Frank G. Robles v. United States

Appellant was convicted on four of seven counts in an indictment charging him with knowingly and willfully falsifying certain documents within the jurisdiction of a department or agency of the United States ( 18 U.S.C.A. § 1001 ) and also of two criminal contempts committed in the presence of the court during the course of the trial. The appeals from both convictions are consolidated. Appellant assigns numerous errors, none of which have any merit either in fact or law, and this perhaps can be explained in part by the fact that the appellant, a layman, voluntarily acted as his own lawyer, at the trial and on these appeals.

The indictment generally charged appellant with knowingly and willfully falsifying “contracts of employment” and “affidavits of support” which were submitted to immigration officials of the State Department for the purpose of gaining permission for Mexican nationals to enter and reside in the United States. These documents were purportedly signed by citizens of the United States who certified they would provide employment or support for the aliens sufficient to prevent them from becoming public charges while in this country. Appellant’s name appeared as a…