Mcdonald v. United States

89 F.2d 128 (1937)

Facts

Some of the conspirators jointly indicted with D (who was not personally present) Kidnaped Bremer at St. Paul, Minnesota, on January 17, 1934. Bremer was transported to Bensenville, Illinois. He was detained as a prisoner for some two weeks, pending negotiations for his release upon payment of ransom money, and had been thence transported back to Minnesota. He was released for the sum of $200,000 in cash, which was 'marked' (so-called), or the numbers, denominations, and banks of issue listed. The release of Bremer and the payment of the ransom occurred on February 6, 1934. D had for some ten years, in connection with such 'activities,' been on occasion a visitor in Havana, and as a result of such visits he 'managed to control gambling in Havana.' The whole sum of money largely intact, till July 1934, was traced from one point to another in the hands of divers of the actual kidnapers to various States, till some $92,000 of it was found to have been exchanged by D, at Havana, Cuba, for large bills of unmarked money, in the early days of September 1934. Part of this ransom money had been exchanged for unmarked money in Chicago, with the result that one McLaughlin was arrested therefor. D was tried as a conspirator. D claimed the conspiracy to kidnap had ended but D was found guilty and appealed.