United States v. Sturm

MEMORANDUM UPON ENTRY OF JUDGMENT

WOODLOCK, District Judge.

This is a repossession dispute which ripened into a criminal proceeding.

I denied the defendant’s “Motion for Judgment of Acquittal,” after a jury verdict finding him guilty on Count One of attempted extortion under the Hobbs Act, 18 U.S.C. § 1951, and guilty on Count Two of violation of the bank felony statute, 18 U.S.C. § 2113(a). The principal question raised by that motion was whether the jury could properly conclude that the defendant’s lender, the Worcester County Institute for Savings (“WCIS” or “Bank”), was put in fear of…