Opinion ID: 2736643
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: The Nervous Groom

Text: On July 19, 2010, Samson and Ronald went to the immigration center to file a rebuttal. Pelletier happened to be working at the counter that day, and recognized Ronald, whom he had previously interviewed when Ronald applied for his permanent residence. According to Pelletier, Ronald did most of the talking and provided Pelletier with several documents: a proof of marriage authenticity purportedly signed by May, a bank statement from Five County Credit Union in the name of Samson Sengoonzi which showed a deposit transfer from Ronald for $25,3 and a Liberty Mutual receipt showing that an insurance agreement was purchased on behalf of Samson and paid for with Ronald's credit card. Unhappily for Samson, the documents that were proffered to bolster the authenticity of his marriage had the opposite effect. After 3 The bank account was opened in Samson's name on June 30, 2010, and May's name was added to the account on July 7, 2010. May testified that she agreed to add her name to the joint account because Samson said that he needed more proof of our marriage. Notably, Five County Credit Union has a minimum opening deposit requirement of $25. -7- viewing them, Pelletier referred the matter for criminal investigation. Pelletier also performed a simple online search and determined that May had given birth six weeks before the initial interview, yet she failed to mention anything about that child. Pelletier sent a second NOID in February 2011. In response to the second NOID, Pelletier received additional documents, including: paperwork from Five County Credit Union, insurance coverage, a Time Warner Cable bill, a W-2 in Samson's name, and a letter dated March 12, 2011, entitled proof of marriage that, again, purported to be signed by Alice G. Sengoonzi. May testified that she did not write or sign either letter. The immigration office requested another interview, but Samson cancelled it, claiming that his wife was out of state at the moment visiting with the rest of her family in Alabama. The second interview never occurred. At some point in 2010 or 2011, Samson gave May a Ford Explorer. Although she could not recall when she received the vehicle, May testified that Samson gave it to her because it was [p]retty much more money towards . . . the marriage. May further testified that she received additional money from Samson and Ronald either through Western Union or personally, but she was unable to remember the amounts. After she learned that she was under investigation regarding the marriage, May cooperated in the investigation and -8- signed a plea agreement. In June 2011, after she had begun cooperating with Agent James Bell of the Department of Homeland Security, May received a series of text messages that she forwarded to Bell. The text conversation began on June 10, 2011, when May missed a phone call on her cell phone. Because the number was unfamiliar, May texted back Who this. This exchange followed, between May's cell phone and a cell phone later determined to belong to Ronald: Its me ronald Who U remember Samson? Ya Im busy Don't need anything but to let u know if immigra[n]t guys came n ask u if samson gave you money or car to marry him just say no. When nearly an hour passed with no response from May, Ronald texted again: U got my text m[e]ss? Ya Coz they have been checkin some people if they were paid. And if u say yes ur put in jail for 5[]years. After forwarding these texts to Agent Bell, May agreed to wear a wire to record a conversation between herself and Samson on June 28, 2011. Although the tape of this conversation was not -9- introduced into evidence,4 Bell testified that, during the recording, May asked Samson, Why did you have Ronald text me? and later, [S]o you had him text me? In February 2012, a superseding indictment was filed charging Ronald with conspiring to participate in a sham marriage for the purpose of defrauding the United States. The indictment alleged two objects of the conspiracy: (1) for Samson to acquire a change of his United States immigration status to which he would not otherwise have been entitled by falsely representing to agencies of the United States Government that the marriage into which Samson entered . . . was bona fide when in fact it was not, and (2) for [May] to profit financially by accepting payments from co-conspirators, including Samson and Ronald, in exchange for participating in a sham marriage and helping Samson obtain a change of immigration status. A jury trial commenced in April 2013. At the close of the government's case, and again at the conclusion of the trial, Ronald moved for judgment of acquittal; both motions were denied. After a three-day trial, the jury convicted Ronald of conspiracy to defraud the government. Samson, who had been charged with conspiracy, document fraud, and making a false statement, pled guilty to the latter two counts and did not cooperate with the 4 The Assistant U.S. Attorney made a representation that the tape, which implicated Samson, was not offered into evidence because it was not relevant to the case against Ronald. -10- government, nor testify at Ronald's trial. At his sentencing hearing, Ronald was given four months in prison and one year of supervised release, four months of which must be spent in home confinement. Ronald timely appealed. He raises two main issues for our consideration. II.