Opinion ID: 4470975
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: The 2011 Threat by the Botsvynyuk Sister

Text: The District Court allowed I.S.9 and her husband Mykhaylo Tomiyuk to testify about a 2011 visit to their home in Ukraine by the Botsvynyuks’ sister. According to the couple, Pasha Botsvynyuk (“Pasha”) threatened them, and, as a result, they decided to return to the United States. According to Mykhaylo, this evidence constituted hearsay that could not have been admitted under Rule 801(d)(2)(E). We conclude that this evidence was properly admitted—not as statements of a co-conspirator—but to explain why these witnesses came to the United States in response to the defense’s portrayal of the victims as motivated by a desire to obtain legal status