United States v. Davis

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In 2012, “Mickey” Davis made a $300,000 start-up loan to Ideal Motors, a Melrose Park, Illinois car dealership, owned by R.J. Serpico and his father Joseph Serpico. Within months, Joseph had gambled the money away and Ideal Motors had fallen deep in arrears. A man named “Mickey” conspired to have R.J.’s legs broken. Though the scheme was never carried out, Davis was convicted of attempted extortion and using extortionate means to collect a loan. The Seventh Circuit affirmed, upholding the admission of out-of-court statements by several people involved in the conspiracy, noting independent evidence that the conspiracy existed and tending to show that Davis participated in it. The court affirmed the district court’s decision to allow prosecutors to impeach the testimony of a key prosecution witness with his prior inconsistent statements to government agents. The court also rejected arguments concerning witness immunity, the scope of cross-examination, and the government’s closing argument. View "United States v. Davis" on Justia Law