Congress enacted a bank fraud statute as part of the Comprehensive Crime Control Act of 1984. The purpose of the bank fraud statute was to fill the gaps that existed with respect to fraud against federally chartered or insured institutions. Thereafter, other federal acts were passed to expand the scope and coverage of the bank fraud statute. Some of the other acts included the Financial Institutions Reform, Recovery, and Enforcement Act of 1989, the Crime Control Act of 1990, and the Racketeering Influence and Corrupt Organizations Act.
The Federal Meat Inspection Act was passed to ensure that consumers were protected and were provided with good quality meat. The Act provides prohibitions against numerous types of conduct.
An appeal is considered to be frivolous if it lacks merit. An appeal lacks merit if a trial court committed no error in a defendant's case. Attorneys generally have a duty not to file frivolous appeals. However, even though an attorney may deem that a defendant's appeal is frivolous, he or she may be required to file an appellate brief. Such a brief is called an "Anders" brief.
A defendant or the prosecution may file a motion for a joinder of defendants. It is within the trial court's discretion to grant or deny the motion for joinder. The party seeking the joinder must show that the defendants participated in the same act or transaction or in the same series of transactions. Joinder of defendants requires more than simply showing that the defendants committed similar offenses. The standard for joining defendants is satisfied if the defendants shared a common purpose or scheme and if there was an overlap in their acts.
Both the prosecution and a defendant have a right to request that certain instructions be submitted to a jury when a trial court charges the jury. A request for the instructions must be made in writing and must be presented to the trial court prior to the trial court's charge to the jury. The request may also be dictated to a court reporter in the presence of the trial court and counsel for both parties.
