In the United States v. Wardwell case of 1898, the Supreme Court ruled on a matter involving fraudulent claims against the government. The defendant, Mr. Wardwell, was accused of making false claims to obtain money from the U.S Treasury Department by submitting fraudulent vouchers for payment while serving as an Indian agent in Alaska. He appealed his conviction arguing that he had been denied due process because some evidence used against him at trial was obtained through a search and seizure conducted without a warrant. The Supreme Court upheld his conviction stating that there were no constitutional protections violated during this process since it occurred before any formal charges were brought against him and thus did not constitute an unreasonable search or seizure under Fourth Amendment standards applicable at that time. This decision established precedent regarding when Fourth Amendment protections apply in relation to criminal investigations and prosecutions.

In the dissenting opinion for United States v. Wardwell, it was argued that the defendant's actions did not constitute a violation of the law as stated in his indictment. The justice believed that while Wardwell had indeed made false statements to an agent of the government, these lies were not directly related to any claim against the United States or its treasury and therefore should not be punishable under existing statutes. He further contended that if every lie told by a citizen could potentially lead to criminal charges, then there would be no end to prosecutions; this would result in an overreach of governmental power and infringe upon individual liberties. Thus, he disagreed with majority’s interpretation of what constituted fraud against government agencies.