United States v. Hoffman

HASTIE, Circuit Judge.

This is an appeal from an order of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania adjudging the appellant, Samuel L. Hoffman, guilty of criminal contempt, and sentencing him to imprisonment for five months.

The issue raised is whether the appellant was privileged to refuse to answer certain questions put to him by a federal grand jury on the ground that his answer might incriminate him of a federal offense.

The grand jury in question was duly impaneled and sworn on September 14, 1950, and thereupon undertook an “investigation concerning frauds…