United States v. Blair
United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit
54 F.3d 639 (1995)
- Written by Brett Stavin, JD
Facts
Albert John Blair Jr. (defendant) was charged by the federal government with knowingly using a wire-communication facility for the transmission of bets or wagers in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1084, as well as other offenses. The government alleged that Blair, a resident of the Dominican Republic, accepted wagers on professional and college basketball games from residents of the Northern District of Oklahoma. After pleading guilty, Blair appealed, arguing that the district court had no factual basis to establish a showing that he was guilty. Blair argued that 18 U.S.C. § 1084 was a specific-intent crime, requiring a showing that he knew that his actions were illegal. Blair relied on Cohen v. United States, in which the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit held that Congress intended knowledge of illegality to be an element of the crime under § 1084(a).
Rule of Law
Issue
Holding and Reasoning (Brorby, J.)
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