United States v. Reuben Krasn

This is a criminal antitrust case. Krasn, the defendant below and the appellant in this court, thirteen meat-packing corporations, nine individuals, and one trade association, were charged with a conspiracy to fix, raise, and stabilize the price of carcass beef in the Los Angeles area. Krasn was the only defendant who proceeded to trial. After an eleven-day jury trial, Krasn was found guilty on one count of violating Sherman Act Section One. He then took this appeal, raising five assignments of error. Krasn claims that his conviction should be reversed because of: (1) the government’s breach of a plea bargain agreement; (2) the pre-indictment delay; (3) the instructions on conspiracy; (4) insufficient evidence of the effect of the conspiracy on prices; and (5) the introduction of summary charts into evidence. After a thorough review of the record and Krasn’s arguments, we conclude that there was no reversible error and affirm his conviction.

I. FACTS

What follows is a brief description of the background of the conspiracy. Other factual matters are discussed as they become necessary to our consideration of the arguments raised by Krasn.

Krasn was the president of Globe Packing…