Opinion ID: 1448513
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: facts

Text: Joseph Henry Rossana (Rossana) hired John Momot, Esq. (Momot) to perform legal services approximately twenty years ago. As their relationship progressed, Rossana and Momot became business partners in several ventures, including a Las Vegas bar, The Rumrunner, Inc. In 1985, Momot and Rossana's business relationship faltered, and Momot filed suit against Rossana to collect on his one-third interest in the Rumrunner after Rossana had sold the bar. In 1987, Momot hired attorney Jim Jimmerson (Jimmerson) to represent him in his civil suit against Rossana. In September, 1992, the district court awarded judgment in favor of Momot in the amount of $225,779.09. In November, 1992, Momot executed judgment upon some of Rossana's personal assets and, allegedly, upon those of Rossana's daughter. On November 19, 1992, Rossana went to Momot's law office in an attempt to talk to Momot and instead spoke with Momot's brother and office manager, Joseph Momot (Joseph). Joseph testified that he perceived Rossana's demeanor as being threatening and frightening; Joseph stated that he asked Rossana if the conversation should be interpreted as a threat, testifying as follows: [Rossana] told me that [Momot] ... is going to be sorry if continues [sic] with this activity and he'd better cease and desist, or words to that affect, otherwise he'll be very sorry for his activity. At which point I asked him if I should interpret this as a threat? Are you threatening my brother [Momot]? And at that time [Rossana] replied, well, I don't have a gun on me now. And then he went on to reiterate his previous statements ... he didn't ask me rather he told me that the situation the way it presently stood was unacceptable.... After Rossana left Momot's office, Joseph told Momot about the incident and filed a police report. Further attempts to execute on the civil judgment against Rossana were stayed when Rossana appealed the judgment to this court and concomitantly filed a bankruptcy petition. The parties presented oral argument in early January, 1994, and this court affirmed the civil judgment and denied Rossana's appeal in May, 1994. Meanwhile, between April, 1993 and January, 1994, Momot and Jimmerson's vehicles were repeatedly vandalized, and on January 20, 1994, shots were fired at Momot's residence in the early morning hours. Rossana was charged with committing these acts. At Rossana's trial, the State asserted that the civil judgment against Rossana, Momot's efforts to execute upon the judgment, and the dismissal of Rossana's appeal motivated Rossana to commit these criminal acts. [1] The State further asserted that acts of vandalism coincided with major events in the civil action Rossana was appealing. On April 6, 1993, Momot filed a motion to dismiss Rossana's appeal; on April 16, 1993, a re-notice of a creditors meeting was filed in bankruptcy court; and on April 26, 1993, an ex parte extension of time was granted to Rossana to transmit the record on appeal. On April 15, 1993, Jimmerson's 1992 Mercedes was vandalized with acid at his office. On April 26 and 27, 1993, Momot's 1980 Mercedes was keyed (scratched with a key) and had solvent poured on it at his law office garage. On May 3, 1993, Momot filed a second motion to dismiss Rossana's civil appeal, Rossana filed an opposition, and Momot filed a response, asking for sanctions against Rossana. On May 24 and 25, 1993, Momot's 1980 Mercedes was keyed at his office parking lot. In June, 1993, Rossana filed a supplemental opposition to Momot's motion to dismiss, there was a bankruptcy hearing pertaining to an order to show cause, a notice of approval of disclosure statement was filed, and on June 23, 1993, Momot filed a third motion to dismiss Rossana's civil appeal. On June 9, 1993, Momot's Mercedes was once again keyed in his office parking garage. On June 20, 1993 the top of Momot's wife's (Sandra) 1978 Mercedes convertible was slashed open, and chemicals and paint were sprayed on that car and on Momot's son's 1978 BMW, both parked at Momot's residence. On June 18, 1993, Jimmerson's 1992 Mercedes was keyed while parked in front of a local bar and grill located in the vicinity of the Rumrunner bar. Momot testified that his 1980 Mercedes was again keyed at his office garage on July 20, 1993. [2] Following these acts of vandalism, Momot had surveillance video equipment installed at his home and in his parking garage at work. On December 13 and 22, 1993, the surveillance camera recorded a man allegedly inserting nails into the tires of Momot's 1980 Mercedes while it was parked in his office garage; Momot, Joseph, and a private investigator, Michael Wysocki (Wysocki), hired by Momot to locate the perpetrator, testified that the man in the video was indeed Rossana. In early January of 1994, Rossana's civil appeal was argued before this court. Momot's neighbor testified that on January 20, 1994, at approximately 1:00 a.m., he awoke to a gunshot, looked out his window, and saw a second gunshot fired at Momot's house from the open driver's side window of a four door car with tinted windows parked in front of the Momot house. Sandra testified that she and her daughter (who were sleeping in the house) heard the two shots fired at their home. A light fixture above the garage had been shattered, so Sandy swept up the glass and threw the debris into a trash can. Police later found a deformed bullet fragment in that trash can. Wysocki reviewed the video of the car from which the shots were fired at Momot's house, drove to Rossana's house, and concluded that Rossana's car was similar to the car depicted in the surveillance video. Momot then turned over to the Las Vegas Metro Police the videos (from December 13 and 22, 1983) allegedly depicting Rossana putting nails into Momot's car tires along with the video of the shooting incident. Detective Ramos testified that a warrant was then obtained and Rossana's home was searched on January 21, 1994. Although no nail guns or caustic chemicals were found at Rossana's home, a .38 caliber pistol was recovered. The gun was found in Rossana's bedroom, and it had four bullets in its cylinder and two empty chambers. Police also collected two spent bullet casings from Rossana's bedroom. Forensic tests on the items retrieved from Rossana's home and the bullet fragment recovered at Momot's residence were inconclusive. On July 11, 1994, the State filed an information against Rossana charging him with aggravated stalking, malicious destruction of property (felony and gross misdemeanor), discharging a firearm at or into a structure, and discharging a firearm out of a motor vehicle (this last count was eventually dropped). On February 23, 1995, a jury found Rossana guilty on all remaining counts.