United States v. Charles T. McMahon

COFFIN, Senior Circuit Judge.

Appellant, Charles McMahon, was convicted of conspiracy to commit extortion, attempt to commit extortion, several counts of using a facility in interstate commerce (the telephone) to promote unlawful activity, and making false material declarations before a grand jury. He asserts a variety of errors at his trial. We affirm.

I. Background

In 1985, James Proko sought approval of his proposed Honda dealership from the Salem, New Hampshire planning board. Prior to the meeting at which the plan was to be discussed, Proko was contacted by William Hicks, a wealthy retired…