968 F.

2d 1512
70 A.F.T.R.2d 92-6305

UNITED STATES of America, Appellee,

v.
Joseph ARACRI, John Papandon, and Anthony Zummo,
Defendants-Appellants.
Nos. 178, 179 and 180, Dockets 91-1248, 91-1249 and 91-1267.

United States Court of Appeals,

Second Circuit.
Argued Oct. 25, 1991.
Decided June 30, 1992.

John S. Siffert, New York City (Patricia McDonagh, Maria L. Zanfini,

Lankler, Siffert & Wohl, of counsel), for appellant Aracri.
Steven Alan Reiss, New York City (Harris J. Yale, Weil, Gotshal &
Manges, of counsel), for appellant Papandon.
Andrew M. Fallek, Brooklyn, N.Y. (Joseph Fallek, of counsel), for
appellant Zummo.
Brett Dignam, Tax Div., Dept. of Justice, Washington, D.C. (Shirley D.
Peterson, Asst. Atty. Gen., Robert E. Lindsay, Alan Hechtkopf, Tax Div.,
Mark Rasch, Criminal Division, Dept. of Justice, Washington, D.C.,
Andrew J. Maloney, U.S. Atty., E.D.N.Y., Brooklyn, N.Y., of counsel),
for appellee.
Before: MESKILL, WINTER and WALKER, Circuit Judges.
MESKILL, Circuit Judge:

Defendants Joseph Aracri, John Papandon and Anthony Zummo appeal from
judgments of conviction entered after a jury trial before Wexler, J., in the
United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York. Defendants
were convicted of conspiracy to defraud the United States in violation of 18
U.S.C. 371 and of aiding and assisting in the preparation of fraudulent federal

excise tax returns in violation of 26 U.S.C. 7206(2). Defendants make various

claims of error. For the reasons set forth below, we affirm in part and remand
for consideration of whether impeachment material that the government should
have disclosed pursuant to Giglio v. United States, 405 U.S. 150, 92 S.Ct. 763,
31 L.Ed.2d 104 (1972), would have affected the outcome of the trial.
BACKGROUND
2

Defendants' convictions stem from their participation in a scheme to avoid the

payment of gasoline excise taxes through a system of fictitious invoices falsely
representing that taxes had been paid on sales of gasoline. During the
indictment period the Internal Revenue Code, 26 U.S.C. 1 et seq. (IRC),
imposed a nine cent per gallon tax on gasoline sold by producers of gasoline.
See IRC 4081(a) (1984).1 Sales of gasoline to "producers" were exempted
from this tax. See id. 4083. The definition of "producers" relevant to this
appeal included wholesale distributors who elected to register with respect to
the tax imposed by obtaining an IRS Form 637, Registration for Tax-Free
Transactions. See id. 4082(a), (d)(2). To conform to the evidence at trial we
will refer to registered companies as "licensed companies" and to the
registration forms as "licenses." Thus, a licensed wholesale distributor did not
have to pay federal excise tax on gasoline sold to another licensed wholesale
distributor. The first licensed wholesale distributor who sold gasoline to an
unlicensed company was required to pay excise taxes on that sale. New York
State had a similar licensing and taxation law.

At trial the government introduced evidence from which the jury reasonably
could have found the following facts: Defendants and other individuals set up
fictitious paper sales of gasoline through various licensed and unlicensed
companies--sometimes referred to as "daisy chains"--to make it appear that
excise taxes had been paid on gasoline sales when, in fact, no taxes had been
paid. As part of the scheme, the defendants used shell companies that held
licenses. This design made it difficult for authorities to trace the real owners in
interest of licenses. These shell companies were referred to as "burn" companies
and the gasoline that fraudulently was treated as tax-paid gasoline was referred
to as "burned" gasoline. The shell companies employed by the defendants
changed as the scheme progressed because various authorities cancelled the
licenses when they realized that gasoline was being "burned" through them,
although unsure by whom. To help the reader understand the scheme, we have
included as an Appendix six charts used by the government at trial.

Aracri and Papandon owned and operated Pilot Petroleum Associates, Inc.
(Pilot), a licensed wholesale distributor of gasoline. Zummo was the president

of Pride Oil Corp. (Pride Oil), a retail gasoline company.

5

In late 1982, Aracri and Papandon met with a group of individuals, including
Lawrence Iorizzo and George Kryssing, both of whom testified at trial, to
discuss a scheme to avoid paying gasoline excise taxes by setting up a paper
trail of purported gasoline sales. Kryssing and Bernard Short ran Petroleum
Haulers, Inc. (Petroleum Haulers), an unlicensed company that could not buy
tax-free gasoline. The group agreed that Petroleum Haulers would purchase the
license of Pilot International, a company controlled by Aracri and Papandon, in
order to create fictitious invoices to make it appear that taxes had been paid on
the sale of gasoline when, in fact, they had not been paid. They also agreed that
Pilot, a separate company of Aracri's and Papandon's, would be the supplier of
the gasoline on which taxes would not be paid.

According to the testimony, as a condition of the sale of the license, Aracri and
Papandon insisted that the name of the company on the license be changed.
According to Kryssing, the license was owned by an individual named Don
Kuss who knew nothing about the scheme. Through the name change, Aracri
and Papandon hoped to maintain his ignorance. Iorizzo explained that Aracri
and Papandon insisted on the name change in an attempt to conceal their
connection to the scheme. Iorizzo arranged for a Panama corporation to acquire
the stock of the company. For whatever reason, the group changed the name of
the company to Northbrook Associates, Inc. (Northbrook). Kryssing and Short
received the license after paying Aracri and Papandon $41,000. Iorizzo
acquired the assets of the company through a Panamanian company.

The group carried out this first phase of the scheme as follows. Pilot obtained
gasoline from General Oil Distributors, Inc. (General) that legitimately was taxfree gasoline because it was sold by a licensed company to a licensed company.
Pilot supplied the gasoline to Petroleum Haulers. Without the scheme Pilot
would have incurred tax liability at that point because Petroleum Haulers was
an unlicensed company. Through the use of the Northbrook license and
fictitious invoices the group made it appear that Northbrook incurred the tax
liability on the sale before it was purchased by Petroleum Haulers. The
invoices represented that gasoline was transferred from Pilot to Northbrook taxfree and then sold tax-paid by Northbrook to Future Positions, a company
controlled by Iorizzo, before it was transferred to Petroleum Haulers. Future
Positions would prepare the paperwork stating that federal and state excise
taxes had been paid on the gasoline. Petroleum Haulers then sold some of the
tax-paid gasoline back to Pilot and the rest to Zummo's company, Pride Oil, or
other companies. This method of "burning" gasoline through Northbrook made
it appear that Northbrook had paid taxes on the transaction. The taxes in fact

had not been paid.

8

In December 1983, Northbrook's license was cancelled by New York because

millions of gallons of gasoline were being transferred through the company and
no taxes were being paid on the transfers. Unable to use the Northbrook license
to further their tax avoidance scheme, Aracri, Papandon, Kryssing, Short and
Sheldon Levine agreed to find another license through which to "burn"
gasoline. On Kryssing's request, Zummo located a new license for sale--Cabot
Petroleum Products, Inc. (Cabot). The license was desirable because it was
considered a "clean license," one that had been "up to date on the filings" and
had had "[v]ery little activity on it." Aracri, Papandon, Levine and Short gave
Zummo approximately $175,000 to purchase the Cabot license. They set up an
office for Cabot and had Zummo mail the license to Cabot's new business
address. Yassim Akkurt was named president of Cabot and was the sole
signator on all corporate documents. The group planned that if and when tax
collectors discovered their scheme Akkurt would abscond to his native Turkey.
An unlicensed sham company, Vestal Petroleum Company (Vestal), also was
created as an offshoot of Cabot to further the scheme.

Cabot and Vestal were used to prepare invoices representing that General or
Rappaport Fuel Company (Rappaport Fuel)--both licensed companies-transferred the gasoline tax-free to Cabot, Cabot transferred gasoline tax-paid to
unlicensed Vestal, Vestal transferred the gasoline tax-paid to Petroleum
Haulers, and Petroleum Haulers transferred the gasoline tax-paid to Pilot or
Pride Oil or Snug Harbor, another company. Cabot, which purportedly incurred
the tax liability, never paid taxes on the transactions.

10

Defendants used Cabot to further their scheme during the first few months of
1984. In March 1984, the Cabot license, like that of its predecessor Northbrook,
was cancelled. As planned, Akkurt disappeared, as did the records of Cabot and
Vestal.

11

Once again, Aracri, Papandon, Zummo, Levine and Kryssing were left without
a licensed company through which to "burn" gasoline. Around April or May
1984 Zummo and Aracri contacted Iorizzo to discuss "burning" gasoline
through Rappaport Fuel. Zummo, Aracri and Iorizzo discussed the matter
among themselves and with Ronald Weiner.

12

In May 1984, defendants utilized Conlo Service, Inc. (Conlo), operated by

Weiner, to further their scheme. After Iorizzo asked Weiner to do a favor "to
accommodate" Aracri, Kryssing and Aracri met with Weiner. They discussed

paying Weiner to prepare fictitious invoices representing that Pilot sold

gasoline to licensed Conlo and then Conlo transferred the gasoline to an Iorizzo
company--either Rappaport Fuel or Houston Trading--and then to Petroleum
Haulers tax-paid. The purpose of Rappaport Fuel and Houston Trading in the
"daisy chain" was to avoid paying taxes on the sale.
13

A three count indictment was filed against Aracri, Papandon and Zummo in the
Eastern District of New York on April 25, 1990. Count One of the indictment
charged that from December 31, 1982 through August 31, 1984 defendants and
other individuals knowingly, willfully and unlawfully combined, conspired,
confederated and agreed to defraud the United States Treasury Department and
the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) by impeding, impairing, obstructing and
defeating their lawful governmental functions in the ascertainment,
computation, assessment and collection of revenue through federal gasoline
excise taxes, and that they concealed this fact. Counts Two and Three charged
defendants with willfully aiding, assisting, procuring and causing General and
Rappaport Fuel, respectively, to prepare and present to the IRS a fraudulent and
false Quarterly Federal Excise Tax Return, Form 720, for the quarter ending
March 31, 1984.

14

After a seven day trial, the jury returned a general verdict of guilty as to each
defendant on all three counts.

15

Before we heard argument in the case on appeal, the government moved to

remand to the district court for consideration of whether newly discovered
impeachment materials that the government should have disclosed pursuant to
Giglio would have affected the outcome of the trial. We denied the motion
because defendants had raised numerous arguments on appeal that, if accepted,
would warrant reversal of their convictions barring a new trial. See, e.g., Burks
v. United States, 437 U.S. 1, 18, 98 S.Ct. 2141, 2150, 57 L.Ed.2d 1 (1978) ("the
Double Jeopardy Clause precludes a second trial once the reviewing court has
found the evidence legally insufficient"); United States v. Garcia, 938 F.2d 12,
14 (2d Cir.1991) ("when an appellate reversal is based on insufficient evidence,
a retrial is prohibited") (citation omitted), cert. denied, --- U.S. ----, 112 S.Ct.
868, 116 L.Ed.2d 774 (1992).

DISCUSSION
A. Count One
16

Defendants offer numerous challenges to Count One of the indictment. Count

One enumerates several "schemes" in furtherance of a conspiracy to defraud the

government. Arguably, only one of these schemes is within the applicable

statute of limitations period. Defendants argue that the government linked
several separate time-barred conspiracies to one timely brought conspiracy in a
single count in order to circumvent a statute of limitations bar. They advance
numerous specific challenges based on this premise. None of these challenges
has merit.
1. Statute of Limitations
17

Defendants claim that the relevant statute of limitations period for the
conspiracy charged in Count One is five years instead of the six year
limitations period applied by Judge Wexler. We disagree. The applicable statute
of limitations period for conspiracies such as the one charged in this indictment
is six years. See United States v. Ingredient Technology Corp., 698 F.2d 88,
98-99 (2d Cir.), cert. denied, 462 U.S. 1131, 103 S.Ct. 3111, 77 L.Ed.2d 1366
(1983). IRC section 6531 provides that the limitations period "for offenses
involving the defrauding or attempting to defraud the United States or any
agency thereof, whether by conspiracy or not," shall be six years. 26 U.S.C.
6531(1). Likewise, the IRC provides a six year limitations period "for offenses
arising under section 371 of Title 18 of the United States Code, where the
object of the conspiracy is to attempt in any manner to evade or defeat any tax
or the payment thereof." Id. 6531(8).

18

The indictment was filed on April 25, 1990. Based on the evidence at trial, the
jury could have convicted defendants for their participation in a conspiracy in
which they committed an overt act after April 25, 1984. The judge specifically
instructed the jury as follows: "The statute of limitations for the conspiracy
charged in the indictment is six years. This means that you cannot find any of
the defendants guilty unless the government proves beyond a reasonable doubt
that the charged conspiracy existed sometime after April 25, 1984."

19

There was ample evidence that the conspiracy continued into May 1984. There
was testimony that around April 1984 Iorizzo met with Zummo to discuss
"burning" gasoline through Rappaport Fuel because the Cabot license had been
cancelled. Zummo told Aracri about the discussion and Aracri contacted
Iorizzo. In May 1984, Iorizzo, Aracri and Weiner arranged to "burn" gasoline
through Conlo and Rappaport. That same month invoices represented that
gasoline was sold from General to Pilot to Conlo tax-free and then through
Rappaport Fuel and Houston Trading to Petroleum Haulers tax-paid before it
was ultimately sold to Pride Oil or Pilot tax-paid. The purpose of this chain of
sales was to avoid paying excise taxes and in fact no taxes were paid on these
sales. Accordingly, we conclude that the district court applied the appropriate

limitations period.
2. Duplicity
20

Defendants next argue that Count One should have been dismissed as
duplicitous because it charged multiple separate and distinct conspiracies in a
single count. Accordingly, defendants contend that they were denied the right
to a unanimous jury verdict on the only "conspiracy" not barred by the statute
of limitations.

21

An indictment is duplicitous if it joins two or more distinct crimes in a single

count. United States v. Murray, 618 F.2d 892, 896 (2d Cir.1980). A duplicitous
indictment, which alleges several offenses in the same count, must be
distinguished from "the allegation in a single count of the commission of a
crime by several means." Id. The latter is not duplicitous. The policy
considerations underlying the prohibition against duplicitous indictments are
varied. As we previously have stated, these considerations include

22
avoiding
the uncertainty of whether a general verdict of guilty conceals a finding of
guilty as to one crime and a finding of not guilty as to another, avoiding the risk that
the jurors may not have been unanimous as to any one of the crimes charged,
assuring the defendant adequate notice, providing the basis for appropriate
sentencing, and protecting against double jeopardy in a subsequent prosecution.
23

United States v. Margiotta, 646 F.2d 729, 733 (2d Cir.1981) (citing Murray,
618 F.2d at 896).

24

A conspiracy indictment presents "unique issues" in the duplicity analysis

because "a single agreement may encompass multiple illegal objects." Murray,
618 F.2d at 896. In this Circuit "it is well established that '[t]he allegation in a
single count of a conspiracy to commit several crimes is not duplicitous, for "
[t]he conspiracy is the crime and that is one, however diverse its objects." ' " Id.
(citations omitted); see also Braverman v. United States, 317 U.S. 49, 53, 63
S.Ct. 99, 101, 87 L.Ed. 23 (1942) ("Whether the object of a single agreement is
to commit one or many crimes, it is in either case that agreement which
constitutes the conspiracy which the statute punishes. The one agreement
cannot be taken to be several agreements and hence several conspiracies
because it envisages the violation of several statutes rather than one.").

25

We have declined to accept the law of the Fifth Circuit "that any acts capable of
being charged as separate offenses must be alleged in separate counts."

Margiotta, 646 F.2d at 733 (citing Bins v. United States, 331 F.2d 390, 393 (5th
Cir.), cert. denied, 379 U.S. 880, 85 S.Ct. 149, 13 L.Ed.2d 87 (1964)). Instead,
under the law of this Circuit, "acts that could be charged as separate counts of
an indictment may instead be charged in a single count if those acts could be
characterized as part of a single continuing scheme." United States v. Tutino,
883 F.2d 1125, 1141 (2d Cir.1989) (citation omitted), cert. denied, 493 U.S.
1081, 110 S.Ct. 1139, 107 L.Ed.2d 1044 (1990). With these principles in mind,
we conclude that the indictment at issue charged a single conspiracy to defraud
the United States and listed various means of furthering that conspiracy.
26

Count One charged that defendants and other co-conspirators

27 knowingly, willfully and unlawfully combine, conspire, confederate, and agree

did
to defraud the United States Treasury Department and the Internal Revenue Service
... by impeding, impairing, obstructing and defeating the lawful governmental
functions of the Treasury Department and the Internal Revenue Service in the
ascertainment, computation, assessment and collection of revenue: to wit, federal
gasoline excise taxes, and to conceal this fact.
28

This type of language has become "customary boiler-plate" in indictments to

defraud the United States of taxes in violation of 18 U.S.C. 371. United States
v. Helmsley, 941 F.2d 71, 90 (2d Cir.1991), cert. denied, --- U.S. ----, 112 S.Ct.
1162, 117 L.Ed.2d 409 (1992). The indictment alleged that defendants and
others created a series of fraudulent and sham paper sales of gasoline among
various entities--that is, "daisy chain" transfers. In addition, it alleged that
defendants and others created, purchased, obtained and utilized "burn
companies"--shell companies that held licenses--such as Northbrook, Cabot and
Houston Holdings to make it appear that taxes had been paid on gasoline when
those taxes had not and would not be paid. The indictment explained that
defendants and others

29
would
at various times use different burn companies and other entities, and would
alter the positions of the various entities in the daisy chains. When the defendants ...
and other co-conspirators ... believed that a particular entity's [license] was no longer
useable, they would utilize another burn company to avoid paying and conceal the
non-payment of taxes.
30

The charged conspiracy clearly could be characterized as one continuing

scheme that involved utilizing different companies, including "burn"
companies, in a series of transfers all for the single purpose of concealing the
non-payment of taxes and transferring the liability for paying taxes to "burn"
companies and others. See, e.g., Margiotta, 646 F.2d at 733 (rejecting duplicity

challenge to indictment charging a scheme to defraud and listing numerous

mailings because the essence of the crime charged was carrying out a single
scheme to defraud); cf. Tutino, 883 F.2d at 1141 (permitting aggregation of two
heroin sales in one count of an indictment because defendants "were involved
in an ongoing and continuous drug conspiracy, and ... the two sales were part of
a single continuing scheme"). Therefore, because the essence of the crime
charged in Count One is a single scheme to defraud the United States, the
indictment is not duplicitous.
31

3. Multiple Conspiracies versus a Single Conspiracy

32

Having concluded that the indictment charged one conspiracy, the next issue is
whether the evidence at trial proved one conspiracy or proved multiple
conspiracies. "When convictions have been obtained on the theory that all
defendants were members of a single conspiracy although, in fact, the proof
disclosed multiple conspiracies, the error of variance has been committed."
United States v. Bertolotti, 529 F.2d 149, 154 (2d Cir.1975) (citations omitted);
see also Helmsley, 941 F.2d at 89. If there is a variance between proof and
indictment, the next step is to determine whether defendants "were so
prejudiced by the variance as to be entitled to a reversal of their convictions."
Bertolotti, 529 F.2d at 155 (citations omitted); see also Helmsley, 941 F.2d at
89 ("Variances are subject to the harmless error rule and thus are not grounds
for reversal without a showing of prejudice to the defendant.").

33

Whether the government has proved a single conspiracy or has instead proved
"multiple other independent conspiracies is a question of fact for a properly
instructed jury." United States v. Alessi, 638 F.2d 466, 472 (2d Cir.1980)
(citations omitted).

34 assessing the contention that the evidence was insufficient to support the jury's
In
conclusion that there was a single conspiracy, we must view the evidence as a whole
in the light most favorable to the government and uphold the verdict if, viewed in
that light, a rational juror could have concluded beyond a reasonable doubt (1) that
the scope of the criminal enterprise proven fits the pattern of the single conspiracy
alleged in the indictment, and (2) that the defendant participated in the alleged
enterprise with a consciousness of its general nature and extent.
35

United States v. Beech-Nut Nutrition Corp., 871 F.2d 1181, 1192 (2d Cir.)
(citations omitted), cert. denied sub nom. Lavery v. United States, 493 U.S.
933, 110 S.Ct. 324, 107 L.Ed.2d 314 (1989). We find no error in the jury
instructions and ample evidence to permit the jury to infer that defendants
participated in a single conspiracy to defraud the United States of gasoline

excise taxes.
a. Jury Instructions
36
37

"[A] multiple conspiracy charge is required whenever several conspiracies

might be inferred from the evidence offered." United States v. Cambindo
Valencia, 609 F.2d 603, 625 (2d Cir.1979), cert. denied, 446 U.S. 940, 100
S.Ct. 2163, 64 L.Ed.2d 795 (1980). As we observed in United States v. Barlin,
686 F.2d 81, 88 (2d Cir.1982):

38is by now commonplace that "in order to promote the goal of 'keeping distinct
It
conspiracies distinct,' the court should describe explicitly the possibility of several
conspiracies and instruct the jury that in order to convict a given defendant, it must
'find that he was a member of the conspiracy charged in the indictment and not some
other conspiracy.' "
39

Id. at 88 (citations omitted); see United States v. Blanco, 861 F.2d 773, 782 (2d
Cir.1988), cert. denied, 489 U.S. 1019, 109 S.Ct. 1139, 103 L.Ed.2d 200
(1989).

40

The charge in this case satisfied these requirements. Judge Wexler explicitly
alerted the jury to the possibility of several conspiracies. He stated: "Although
the indictment charges a single conspiracy, it is possible that you will determine
there were two or more separate conspiracies, whether there's one conspiracy or
more conspiracies, or no conspiracies at all is a question of fact for you to
determine." The judge then properly instructed the jury that it must acquit a
defendant if it found that the defendant "was a member of a separate conspiracy
other than the conspiracy charged in the indictment and [did] not find ... that
such defendant was a member of the conspiracy charged in the indictment."

41

Defendants argue that reversal is warranted because Judge Wexler refused to

charge specifically that if the jury found multiple conspiracies it must acquit. "
[I]n reviewing claims of error in the trial court's jury charge, we must consider
the challenged portions not in isolation but in light of the instructions as a
whole." United States v. Maldonado-Rivera, 922 F.2d 934, 960 (2d Cir.1990)
(citations omitted), cert. denied, --- U.S. ----, 111 S.Ct. 2858, 115 L.Ed.2d 1025,
1026 (1991). The instruction regarding multiple conspiracies charged in its
entirety:

42

Although the indictment charges a single conspiracy, it is possible that you will
determine there were two or more separate conspiracies, whether there's one
conspiracy or more conspiracies, or no conspiracies at all is a question of fact

for you to determine.

43

If you find that no conspiracy existed, then you must acquit the defendants on
the conspiracy charge. However, if you find beyond a reasonable doubt that
such a conspiracy existed, you then must determine whether--who were the
members of that conspiracy. If you find that a particular defendant was a
member of a separate conspiracy other than the conspiracy charged in the
indictment and do not find beyond a reasonable doubt that such defendant was a
member of the conspiracy charged in the indictment, then you must acquit the
defendant.

44

In other words, to find a defendant guilty of the conspiracy charge, you must
find beyond a reasonable doubt that he was a member of the conspiracy charged
in the indictment, not some other conspiracy.

45

This language is notably similar to language we approved in United States v.

Tramunti, 513 F.2d 1087, 1107 (2d Cir.), cert. denied, 423 U.S. 832, 96 S.Ct.
54, 55, 46 L.Ed.2d 50 (1975).

46

As we observed in Tramunti, although it is preferable to instruct the jury that it

must acquit if it finds multiple conspiracies when only one conspiracy is
charged, the "failure so to charge is not error where the charge examined as a
whole stresses that there must be [a] finding of the single conspiracy charged
and individual knowing participation by each individual in it." 513 F.2d at 1108
(citations omitted).

47

Judge Wexler's charge stressed the necessity of finding that each defendant
participated in the single conspiracy charged in the indictment. Although a
more detailed charge on the distinction between multiple conspiracies and a
single conspiracy may have been desirable, see, e.g., Beech-Nut Nutrition
Corp., 871 F.2d at 1192 (jury was "instructed that it must find a single
conspiracy among [defendant and codefendants] in order to convict
[defendant]; it was instructed as to certain characteristics of multiple
conspiracies, such as incompatible purposes; and it was told that it must acquit
if it found the latter rather than the single conspiracy alleged in the
indictment"), Judge Wexler's charge adequately conveyed defendants' theory of
defense and the applicable law. The judge's refusal to comply with defendants'
request for an instruction that "if you find multiple conspiracies, you must
acquit" was not error given the overall import of the charge provided.

b. Proof of a Single Conspiracy

48

49

The essence of the crime of conspiracy is the agreement. See, e.g., United
States v. Alessi, 638 F.2d at 473. " '[I]n order to prove a single conspiracy, the
government must show that each alleged member agreed to participate in what
he knew to be a collective venture directed toward a common goal.' "
Maldonado-Rivera, 922 F.2d at 963 (citations omitted). The government need
not prove that each defendant "knew every other member or was aware of all
acts committed in furtherance of" the conspiracy. Alessi, 638 F.2d at 473
(citation omitted). Moreover, " 'a single conspiracy is not transposed into a
multiple one simply by lapse of time, change in membership, or a shifting
emphasis on its locale of operations.' " United States v. Nersesian, 824 F.2d
1294, 1303 (2d Cir.) (quoting Cambindo Valencia, 609 F.2d at 625), cert.
denied, 484 U.S. 958, 108 S.Ct. 357, 98 L.Ed.2d 382 (1987). "Finally, a single
conspiracy is not transformed into multiple conspiracies merely by virtue of the
fact that it may involve two or more phases or spheres of operation, so long as
there is sufficient proof of mutual dependence and assistance." MaldonadoRivera, 922 F.2d at 963.

50

In this case the evidence offered at trial fit the pattern of the conspiracy alleged
in the indictment. The government's two main witnesses, Kryssing and Iorizzo,
testified that defendants and other individuals agreed to set up a scheme to
avoid paying gasoline excise taxes. They described the efforts of defendants
and their co-conspirators to obtain a licensed company through which to "burn"
gasoline, efforts that were repeated on at least two other occasions when the
previous license became unusable. Other witnesses corroborated their testimony
by testifying to defendants' use of specific licenses or "daisy chains" of gasoline
transfers to make it appear that taxes had been paid on the gasoline when in fact
they had not.

51

The jury reasonably could have inferred that the different "daisy chains" set up
around each license were part of one overall conspiracy. The evidence revealed
that once one license became unavailable, defendants searched for another
license to further their scheme. Initially defendants utilized Northbrook to make
it appear that taxes had been paid on a series of gasoline transfers.2 When New
York cancelled the Northbrook license, defendants began to use the Cabot
license to "burn" gasoline. Later, when New York cancelled the Cabot license,
the co-conspirators discussed using the Rappaport Fuel and Conlo licenses.

52

We agree with the government that the use of various "burn" companies here is
similar to the conduct in Alessi. In Alessi, defendants were members of a
"single loose-knit multi-person conspiracy" to use lost or stolen credit cards to
purchase airline tickets for resale at a discounted price. 638 F.2d at 474.
Rejecting a claim that the evidence had established a series of smaller, distinct

conspiracies rather than the single conspiracy charged, we noted that "[t]he
scheme depended for its success on a steady flow of recently stolen or lost
cards, since a stolen or lost card may be successfully used for only a short time
to unlawfully obtain tickets from airlines." Id. at 470. Likewise, the conspiracy
here at all times required a licensed company through which to "burn" gasoline.
It was only a matter of time before the IRS or the state recognized that a "burn"
company was not paying its tax liability and cancelled the license. When a
license no longer was available, the conspirators scrambled to find a
replacement license in order to continue the conspiracy.
53

The instant case also is analogous to United States v. Heinemann, 801 F.2d 86
(2d Cir.1986), cert. denied, 479 U.S. 1094, 107 S.Ct. 1308, 94 L.Ed.2d 163
(1987), where we upheld convictions for conspiracy to defraud the United
States. The Heinemann defendants were charged with conspiring to "impede,
impair, obstruct, and defeat the IRS's lawful functions in assessing and
collecting revenue, 'to wit, the income taxes of themselves and other purported
"ministers" of [specific churches] and related "churches." ' " 801 F.2d at 91.
The conspiracy involved the sale of ministries in purportedly tax-exempt
churches. Id. at 88, 91. Because defendants moved from church to church
defendants argued that the evidence proved multiple conspiracies involving the
sale of ministries in four different churches rather than the single conspiracy
charged in the indictment. We rejected this argument because there was ample
evidence of a single conspiracy through which the names of churches changed
"but the enterprise's goal of avoiding taxes and making money through the sale
of ministries" did not. Id. at 92. Likewise, in the instant case there is ample
evidence of a single conspiracy through which the name of the companies in a
"daisy chain" changed but the conspiracy's goal of avoiding taxes did not.

54

We are not persuaded by defendants' argument that isolated statements by

witnesses that the Cabot "conspiracy" was a separate conspiracy from the
Northbrook "conspiracy" are dispositive of the multiple conspiracy issue. The
jury reasonably could have inferred based on the evidence as a whole that each
license represented a different phase of a single continuing conspiracy. See
Maldonado-Rivera, 922 F.2d at 963; see also United States v. Crosby, 294 F.2d
928, 945 (2d Cir.1961) (" 'A single scheme to defraud may involve a
multiplicity of ways and means of action and procedure.... Mere details may be
changed and the scheme remain the same.' ") (citation omitted), cert. denied,
368 U.S. 984, 82 S.Ct. 599, 7 L.Ed.2d 523 (1962). As one witness explained, it
was "one scheme into another, into another, into another." Defendants did not
end one conspiracy and join a new one each time a license became unusable.
Instead, they obtained a new license as part of the same fraudulent scheme.

55

Defendants also point to acrimony among participants in the different phases of

the scheme as being inconsistent with a single conspiracy. It appears that
Kryssing was responsible, in part, for the cancellation of the Northbrook
license, because he "burned" too many gallons of gasoline through the
Northbrook license without notifying Iorizzo. Similarly, Iorizzo allegedly
caused the cancellation of the Cabot license by "burning" too many gallons of
gasoline through it. However, "it is not at all uncommon for disagreements to
occur in a common enterprise." Id. Nor is it "inconsistent with such an ongoing,
unitary conspiracy that disputes might arise ... and that switches in affiliation
might occur from time to time." Heinemann, 801 F.2d at 92 (footnote omitted);
see also Beech-Nut Nutrition Corp., 871 F.2d at 1192 (" 'That certain
defendants were eager to cheat each other for a large slice of the spoils does not
obscure the unifying means used by all of them to defraud the public.' ")
(citation omitted); Nersesian, 824 F.2d at 1303 ("That conspirators may have
problems or difficulties in dealing with one another which result in angry
accusations or heated discussions does not necessarily negate the existence of a
single conspiracy.") (citation omitted).

56

Neither does the fact that Kryssing and Iorizzo may have been involved at
different phases of the conspiracy depending on which license was being used
demonstrate that the evidence established more than one conspiracy. "The jury
need not have concluded that the same people were involved throughout the
entire period of the conspiracy in order to find one conspiracy." Nersesian, 824
F.2d at 1303.

57

In sum, there was ample evidence that defendants were involved throughout the
different phases of the conspiracy charged and met with various co-conspirators
regarding the use of different licenses as circumstances necessitated. The
similarities in each of the phases of the conspiracy support a finding that they
were part of the same conspiracy, rather than separate conspiracies.

B. Counts Two and Three

58

Counts Two and Three charge that defendants willfully aided, assisted,
procured and caused General and Rappaport Fuel, respectively, to prepare and
present to the IRS a fraudulent and false Quarterly Federal Excise Tax Return,
Form 720, in violation of IRC section 7206(2). These counts were based on tax
returns filed for the first quarter of 1984.

59

IRC section 7206(2) provides that any person who

60
[w]illfully
aids or assists in, or procures, counsels, or advises the preparation or
presentation under, or in connection with any matter arising under, the internal
revenue laws, of a return ... which is fraudulent or is false as to any material matter,
whether or not such falsity or fraud is with the knowledge or consent of the person
authorized or required to present such return ... shall be guilty of a felony.
61

Defendants correctly point out that section 7206(2) is a specific intent statute
requiring "willfulness" or "an intentional violation of a known legal duty."
United States v. Gurary, 860 F.2d 521, 523 (2d Cir.1988) (citations omitted),
cert. denied, 490 U.S. 1035, 109 S.Ct. 1931, 104 L.Ed.2d 403 (1989); see
United States v. Pomponio, 429 U.S. 10, 12, 97 S.Ct. 22, 23, 50 L.Ed.2d 12
(1976) (per curiam). The relevant inquiry on appeal is "whether the
Government presented any evidence from which the jury could infer that
defendants knew their scheme would result in the filing of false ... tax returns,
and deliberately proceeded with their scheme in the face of that knowledge."
Gurary, 860 F.2d at 524; cf. United States v. MacKenzie, 777 F.2d 811, 820 (2d
Cir.1985) ("While appellants had nothing to do with the preparation of the tax
returns of the employees in question, they knew the returns would be
fraudulently filed and relied on that fact to conceal their ongoing fraud."), cert.
denied, 476 U.S. 1169, 106 S.Ct. 2889, 90 L.Ed.2d 977 (1986). The
requirements of section 7206(2) have been satisfied.

62

First, we believe that, viewing the evidence and making all permissible
inferences in the light most favorable to the government, there was sufficient
evidence from which the jury could find that defendants intended General and
Rappaport Fuel to file false or fraudulent tax returns. See Gurary, 860 F.2d at
523-24.

63

There was evidence that on Kryssing's request Zummo located Cabot, a

company with a "clean" license to be purchased by Aracri, Papandon and
others. The group purchased Cabot in early 1984 through Zummo and set up
Cabot as a sham company. Vestal, which did not have a license, also was
formed as a sham company. In accordance with defendants' plan, Cabot
purchased gasoline tax-free from Rappaport Fuel and General, which it was
able to do because each seller and Cabot possessed licenses. Cabot transferred
the gasoline to unlicensed Vestal, representing that taxes had been paid. In fact,
no taxes were paid on the gasoline. After that all transfers falsely represented
that taxes had been paid: Vestal transferred the gasoline to Petroleum Haulers
tax-paid; Petroleum Haulers transferred the gasoline to Pilot or Pride Oil taxpaid. The jury could infer that defendants intentionally structured the
transaction in this manner in order to avoid paying taxes on the gasoline.

64

Where a transaction is a sham for the purpose of avoiding tax liability, the IRS
can look behind the form of the transaction to its economic reality. See United
States v. Philatelic Leasing Ltd., 794 F.2d 781, 786 (2d Cir.1986) ("[T]he
Government, upon determining that the form employed in a transaction is
unreal or a sham, can 'sustain or disregard the effect of the fiction as best serves
the purposes of the tax statute.' ") (quoting Higgins v. Smith, 308 U.S. 473,
477, 60 S.Ct. 355, 357, 84 L.Ed. 406 (1940)). Stripping away the "unreal"
transactions flowing through the sham companies, the sales actually were from
a licensed company--General or Rappaport Fuel--to Petroleum Haulers, an
unlicensed or unregistered company. As a licensed company selling to a nonlicensed company, General and Rappaport Fuel actually incurred the tax
liability on the sale. However, neither company paid taxes on the transactions
and as a result the tax returns of General and those of Rappaport Fuel for the
quarter ending March 31, 1984 understated each company's tax liability.

65

Defendants contend that in order to convict, the jury must have found that they
were partners in Cabot and, because the judge refused so to charge the jury,
reversal is warranted. Section 7206(2), however, "applies to all knowing
participants in the fraud." United States v. Rowlee, 899 F.2d 1275, 1279 (2d
Cir.) (citations omitted), cert. denied, --- U.S. ----, 111 S.Ct. 87, 112 L.Ed.2d 59
(1990). It "make[s] liable any person who willfully attempts to evade payment
of either his own tax or that of any other person." 899 F.2d at 1278. "Congress
did not intend to exempt anyone from punishment who actively endeavors to
defeat a tax, 'whatever his relationship to the taxpayer [might] be.' " Id. (citation
omitted).

66

It was not necessary, therefore, for the jury to conclude that defendants were
partners in Cabot to find them guilty of Counts Two and Three. Because there
was evidence at trial that defendants "attempt[ed] to accomplish the evasion of
a tax payment," id., through the use of the Cabot/Vestal scheme they are liable
under section 7206(2) regardless of their relationship to General or Rappaport
Fuel. Id. at 1278-79. The jury could have inferred that defendants knowingly
participated in a complex scheme to avoid paying excise taxes through the use
of fictitious invoices and sham companies.

67

Defendants Aracri and Papandon also contend that we must reverse their
convictions on Count Three because no reasonable juror could have concluded
that they "caused" Rappaport Fuel to file a fraudulent or false excise tax return.
They reason that Rappaport Fuel could not have relied on defendants' actions
because Rappaport Fuel knew as of March 1, 1984 that Cabot's license had
been revoked on that date and, therefore, Rappaport Fuel knew that it could not

legitimately sell gasoline to Cabot tax-free. Rappaport Fuel did not file its
quarterly return until late April 1984.
68

Defendants, however, misconstrue the requirements of section 7206(2). The

statute prohibits individuals from willfully aiding, assisting in, procuring,
counseling, or advising the preparation or presentation of a fraudulent or false
return. Good faith reliance by the taxpayer is not necessary to convict an aider
and abettor under this section. See id. at 1279 ("the guilt or innocence of the
taxpayer for whom the return was filed is irrelevant to the question of" a section
7206(2) defendant's guilt) (citations omitted); see also 26 U.S.C. 7206(2)
(aider and abettor guilty "whether or not such falsity or fraud is with the
knowledge or consent of the person authorized or required to present such
return"). It is irrelevant whether Rappaport Fuel knew that it could not
legitimately sell gasoline tax-free through Cabot. Such evidence only proves
that Rappaport Fuel was a knowing participant in the scheme; it does not relieve
defendants of liability.

69

In sum, we conclude that defendants knew that their scheme would result in the
filing of false tax returns. Not only did they proceed with their scheme in spite
of this knowledge, the jury reasonably could have inferred that the success of
their scheme to avoid the payment of taxes depended on falsely throwing tax
liability on a company other than their own. Defendants knew that by
purchasing and using Cabot they were creating a fiction to disguise the tax
liability on gasoline sold by General and Rappaport Fuel to Petroleum Haulers.
Accordingly, we uphold the convictions on Counts Two and Three.C. Other
Claims

70

We have reviewed defendants' arguments that the district court erred in

permitting the government to solicit an opinion from defense's nonexpert
summary witness and in admitting portions of a tape recording against
defendant Zummo and have found them to be without merit.

D. Nondisclosure of Impeachment Materials

71

Accordingly, we turn to the allegations that the government failed to turn over
impeachment materials and permitted a main government witness to testify
falsely. Defendants moved for a retrial after an article in Newsday alerted them
to possible impeachment material that the government should have turned over
to them before trial. The article, dated February 5, 1991, reported that Iorizzo
had been dropped from the Witness Protection Program two years before.
Iorizzo told Newsday that he had been thrown out of the program "after
program supervisors accused him of crimes, including money laundering and

arms trafficking." Sources told Newsday that "Iorizzo was investigated but
cleared of the arms-trafficking and money-laundering charges. But they added
he had been caught violating other regulations in the program." For example,
Iorizzo was suspected of running up $100,000 in credit card bills under an alias.
72

The government investigated the Newsday allegations and submitted a sealed

ex parte summary of its findings to the district court. Judge Wexler denied the
motion for a new trial and defendants appeal from that ruling. They ask us to
reverse their convictions on two grounds: (1) because Iorizzo testified falsely at
trial that he had become a new man after entering into a cooperation agreement
with the government in 1984 and the government had information that the
testimony was false; and (2) the government improperly did not provide
defense with exculpatory material relating to the criminal investigations into
Iorizzo's expulsion from the Witness Protection Program despite defense's
request for such evidence.

73

On the eve of oral argument on appeal, the government moved for an

adjournment of oral argument and for remand to the district court. Through its
motion the government notified us that in the course of preparing for oral
argument they had discovered a document that appears to be impeachment
material that the government should have disclosed to defense pursuant to
Giglio. The government asked us to remand to the district court to determine
whether disclosure of the documents likely would have affected the outcome of
the trial.

74

We denied the motion at the time in order to resolve other arguments raised by
defendants. Now that we are satisfied that none of defendants' other contentions
has merit, we remand to the district court for a determination of whether the
material requires reversal of defendants' convictions and a new trial.

CONCLUSION
75

We affirm defendants' convictions in part and remand to the district court for a
determination of whether a new trial is warranted because of the government's
nondisclosure of impeachment materials.APPENDIX

76
NOTE:
OPINION CONTAINS TABLE OR OTHER DATA THAT IS NOT
VIEWABLENOTE: OPINION CONTAINS TABLE OR OTHER DATA THAT IS
NOT VIEWABLENOTE: OPINION CONTAINS TABLE OR OTHER DATA
THAT IS NOT VIEWABLENOTE: OPINION CONTAINS TABLE OR OTHER
DATA THAT IS NOT VIEWABLENOTE: OPINION CONTAINS TABLE OR
OTHER DATA THAT IS NOT VIEWABLENOTE: OPINION CONTAINS

TABLE OR OTHER DATA THAT IS NOT VIEWABLE

These sections were completely revised in 1986. See Pub.L. No. 99-514 1703

Although Zummo was not at the original meeting, Iorizzo testified that he met
many times with Zummo to discuss the Northbrook scheme