People v. Sattlekau
Supreme Court of New York, Appellate Division
104 N.Y.S. 805 (1907)
Sattlekau (defendant) advertised for a housekeeper with the "possibility of matrimony." Rosa Kaiser answered, and Sattlekau falsely told her he owned the "Uncle Sam Hotel" in Pennsylvania and needed to borrow $1,000 toward a New York lease he planned to convert into their future home, promising to repay her once his hotel sale closed. She gave him the money and never saw him again until his arrest — at the same spot he had met her, while attempting the identical scheme on another woman. No such hotel existed. A jury convicted Sattlekau of grand larceny by false pretenses, and he appealed.
Whether an individual is guilty of false pretenses when he makes a false representation about a business venture with intent to defraud, inducing the victim to hand over money.