Quimbee logo with url
From our private database of 14,500+ case briefs...

United States v. Marcantoni

United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit
590 F.2d 1324 (5th Cir. 1979)

Facts

Charlie and Helen Marcantoni (defendants) were charged with armed bank robbery and assault with a dangerous weapon. Detective Brodesser searched the Marcantonis’ house with Charlie’s consent and found several hundred dollars in cash. Brodesser recorded the serial numbers from the $10 bills he found, but did not have a warrant so did not seize them. Subsequently, Brodesser learned that the serial numbers he wrote down matched those on the money taken in the bank robbery. Brodesser then obtained a warrant and returned to the Marcantoni house to seize the bills. However, he could not find the bills on this second search of the house. At trial, Brodesser and an expert witness from the U.S. Bureau of Printing and Engraving testified that the bills Brodesser saw at the house were the same bills taken from the bank. The Marcantonis objected on the grounds that the best evidence rule required the prosecution to admit the bills themselves into evidence. The trial court overruled the objection. The trial judge did not give a specific reason for his decision to overrule. The trial court convicted the Marcantonis. They appealed.

Rule of Law

Issue

Holding and Reasoning (Tjoflat, J.)

What to do next…

  1. Unlock this case brief with a free (no-commitment) trial membership of Quimbee.

    You’ll be in good company: Quimbee is one of the most widely used and trusted sites for law students, serving more than 97,000 law students since 2011. Some law schools—such as Yale, Vanderbilt, Berkeley, and the University of Illinois—even subscribe directly to Quimbee for all their law students. Read our student testimonials.

  2. Learn more about Quimbee’s unique (and proven) approach to achieving great grades at law school.

    Quimbee is a company hell-bent on one thing: helping you get an “A” in every course you take in law school, so you can graduate at the top of your class and get a high-paying law job. We’re not just a study aid for law students; we’re the study aid for law students. Read more about Quimbee.

Here's why 265,000 law students have relied on our case briefs:

  • Written by law professors and practitioners, not other law students. 14,500 briefs, keyed to 196 casebooks. Top-notch customer support.
  • The right amount of information, includes the facts, issues, rule of law, holding and reasoning, and any concurrences and dissents.
  • Access in your classes, works on your mobile and tablet. Massive library of related video lessons and high quality multiple-choice questions.
  • Easy to use, uniform format for every case brief. Written in plain English, not in legalese. Our briefs summarize and simplify; they don’t just repeat the court’s language.

Here's why 265,000 law students have relied on our case briefs:

  • Reliable - written by law professors and practitioners not other law students.
  • The right length and amount of information - includes the facts, issue, rule of law, holding and reasoning, and any concurrences and dissents.
  • Access in your class - works on your mobile and tablet.
  • 14,500 briefs - keyed to 196 casebooks.
  • Uniform format for every case brief.
  • Written in plain English - not in legalese and not just repeating the court's language.
  • Massive library of related video lessons - and practice questions.
  • Top-notch customer support.