State v. Fernando Moreno-Acosta, 2014 WI App 122; case activity While § 943.201(2) requires the state to prove the defendant used personal identifying information belonging to an actual person, it need not prove that the defendant knew the information belonged to another “real, actual person.” Moreno-Acosta was accused of identity theft for using Kimberly Herriage’s social security number to… Read more
F. Ch. 943: Against property
State v. Adam J. Gajeski, 2014AP612-CR, District 3, 10/7/14 (1-judge; ineligible for publication); case activity The evidence was sufficient to support the guilty verdict on a theft charge because the jury could have reasonably inferred Gajeski intended to permanently deprive the owner of the property at the time he took the property. After an altercation… Read more
State v. Kim B. Simmelink, 2014 WI App 102; case activity The court of appeals holds that § 939.74(2)(b)’s extended statute of limitation for certain theft charges runs from actual discovery of the theft, and not from when the theft should have been discovered with the exercise of reasonable diligence. In 2006 authorities began investigating whether Simmelink… Read more
State v. David Phillip Foley, 2013AP1722-CR/2013AP1723-CR; district 1, 6/17/14 (unpublished); case activity Under § 943.20(1)(d), theft by fraud requires, among other things, that the defendant made a false representation to the owner of the property that the defendant stole. This does not require direct communication between the defendant and the victim. It is sufficient that… Read more
State v. Richard P. Selenske, 2013AP1403-CR, District 3, 11/5/13; court of appeals decision (1-judge; ineligible for publication); case activity A dispute about a contract for the purchase of standing hay grew into a misdemeanor theft charge when Selenske, the farmer who owned the hay fields, would not let Kern, the farmer who purchased the hay… Read more
State v. Greg LaPean, 2012AP2309-CR, District 3, 9/26/13 (not recommended for publication); case activity This case boils down to whether LaPean transferred encumbered farm equipment with intent to defraud his lender, Security State Bank, in violation of § 943.84(2)(a); Wis JI-Criminal 1470. LaPean asserted the real controversy was not tried due to an incomplete instruction on intent, there… Read more
State v. Steffes, 2013 WI 53, on review of a published court of appeals opinion; case activity; majority opinion by Justice Gableman; Chief Justice Abrahamson and Justice Bradley dissent. Given the absence of precedent, Wisconsin Supreme Court may be out on a limb (or, rather, a pole) on this one. Apparently, while in prison, Matthew… Read more
State v. Keith M. Bohannon, 2013 WI App 87; case activity Substitution of judge; “new” judge under § 971.20(5) When a case is reassigned from the original judge to a second judge and then reassigned again back to the first judge, the first judge is the “original” judge assigned to the case under § 971.20(4), not a “new”… Read more
