Opinion ID: 497072
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: The Hotel Registration Card

Text: 24 Over the objections of the defendants the United States introduced in evidence a registration card for the San Carlos Inn. The employee who produced the card read the name which had been placed on the card by the registrant as Aiman. The address given by the registrant, however, was the correct address of appellant Aimaro. Aimaro's drivers license was introduced in evidence for comparison of the signatures and the jury could have found that the signature on the registration card was that of appellant Aimaro. 25 Defendants objected to the introduction of the registration card on the ground that there had been no proof that the person signing the card was the person he represented himself to be, and therefore, the registration card could not be accepted as proof of the fact that appellant Aimaro had actually made the reservation for four persons on the night of November 3. The government concedes: 26 Appellants are correct, however, that without testimony that it was the customary business practice for the motel to verify the name and address the guest provided with some sort of identification such as a drivers license or credit card, the card cannot be admitted to prove, by itself, that appellant Charles Aimaro registered at the hotel. United States v. Scallion, 533 F.2d 903, 914-915 (5th Cir.1976). 27 Gov.Br. at 44. 28 The government contends, however, that as to the name and address of the guest, the card was properly admissible for the non-hearsay purpose of showing that someone using the name Chuck Aimaro and appellant Aimaro's address registered at the San Carlos Inn. Scallion, 533 F.2d at 914-915. The government then contends that the jury could compare the purported guest signature with appellant Aimaro's drivers license, which was introduced in evidence, and determine that the registration had actually been made by appellant Aimaro. United States v. Lieberman, 637 F.2d 95 (2d Cir.1980). Under the circumstances, we conclude that the trial court did not abuse its discretion in admitting the card.