Opinion ID: 200612
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Threats Transmitted Via Interstate Communication

Text: 36 To convict under § 875, the government had to prove that the defendant intended to transmit the interstate communication and that the communication contained a true threat. See United States v. Whiffen, 121 F.3d 18, 20 (1st Cir.1997) (quoting United States v. Darby, 37 F.3d 1059, 1066 (4th Cir.1994)). A true threat is one that a reasonable recipient familiar with the context of the communication would find threatening. Id. For a conviction under § 875(b), the government also had to prove that the threat was transmitted with the specific intent to extort money or a thing of value. See United States v. Himelwright, 42 F.3d 777, 783 (3d Cir.1994). 37 A reasonable jury could find that Nishnianidze transmitted a threat in interstate commerce with the intent of extorting money. The jury heard Nishnianidze's telephone conversations, specifically the interstate telephone call of February 3 in which Nishnianidze stated that not paying the money would be worse for me and ah, also for your family. He told Finfer that [t]hey can take the child from yard, and warned that Finfer could never be safe because they could act at any time in the future. Nishnianidze finished by saying, If you are afraid for [your son] and his life in this case you must do right for your son, you must pay. 38 The jury also considered the circumstances leading up to this conversation: Nishnianidze appeared in Boston out of the blue after nearly three years; went to the family's home and videotaped the child; and began a series of phone calls to the family discussing the danger posed by the biological family (who were referred to as crazy people) and the need to pay $50,000 to avoid harm to either Nishnianidze's family or Alexander. 39 Nishnianidze asserts that he was simply warning the family and cannot be convicted because he never threatened to personally kidnap Alexander. His argument fails. Nishnianidze told Finfer and Shea that the only way to ensure their son's safety was to pay him $50,000. Thus, Nishnianidze acknowledged that he alone could prevent harm from befalling Alexander. His statements in the final phone call that Finfer could send the money directly to the birth mother came after the threats had already been made. A jury could have found that Nishnianidze either controlled the biological family's actions or, more likely, that the story of the biological family was fabricated and the real danger was posed by Nishnianidze himself. There was ample evidence to support a finding that Nishnianidze's comments placed Finfer and Shea in immediate fear for their son's safety.