United States v. Penta
United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit
475 F.2d 92 (1973)
- Written by Arlyn Katen, JD
Facts
In June 1970, Richard Penta (defendant) was convicted in federal district court of fraudulently possessing and transferring counterfeit Federal Reserve Notes (counterfeiting). At trial, Penta’s sole defense was that an alleged government agent had entrapped Penta into committing the crime. The district court admitted evidence of Penta’s prior state-court convictions for concealing stolen motor vehicles (car theft). The United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit affirmed Penta’s counterfeiting conviction in December 1970. In 1972, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court reversed Penta’s car-theft convictions because some of the trial evidence stemmed from an illegal search and seizure. Penta then moved for a new counterfeiting trial in federal district court, arguing that the car-theft convictions had influenced the jury’s assessment of Penta’s credibility in the counterfeiting trial. The district court denied Penta’s motion for a new trial, and Penta appealed to the First Circuit.
Rule of Law
Issue
Holding and Reasoning (Coffin, C.J.)
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