Public-domain · open source
OpenJurist

66 So. 2d 598

Adams v. State

Supreme Court of Florida

Decided June 9, 1953

Supreme Court of Florida · decided 1953-06-09

Key passage — most relied on by later courts

“"The mere fact that [appellants therein] may have received and taken into their possession and transported `money, tally sheets and records showing the betting on said lottery' did not constitute a felony. The aid and assistance in setting up, promoting and conducting a lottery is the crime charged." [Italics in original.]”

quoted by 1 later decision, including Sagonias v. State

“aid or assist in promoting or conducting a lottery or lottery drawing, commonly known as `bolita', for money, by receiving and taking into his possession and transporting various lottery tickets, pay-off sheets and other papers and money”

quoted by 1 later decision, including Sagonias v. State

Relies on Fletcher v. State

Good law ✅— No negative treatment on recordhow we know

Decided 1953-06-09

How this case has been cited

Cited by 6 later decisions — most recently July 1971

5 state decisions

30195319601970decided

Later decisions citing this case, by decade. The current decade is in progress, and our corpus holds fewer opinions from the most recent years, so the latest bars are undercounted — not a real decline.

View the full empirical analysis of this case →

MATHEWS, Justice.

¶1Affirmed on the authority of Fletcher v. State, Fla., 65 So.2d 845.

ROBERTS, C. J., and DREW, J., and PARKS, Associate Justice, concur.

¶2*599On Petition for Rehearing

MATHEWS, Justice.

¶3This case was affirmed on the authority of Fletcher v. State, Fla., 65 So.2d 845.

¶4The petition for rehearing is based upon the allegation that the Court overlooked and failed to consider that the language in the second count of the information “confines .and limits the charge to one solely of pos•session and transporting of the implements .and devices for conducting lotteries as defined by subsections (f), (g), (h) and (i) of .'Section 1 of Chapter 26765, Laws of Florida 1951 [F.S.A. § 849.09(f — i) ]. The acts •defined in said subsections are misdemean■ors.”

¶5In this case there were three counts. 'The first count alleged that the appellants '“did unlawfully and feloniously set up, pro.mote and conduct a lottery for money, commonly known as bolita.” The second count .alleged that the appellants “did unlawfully .and feloniously aid and assist in setting up, promoting and conducting a lottery or lottery drawing, commonly known as bolita, for money.” The third count charges that .the appellants “were interested in and connected with a lottery or lottery drawing, •commonly known as bolita, for money, in that they received, collected and transported money and records of the sale of chances on a lottery.” (Emphasis supplied.)

¶6In other words, the first count charged •that they actually set up, promoted and conducted a lottery, the second count that •.they did aid mid assist in setting up, pro■moting and conducting a lottery; and the. third count that they were interested in and .connected with a lottery or lottery drawing. The defendants were convicted only ■on the second count and were acquitted on ■the first and third counts.

¶7The acts specified, which the appellants were charged with doing, to “aid and .assist in setting up, promoting and conducting a lottery or lottery drawing for -money,” were that they received and took into their possession and transported money and taly sheets and records showing the betting on said lottery. The specific charge or crime was that they aided and assisted. The manner or method of such aid and assistance was in that they “did by receiving and taking into their possession and transporting money and tally sheets and records showing the betting on said lottery.” The charge upon which they were tried on the second count constituted a felony.

¶8It may be that the method or means of aiding and assisting in the commission of the felony would constitute a misdemeanor if charged in a separate count or separate information. They were not charged simply with a misdemeanor and could not have been put to trial under the second count of the information for a misdemeanor. The mere fact that they may have received and taken into their possession and transported “money, tally sheets and records showing the betting on said lottery” did not constitute a felony. The aid and assistance in setting up, promoting and conducting a lottery is the crime charged. The act of receiving and taking into their possession and transporting money and tally sheets and records, showing betting on said lottery, is the method of aiding and assisting and is so directly connected with the charge of aiding and assisting that the two cannot be separated.

¶9The conviction, or acquittal, of the charge of aiding and assisting, where certain overt acts are alleged as a means or method of aiding and assisting in “setting up, promoting and conducting a lottery,” precludes a prosecution for the overt acts named in the charge of aiding and assisting, as the means by which the end was accomplished. Such a prosecution would violate the guarantees against double jeopardy.

¶10The petition for a rehearing be, and the same is, hereby denied.

SEBRING, C. J., DREW, J., and PARKS, Associate Justice, concur.
/66/so2d/598 · .json · Public domain