Criminal Information, U.S. v. William John Lewis and Donald Sylvester Murphy (signed by U.S. Attorney Stan Pitkin)
Title revised to match the document’s own text.
Original title: Criminal Information, U.S. v. William John Lewis and Donald Sylvester Murphy (Counts II-IV, signed by U.S. Attorney Stan Pitkin)
Document date 13 July 1972
Report a problem
Email this to [email protected]
Id: Cooper-Part-04:001-004
Subject: Cooper Files: Cooper-Part-04:001-004 Document: Criminal Information, U.S. v. William John Lewis and Donald Sylvester Murphy (signed by U.S. Attorney Stan Pitkin) Id: Cooper-Part-04:001-004 Page: https://cooper.theunsolved.net/documents/Cooper-Part-04%3A001-004 What is wrong (title, date, type, which pages belong together, copies)? What does the scan show?
A person reads every report. Corrections are made by hand, to the data — titles, dates, names, which pages belong together — never to the scans, and they can take a while to appear.
FBI 164-81, Vault Part 4 pp. 1–4, Other, dated 13 Jul 1972 — cooper.theunsolved.net/documents/Cooper-Part-04%3A001-004
7. It was further a part of [said] scheme and artifice to defraud the[m] on or about February [2]3, [19]72, defendant[s] DONALD SYLVESTER MURPHY represented himself to be the person known as "D. B. Cooper" for the purpose of being interviewed by Karl Fleming, well knowing said representation would be and was false when made.
8. On or about February 16, 1972, defendants WILLIAM JOHN LEWIS and DONALD SYLVESTER MURPHY, having devised and intended to devise the aforesaid scheme and artifice to defraud, and for obtaining money by means of false and fraudulent pretenses, representations and promises, did induce Karl Fleming to travel in, and be transported in interstate commerce from Los Angeles, California to Seattle, Washington, within the Western District of Washington, in the execution of the aforesaid scheme and artifice to defraud Karl Fleming, Newsweek Magazine, and Platypus Publications of money in excess of $5,000.
All in violation of Title 18 U.S.C. §2314 and §2.
COUNT II
1. The United States Attorney realleges all of the allegations contained in Count I, paragraphs 1 through 7, of this Information.
2. On or about February 20, 1972, defendants WILLIAM JOHN LEWIS and DONALD SYLVESTER MURPHY, having devised and intended to devise the aforesaid scheme and artifice to defraud, and for obtaining money by means of false and fraudulent pretenses, representations and promises, did induce Karl Fleming to travel in, and be transported in interstate commerce from Los Angeles, California to Seattle, Washington, within the Western District of [text cut off at bottom of page]
Washington, in [the] execution of the afore[said] scheme and artifice [of/to] defraud Karl Fleming, Newsweek Magazine, and Platypus Publications of money in excess of $5,000. All in violation of Title 18 U.S.C. §2314 and §2.
---
COUNT III
1. Beginning on or about February 1, 1972, and continuing thereafter through or about May 2, 1972, within the Western District of Washington, defendants WILLIAM JOHN LEWIS and DONALD SYLVESTER MURPHY, did willfully and unlaw- fully combine, conspire and agree together and with other unknown persons, to commit offenses against the United States, to wit, to violate Section 2314, Title 18 U.S.C., by devising a scheme and artifice to defraud Karl Fleming, Newsweek Magazine, and Platypus Publications of money in excess of $5,000, by means of false and fraudulent pretenses, representations and promises and in execution thereof to induce Karl Fleming to travel in and be transported in interstate commerce from Los Angeles, California to Seattle, Washington.
2. It was part of said conspiracy that defendant WILLIAM JOHN LEWIS would contact Karl Fleming and convince him that defendant LEWIS knew the true identity of an alleged aircraft hijacker known as "D. B. Cooper" and that defendant LEWIS could arrange an exclusive interview between Fleming and "D. B. Cooper."
3. It was further a part of said conspiracy that defendant WILLIAM JOHN LEWIS demanded $45,000 for the interview.
4. It was further a part of said conspiracy that defendants WILLIAM JOHN LEWIS and DONALD SYLVESTER MURPHY would represent defendant MURPHY as "D. B. Cooper" and he would be interviewed by Karl Fleming.
5. In furtherance of the said conspiracy the defendants performed the following overt acts:
(1) On or about February 1, 1972, defendant WILLIAM JOHN LEWIS telephoned Karl Fleming at Los Angeles, California.
(2) On or about February 13, 1972, defendant WILLIAM JOHN LEWIS made a reservation for Karl Fleming at the Swept Wing Inn, Seattle, Washington.
(3) On or about February 16, 1972, defendant WILLIAM JOHN LEWIS met with Karl Fleming at the Swept Wing Inn, Seattle, Washington.
(4) On or about February 23, 1972, defendants WILLIAM JOHN LEWIS and DONALD SYLVESTER MURPHY met with Karl Fleming.
(5) On or about February 23, 1972, defendant DONALD SYLVESTER MURPHY, posing as "D. B. Cooper" partici- pated in an interview with Karl Fleming.
All in violation of Title 18 U.S.C. §371.
COUNT IV
1. The United States Attorney realleges all of the allegations contained in Count I, paragraphs 1 through 7, of this Information.
2. On or about February 1, 1972, defendants WILLIAM JOHN LEWIS and DONALD SYLVESTER MURPHY transmitted and caused to be transmitted, certain messages by means of wire [page cut off at line 30]
Seattle, Washington, and Los Angeles, California, for the purpose of executing the aforesaid scheme and artifice to defraud.
All in violation of Title 18 U.S.C. §1343 and §2. DATED this 13[guess: th] day of July, 1972.
---
/s/ Stan Pitkin STAN PITKIN United States Attorney
---
8
Serials: 18 U.S.C. §2, 18 U.S.C. §2314