pfeifer, Denver, Colo., for appellant.

¶3Arthur L. Fine, Asst. U. S. Atty. (Lawrence M. Henry, U. S. Atty., on the brief), for appellee.

¶4Before BREITENSTEIN, HILL and SETH, Circuit Judges.

¶5PER CURIAM.

¶6Appellant was charged, tried and convicted by a jury under an indictment alleging a violation of 21 U.S.C.A. § 174, pertaining to the illegal traffic in narcotics. No appeal was perfected from that conviction. A motion under 28 U.S.C.A. § 2255 was subsequently filed in the sentencing court attacking the validity of the judgment of conviction and sentence because the indictment did not set out the name of the person with whom appellant dealt in making the illegal narcotics transaction. The lower court denied the motion, as a matter of law, upon the files and record of the original criminal case.

¶7Indictments under various narcotics statutes, not naming the alleged purchaser, have been held valid. Clay v. United States, 10 Cir., 326 F.2d 196, charging a sale under 26 U.S.C.A. § 4705 (a); Jackson v. United States, 8 Cir., 325 F.2d 477, and Robison v. United States, 9 Cir., 329 F.2d 156, each charging a sale of heroin, like this case, under 21 U.S.C.A. § 174; Rivera v. United States, 9 Cir., 318 F.2d 606, charging a sale of marihuana under 21 U.S.C.A. § 176a.

¶8The indictment in this case clearly alleged all of the statutory elements of the crime charged. It should also be noted that McDowell was represented at his criminal trial by counsel of his own choice and that the trial record before us does not disclose any attempt to procure, in advance of trial, the name of the alleged purchaser. Nor is there any showing in the record that McDowell was unable to adequately prepare his defense prior to trial because the name of the alleged purchaser was then unknown. During the trial the alleged purchaser testified fully about the transaction and McDowell later took the witness stand in his own behalf and categorically denied the sale. The indictment and the trial record provide ample protection to McDowell from the danger of double jeopardy. Clay v. United States, supra. The failure to name the alleged purchaser in the indictment cannot, from this record, be said to prejudice McDowell.

¶9Affirmed.

/330/f2d/920 · .json · Public domain