United States v. Robert L. Chesney

Appellant Robert Chesney was convicted following a jury trial of knowing conversion of public funds, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 641 , filing false claims, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 287 , and money laundering, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1956 . We affirm.

I

Chesney’s convictions stem from an elaborate scheme to defraud the Social Security Administration. Special Agent Joseph Malfero of the Department of Health and Human Services’ Inspector General’s Office testified at trial that on June 3, 1991, Randy Illgenfritz, a Social Security Administration Quality Assurance Supervisor, informed him that he had arranged a meeting with Randy Carter, a Social Security Supplemental Income recipient suspected of fraud. At the meeting, Special Agent Malfero recognized Carter as a man that he had seen with a number of different California identification cards and whose true identity he had determined to be Chesney.

After leaving the meeting, a surveillance team began following Chesney. The surveillance team observed him enter several post offices and access a number of different ATM’s (Automatic Teller Machines). On June 10, 1991, agents searched Chesney’s home pursuant to a search warrant.…