UNITED STATES of America, Plaintiff-Appellee, v. Michael Dean WILLIAMS, Defendant-Appellant

668 F.2d 1064
CourtCourt of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
DecidedFebruary 8, 1982
Docket80-1857
StatusPublished
Cited by33 cases

This text of 668 F.2d 1064 (UNITED STATES of America, Plaintiff-Appellee, v. Michael Dean WILLIAMS, Defendant-Appellant) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
UNITED STATES of America, Plaintiff-Appellee, v. Michael Dean WILLIAMS, Defendant-Appellant, 668 F.2d 1064 (9th Cir. 1982).

Opinion

ALARCON, Circuit Judge.

Michael Dean Williams (Williams), after a jury trial, was found guilty of violating 18 U.S.C. §§ 2 & 894 (conspiracy, attempt to collect, and collection of a debt by extortionate means). For the reasons set forth below we reverse the conviction.

FACTUAL BACKGROUND

In August, 1979, Williams was approached by Michael Farmer. Farmer was seeking a $5,000 loan and had been unsuccessful in his attempts to obtain the money through conventional lending sources.

Williams told Farmer that he could not make the loan but that he would see if he had any friends who could. Shortly thereafter, Williams introduced Farmer to Vincent Marcheselli and co-defendant Hal Jenkins; Williams left after the introductions were made. Marcheselli and Jenkins agreed to lend $5,000 to Farmer on condition that Farmer repay $8,000 within ninety days. Farmer agreed.

In mid to late October, before the loan was due, Farmer began receiving threats concerning repayment from Don Henry, who was introduced to Farmer by Marcheselli. Finally, in late November, Farmer decided to go to the F.B.I.

The F.B.I. agents undertook an investigation and arranged to have Farmer cooperate in their investigation by having him wear a body recorder in order to tape any subsequent conversations with the defendants. Portions of the resulting tape recordings were introduced at trial against Williams and Jenkins. Marcheselli pled guilty before the trial and testified for the government.

At trial, the government’s evidence against Williams consisted primarily of tape recorded conversations between Farmer and the defendants, and the testimony of Farmer and Marcheselli. There was evidence that could reasonably have been construed as showing that Williams participated in the loansharking arrangement. For example, it could be inferred from the taped conversations that Williams had some knowledge of the details of the loan agreement with Farmer. 1 Furthermore, some parts of Williams’ discussions with Farmer could support an inference that Williams was indirectly threatening Farmer by stat *1067 ing that Farmer would be physically injured by others. 2 There was also evidence that Williams had received money from Farmer 3 and that Marcheselli was concerned about seeing that “little Mike” got his money. 4

The heart of Williams’ defense at trial was that he did not have the necessary intent to commit the crime of loansharking. He attempted to persuade the jury that he was not part of the extortion scheme 5 and that his only purpose in introducing Marcheselli to Farmer was because Farmer was in desperate need of the money and had exhausted conventional financing sources. 6 Once arrangements for the loan had been made, Williams contended that he was merely acting as a friend to Farmer in passing on information to him concerning the seriousness of his situation.

Williams raises several issues on appeal including the undue restriction of his attempt to impeach Marcheselli. Because this issue is dispositive of the case, we discuss it first.

RESTRICTION OF THE ATTEMPTED IMPEACHMENT OF MARCHESELLI

Williams asserts that he was unduly restricted in his cross-examination of Marcheselli, a key government witness, in violation of the confrontation clause of the sixth amendment. According to Williams, the trial judge’s refusal to admit a prior inconsistent statement of Marcheselli’s into evidence severely curtailed his ability to establish a defense. See Davis v. Alaska, 415 U.S. 308, 316, 94 S.Ct. 1105, 1110, 39 L.Ed.2d 347 (1974), Burr v. Sullivan, 618 F.2d 583, 586 (9th Cir. 1980), United States v. Harris, 501 F.2d 1, 8 (9th Cir. 1974).

The government objected to the admission of a prior inconsistent statement, identified as Exhibit “A”, on the basis that it was “an unsigned statement” but did not cite any authority to support the objection. The trial judge reserved ruling on the objection. Defense counsel properly authenticated Exhibit “A” pursuant to Fed.R.Evid. § 901(b)(1) through testimony of Marcheselli who admitted making the statement and that it was true, RT; 482-83, and by calling a witness, Bonnie L. Robbins, to testify that Marcheselli read the statement and agreed to its veracity. 7

*1068 On direct examination, Marcheselli testified that he may have talked to Williams about “putting pressure on Mr. Farmer to make payment.” RT: 476. This testimony was important to the prosecution’s case and therefore damaging to the defense because it tended to prove that Williams acted with criminal intent in that he attempted to frighten Farmer into complying with Marcheselli’s demands in furtherance of the conspiracy. Marcheselli, on cross-examination, however, several times denied telling Williams that Farmer was going to be hurt if he did not pay. 8 The night before Marcheselli testified, he made the following statement to defense counsel:

I, Vincent Frederick Marcheselli, being first duly sworn and upon his oath, deposes and says:
On a date I don’t remember in late July or early August, Mike Williams came to me and said he had a friend who was in terrible trouble because of a cocaine deal. The friend needed $5,000.00 and Mike wanted to know if I or anyone else I knew could lend it to him. I asked a number of people including Hal Jenkins.
Mike Williams introduced Mike Farmer to me and Hal Jenkins at the Yorktown. He left as soon as the introductions were made. He was not there when Jenkins, Farmer and I set the arrangements for the loan.
At no time did I use or try to use Mike Williams to scare Mike Farmer. Mike Williams had nothing at all to do with that. I did not at any time discuss the plan to scare Mike Farmer with Mike Williams.
I did tell Mike Williams that Mike Farmer was not paying and I did tell Mike Williams the same lies that I told Mike Farmer. I led Mike Williams to believe that there really was a “They” who were going to come down on Mike Farmer and later on me.
Mike Williams had no part in collecting the money at all.
(Emphasis added)

This statement was contained in the unsigned writing offered as Exhibit “A”.

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Bluebook (online)
668 F.2d 1064, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-of-america-plaintiff-appellee-v-michael-dean-williams-ca9-1982.