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4 D.C. 105

United States v. Evans

Decided December 15, 1830

The defendant was convicted upon an indictment for keeping a faro-table at a place occupied as a tavern, contrary to the Maryland Act of 1797, c. 110. moved in arrest of judgment, and contended that the verdict does not authorize the Court to give judgment for the penalty ; but only creates a' cause ■ of action in favor of any one who will sue upon that verdict for the penalty.

Decided 1830-12-15

The Court(Ti-iruston, J., absent,)

¶1overruled the motion in arrest of judgment; because the forfeiture accrues upon the conviction, and the conviction is to be by indictment, according to the express words of the Act of Maryland of T797, c. 110, as well as by the Act of Congress of the 3d of March, 1801,, [2 Stat. at Large, 115.] No other mode of recovering the penalty is given by either of those statutes; and the practice has been, uniformly, both in Maryland arid in this district, to render judgment for the.penalty, upon conviction upon indictment under that statute.

¶2The counsel for the defendant contended, that, as half of the penalty was, by the statute of Maryland, to be applied to the use of- the cbunty, and the other half to the person who should prosecute .and. sue for the same ; the penalty could only be recovered by an action of debt by the informer and the United Slates.

¶3But the statutes upon which the cases which were cited by the defendant’s counsel, were decided, prescribed the mode of recovery to be by any person who will sue for the same. ' Such is also-.the provision of the Test Act, 25 c. 2, ch. 2, §5, upon which the information was founded in the ease of Story v. Pleasaunce, 1 Lutw. 159.

¶4Motion overruled. See also United States v. Simms, 1 Cranch, 252.

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