United States v. Paixao

The Ninth Circuit affirmed defendants' convictions for charges related to their misuse of funds belonging to the Wounded Marine Careers Foundation (WMCF). Defendants were convicted, among other things, of violating 18 U.S.C. 666, a statute prohibiting the wrongful taking of property from an organization that receives more than $10,000 in federal "benefits" during a one-year period. The panel held that there was sufficient evidence from which the jury could reasonably conclude that WMCF did receive "benefits" within the meaning of the statute. The panel reasoned that an entity need not be the primary beneficiary of a federal program to qualify as having received "benefits," and that the Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment Program aimed to aid veterans and to ensure the viability and quality of the organizations that served those veterans. View "United States v. Paixao" on Justia Law