Opinion ID: 4531772
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Summary of Special Agent Mesisca’s

Text: Overview Testimony Having determined the applicable rule, we now return to the appellants’ objections to Special Agent Mesisca’s overview testimony. Evidentiary objections are generally reviewed for an abuse of discretion. United States v. Georgiou, 777 F.3d 125, 143 (3d Cir. 2015). This standard applies to the admission of overview testimony. See Rosado-Perez, 605 F.3d at 54 (citing Hall, 434 F.3d 42, 56–57 (1st Cir. 2006)). However, although district courts are “ordinarily afforded broad discretion to determine the manner in which evidence will be received,” in light of the pervasive risks of unfair prejudice, overview testimony requires closer review. Moore, 651 F.3d at 58. Nevertheless, even if we find error in the admission of overview testimony, we can still affirm if the error was harmless. Rosado-Perez, 605 F.3d at 54. Applying our holding here, the District Court did not commit reversible error in admitting Mesisca’s testimony. Mesisca testified about his background, experience, and qualifications as the lead investigator in this case. He explained that the FBI had received a complaint about VOG from a timeshare developer, Flagship. Following a meeting with representatives of that company, Mesisca opened an investigation into VOG. He explained how he had subpoenaed VOG’s bank records and explained why certain checks were significant to his investigation. Mesisca interviewed potential victims, including people identified by Flagship and others whose names appeared on the checks. He also interviewed former VOG employees and conducted several undercover phone calls to obtain evidence from VOG. With this evidence, he applied for and obtained search warrants for VOG’s headquarters and the Lacerdas’ personal residence. The evidence, collected from Mesisca’s search, included purchase agreements, settlement and cancelation 10 contracts, emails and complaints from concerned victims, customer lead sheets, client information forms, and phone scripts used at VOG. His testimony provided the foundation for admitting this evidence as exhibits, and then, as with the bank records, he explained why the evidence was significant to his investigation. Mesisca testified that both Lacerda and his wife had control of VOG’s account. While the account received many deposits, no money from the account was used to pay off any timeshare debts. Instead, the Lacerdas used the money to buy a dog, a swimming pool, and similar things. Mesisca learned that some former Wyndham customers may have been victimized by VOG. One victim had received a phone call from “Robert Klein” representing VOG. Mesisca subpoenaed the caller’s phone records and discovered that the phone number was used by VOG, after incoming calls were forwarded to a local number in New Jersey. He also learned that “Robert Klein” was an alias for Lacerda. At the trial, Mesisca discussed the evidence he obtained through execution of the search warrant at VOG’s headquarters, laying the foundation for the admission of exhibits and explaining their importance to the investigation. He further explained the sales pitches used by VOG, based on the notes, emails, and phone scripts found at the office during the search, and illustrated many of the misrepresentations VOG representatives had made to victims. Mesisca obtained press releases issued by VOG and visited its website to collect more information and evidence. His testimony provided the foundation to enter this evidence as exhibits at trial. He also explained that, during his investigation, he met with informants who shared with him a video recording of a VOG employee training session. His testimony provided the foundation for entering this video recording into evidence. He was able to show, from his investigation, that Manzoni was working at and receiving income from VOG in October 2010, and Resnick was receiving income from VOG while collecting unemployment benefits in September and October 2010. 11 During the execution of the search warrant, Mesisca interviewed Lacerda. Lacerda advised him that he was the president and CEO of VOG and, contrary to the company’s sales pitches, that VOG was not associated with any bank, that it had no ability to pay off anyone’s mortgage or loan, and that it did not settle anyone’s debts. Lacerda acknowledged that his sales force used aliases but claimed that was only to induce outsiders to believe VOG was larger than it really was. Lacerda admitted that he used the VOG business account for personal expenses but claimed that he took only about $30,000. Mesisca’s investigation, showed that number was closer to $600,000. Lacerda admitted receiving unemployment benefits but claimed he had repaid those. Finally, Mesisca noted that, at the end of the interview, Lacerda refused to sign a statement that he had been truthful during the interview. Mesisca also interviewed Resnick who recounted that he worked as VOG’s premier closer: when other employees failed to complete a deal with a client, the information was sent to him to close it. A couple of weeks later, Mesisca again met with Resnick. During that second interview, Resnick acknowledged that he, too, had been a former Wyndham employee and that he took internal lead sheets from Wyndham and used them at VOG to call potential clients. Resnick admitted that he had collected unemployment benefits while working at VOG but claimed that he planned to repay the money. Mesisca interviewed Manzoni on three occasions. She admitted that VOG representatives told potential clients that the representatives worked with banks—it was part of the script they followed. During her August interview, she told Mesisca that, disillusioned with VOG, she had quit. We have set out Mesisca’s direct examination testimony to show that it was proper overview. It was limited to an account of his investigation, his personal observations, and his beliefs of what the evidence showed based on what he saw and heard and did. Also important is the testimony Mesisca did not offer. Because he was not directly involved in the execution of the warrant at the Lacerdas’ home, Mesisca did not tell the jury about that portion of the investigation. He only provided the foundation to admit evidence found at the Lacerdas’ house that 12 he had personally reviewed, and then related that evidence to bank records he had previously obtained While he noted that each of the defendants had been interviewed when the search warrant was executed at VOG, he did not discuss the statements made that day by Ashley Lacerda, DiVenti, or Manzoni because he did not personally conduct those interviews.