People v. Zanes

DOOLING, J.

Appellant was convicted by a jury of violating subdivision 3 of section 337a, Penal Code, receiving, holding or forwarding money to be bet on a horse race. He was acquitted of violating subdivision 2 (keeping or occupying a room for betting purposes) and subdivision 4 (placing or recording a bet).

Appellant operated a bar and restaurant. Ray Higgins had worked for appellant as a bartender and had been discharged by him because appellant heard that Higgins was “fooling around with horses.” Higgins and John Cook frequented appellant’s place of business. A written statement signed by appellant was introduced into evidence which contained the statement: “I hear people say that Cook and Ray Higgins take bets on horses, but I never see them do it.”

An investigator for the police department entered appellant’s place of business. He had $8.00 in marked paper currency with him. He sat in a booth with a stranger to him. Each of the two wrote the names of certain horses which were running that day on a sheet of paper, put some paper money in the paper and rolled it up. They then went to the bar and the other man handed his roll of paper to appellant and said: “Here, take this.” The investigator said: “Will you take mine too” and handed it to him. Appellant took the two packets and put them in the cash register. About two minutes later Higgins entered and walked behind the bar, whereupon appellant opened the cash register and

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handed Higgins the two packets. Higgins went into the kitchen and shortly thereafter Higgins, Cook and appellant were arrested. Cook had the marked money on his person. There was testimony from a police officer that after his arrest appellant stated “that he would receive bets from people and give them to Mr. Higgins and sometimes Mr. Higgins would give him envelopes back to give to some of the people . . . sometimes he would receive money wrapped in a piece of paper and give to—would give to Ray Higgins and sometimes . . . Ray would give him envelopes to give to other people.” The money given to appellant was rolled in the pieces of paper so that it could only be seen by looking into the ends. Appellant on the trial denied all knowledge that the rolls of paper contained money or records of bets.

Appellant attacks the sufficiency of the evidence to support a finding that he knowingly received, held or forwarded money to be bet on a horse race. The circumstances above recited are sufficient to support such an inference. Appellant’s admission that he had in the past received bets in the form of money wrapped in paper, to give to Ray Higgins, coupled with the fact that he accepted the two packets on that day and delivered them to Higgins although according to the investigator’s testimony Higgins’ name was not mentioned, together with the other facts in evidence, would reasonably support the inference that appellant knew that he was receiving money to be delivered to Higgins to bet on a horse race. The ease in this respect is stronger than