Slocum

In August 1972, Nancy Fenno informed state officials that her employer and paramour, Wesley Gardner Slocum, physician and surgeon, was defrauding the State of California of thousands of dollars by presenting false Medi-Cal claims. The government launched an extensive, ongoing investigation into the charges and Slocum became aware of it but apparently never suspected that his girl friend (who worked as a nurse-receptionist in his office) was the informant.

In March 1973, he was indicted. In September, his trial commenced. During the first six to seven weeks of the trial (October-November) Nancy and the defendant occupied a house in Riverside. But on November 26 she was called as a prosecution witness.

Following a six-month trial, Slocum was convicted by a jury of one count of grand theft (Pen. Code, §§ 484-487) and twenty-two counts of submitting a false claim (Pen. Code, § 72) and was thereafter sentenced to state prison.

Prior to trial, Slocum made a motion for change of venue and it was denied; his demurrer to the indictment was overruled; his motion to suppress evidence seized at his residence was denied; and his motion to set aside the indictment was likewise…