Criminal Law Keyed to Johnson
Cleveland v. United States
Facts
Under Louisiana law, individuals may operate video-poker machines after successfully applying for state licenses to do so. To qualify for such a license, an applicant must meet specific suitability requirements meant to ensure that licensees are of good character. Fred Goodson owned Truck Stop Gaming, Ltd. (TSG), which participated in the video-poker business. Carl Cleveland (Defendant) assisted Goodson in preparing a license application, which by statute required TSG to identify any business partners, as well as to pay various processing fees. Because Defendant and Goodson had tax and financial problems that could have reduced their ability to obtain a video-poker license, TSG’s application named Goodson’s adult children as the sole owners of TSG. The state approved the application, and TSG successfully renewed the license three times subsequent to the initial approval. Each renewal application identified only Goodson’s adult children as owners of TSG. Later, the federal government found that Defendant and Goodson had participated in a bribery scheme targeting state legislators to obtain votes in favor of the video-poker industry. The government charged Defendant and Goodson with multiple counts of racketeering and conspiracy. The predicate acts supporting these charges included four counts of mail fraud under 18 U.S.C. § 1341, which proscribes the use of mail to further any scheme to 1) defraud or 2) obtain money or property by means of false or fraudulent representations. Defendant and Goodson were accused of violating the mail-fraud statute by fraudulently concealing that they were the real owners of TSG in the initial and renewal applications mailed to the state. Before trial, Defendant moved to dismiss the mail-fraud counts, arguing that the fraud had not deprived the state of property under the statute. The district court denied the motion, and a jury found Defendant guilty. The United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit affirmed Defendant’s conviction. The United States Supreme Court granted certiorari.
Only StudyBuddy Pro offers the complete Case Brief Anatomy*
Access the most important case brief elements for optimal case understanding.
*Case Brief Anatomy includes: Brief Prologue, Complete Case Brief, Brief Epilogue
- The Brief Prologue provides necessary case brief introductory information and includes:
Topic:
Identifies the topic of law and where this case fits within your course outline.Parties:
Identifies the cast of characters involved in the case.Procedural Posture & History:
Shares the case history with how lower courts have ruled on the matter.Case Key Terms, Acts, Doctrines, etc.:
A case specific Legal Term Dictionary.Case Doctrines, Acts, Statutes, Amendments and Treatises:
Identifies and Defines Legal Authority used in this case.
- The Case Brief is the complete case summarized and authored in the traditional Law School I.R.A.C. format. The Pro case brief includes:
Brief Facts:
A Synopsis of the Facts of the case.Rule of Law:
Identifies the Legal Principle the Court used in deciding the case.Facts:
What are the factual circumstances that gave rise to the civil or criminal case? What is the relationship of the Parties that are involved in the case.Issue(s):
Lists the Questions of Law that are raised by the Facts of the case.Holding:
Shares the Court's answer to the legal questions raised in the issue.Concurring / Dissenting Opinions:
Includes valuable concurring or dissenting opinions and their key points.Reasoning and Analysis:
Identifies the chain of argument(s) which led the judges to rule as they did.
- The Brief Prologue closes the case brief with important forward-looking discussion and includes:
Policy:
Identifies the Policy if any that has been established by the case.Court Direction:
Shares where the Court went from here for this case.