United States v. Milko Mitov

460 F.3d 901, 2006 U.S. App. LEXIS 21320, 2006 WL 2391294
CourtCourt of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit
DecidedAugust 21, 2006
Docket05-2275
StatusPublished
Cited by35 cases

This text of 460 F.3d 901 (United States v. Milko Mitov) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
United States v. Milko Mitov, 460 F.3d 901, 2006 U.S. App. LEXIS 21320, 2006 WL 2391294 (7th Cir. 2006).

Opinion

BAUER, Circuit Judge.

Because of actions stemming from Milko Mitov’s mistaken belief that “everybody takes money in the United States,” a jury convicted him of attempted extortion under the Hobbs Act, 18 U.S.C. § 1951. On appeal, he attacks the form of his indictment, evidentiary decisions made by the trial court, the sufficiency of the evidence leading to his conviction, and his sentence. We affirm.

I. Background

In late 2000, Jay Berlinsky was contacted by Steven Japp, an executive with a corporate client, the family-owned Jays Potato Chip Company, on a personal legal matter. Steven was concerned about the estate of his recently deceased grandfather, Leonard Japp, Sr. Leonard had died in August 2000 at the age of 96, and he left his entire estate to his third wife, Janice. This distribution was contrary to Steven’s expectations, and he and his relatives suspected undue influence on the part of the beneficiaries. Because Berlinsky, an attorney with the law firm of Schwartz, Cooper, Greenberger, and Krauss, 1 represented the company in their corporate legal affairs, he referred the case to his partner, Richard Schultz. Schultz specialized in the litigation of such matters, and he agreed to represent Steven and his relatives.

When Schultz was conducting his initial research on the matter, the Japp family put him in touch with Milko Mitov. Mitov had worked as Leonard’s caretaker in the Japp household from November 1998 to January 2000. During that time he was in close contact with the elderly patriarch.

On January 4, 2001, Schultz and his associate Brad Springer met with Mitov at his then current workplace in a suburb of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. During the course of the interview Schultz and Mitov discussed what Mitov had observed in the Japp household during his fifteen months of employment. The meeting was conducted in English, and the men had little trouble understanding each other. Springer took notes during the course of the discussion. At the conclusion of the meeting, Schultz believed Mitov was an important witness in the case for undue influence.

In February 2001, Schultz filed a civil complaint in DuPage County Circuit Court on behalf of Steven Japp, and members of his family, contesting certain amendments made to the structure of Leonard Japp, Sr.’s estate. The complaint was based in large part on the information provided by Mitov. In anticipation of the legal proceeding to follow, Schultz notified Mitov that he and other attorneys would likely contact him again in the coming months.

Over the course of the next year, however, obtaining Mitov’s testimony became a major issue in the civil suit. On June 26, 2001, Schultz and Mitov met at the office of Schwartz, Cooper to discuss the deposition schedule. But Mitov had a different agenda. Schultz testified that Mitov demanded $100,000, tax-free, in exchange for his testimony in the civil suit. The payment was to be made in five to ten days to a Bulgarian radio station identified specifically by a pamphlet that Mitov brought to the meeting. He threatened that, should the payment not be made, he would forget *904 his testimony and pretend to be unable to speak English at his deposition. Schultz rejected the proposition and asked Mitov if he was joking. He was not. Schultz then informed him that to pay for his testimony would be a crime, and that “[w]e don’t do that in the United States.” Trial Tr. vol. 1, 41, June 8, 2004. Mitov disagreed: “Don’t tell me how things are done in the United States. Everybody takes money in the United States.” Id.

Schultz testified that he repeatedly attempted to dissuade Mitov from this demand. But Mitov told Schultz that the Japps stood to profit from the suit and that his testimony was going to help them do that. The payment was in exchange for this help. Mitov then informed Schultz that should he not be paid, he would take a job in Texas where Schultz would never find him. Mitov closed his remarks by noting: “I’m not going to change my mind. You’re going to pay me the $100,000 or you’re not going to get my testimony.” Trial Tr. vol. 1, 42, June 8, 2004. At the close of this, and each subsequent meeting with Mitov, Schultz made a memo recording the substance of the conversation.

Schultz further testified that over the course of the next three months Mitov reiterated his demand for payment. On July 10, 2001, Mitov phoned Schultz and asked if he was going to pay the $100,000. This time Mitov set the deadline for 5 p.m. that day. Schultz again refused, and took the opportunity to remind him that what he was doing was wrong; that it was a crime. Additionally, he asked Mitov to meet with him again at his office so that they could discuss the consequences of the demand. Mitov told Schultz he would consider the meeting, and asked Schultz to call him the next day. When Schultz made the call on July 12, however, Mitov again demanded payment. At the end of the conversation, Schultz convinced Mitov to meet in person again.

On Friday, July 13, 2001, Schultz and Berlinsky met with Mitov in person in an attempt to change his mind. Schultz testified that he told Mitov it was illegal to demand payment for his testimony, that doing so was “... extortion. It’s a criminal violation.” Trial Rec. vol. 1, 47, June 8, 2004. Their actions were to no avail: Mi-tov responded by raising his demand. He told them he wanted $100,000 before and another $100,000 after the trial. Again, he told them the first payment should be made to the Bulgarian radio station. During this meeting Mitov also told them that he was afraid of Eric Koenig, Janice Japp’s son-in-law. Schultz told him that if he was afraid they should contact the authorities to obtain protection. At the close of the discussion Schultz handed Mitov his deposition subpoena with the date set for August 14, 2001.

Schultz testified that Mitov came to see him again on July 18, 2001, and the meeting followed a familiar arc. Initially Mitov told Schultz he would testify truthfully, but then added he would do so only in exchange for payment. Additionally, Schultz testified Mitov told him the Japp family had already paid him $300 for information and loaned him money to purchase a car during his term of employment. Lastly, Mitov claimed that Schultz had already promised to pay him the $100,000, a claim which Schultz denied.

After repeatedly meeting with Schultz, Mitov turned his attention to Berlinsky. The two men met twice, first on August 6, and again on August 8, 2001. Berlinksy testified that over the course of the meetings he tried to convince Mitov to testify without payment, and Mitov attempted to persuade him to come up with the money. Neither men were successful in their endeavor. Mitov did not attend his scheduled deposition on August 14, 2001, and his deposition was never taken.

*905 After Mitov failed to attend his deposition, Schultz doubted the possibility of succeeding in the Japp estate dispute. He testified that the complaint relied heavily on information Mitov provided in the January meeting, and that even if Mitov were to testify at a later date, he would have had to notify opposing counsel of the demand for payment.

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Bluebook (online)
460 F.3d 901, 2006 U.S. App. LEXIS 21320, 2006 WL 2391294, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-milko-mitov-ca7-2006.