United States v. Riley
U.S. Circuit Court for the District of Kentucky
This was an indictment against William E. Riley for violating the provisions of the act of January 16, 1883 (section 11), forbidding any officer, etc., of the United States to “directly or indirectly solicit or receive or be in any manner concerned in soliciting- or receiving any assessment, subscription or contribution for any political purpose, whatever, from any officer, clerk, or employé, of the United States,” etc.
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This was an indictment against William E. Riley for violating the provisions of the act of January 16, 1883 (section 11), forbidding any officer, etc., of the United States to “directly or indirectly solicit or receive or be in any manner concerned in soliciting- or receiving any assessment, subscription or contribution for any political purpose, whatever, from any officer, clerk, or employé, of the United States,” etc. One Albert Scott. was at the same time separately indicted for being concerned in the same transactions, and an opinion was heretofore rendered overruling demurrers to these…
1Opinion of the Court
TAFT, Circuit Judge.
I have no doubt what my duty is in this case. It is a duty which I perform with great reluctance. The evidence in the case strongly tends to show that the defendant was a party, perhaps the chief party, to a conspiracy to evade a very important criminal statute of the United States, — that which denounces the offense, in a government officer or employ!», of collecting for political purposes assessments or contributions from other employes. The evidence seems to show that there was an elaborate and deliberate conspiracy for that purpose, and that the defendant was perhaps…
2Cases cited4 opinions
- State v. WilsonSupreme Court of Connecticut · 1862
- Commonwealth v. GallagherMassachusetts Supreme Judicial Court · 1878
- Guthrie v. StateNebraska Supreme Court · 1884
- White v. . the PeopleNew York Court of Appeals · 1865
3Cited by9 opinions
- Naftzger v. United StatesCourt of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit · 1912
- United States v. HeitlerDistrict Court, N.D. Illinois · 1921
- Pearlman v. United StatesCourt of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit · 1927
- Alvarado v. United StatesCourt of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit · 1925
- United States v. MarrinDistrict Court, E.D. Pennsylvania · 1908
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