United States v. Wayne M. Greiser, United States of America v. Roderick J. Monte, Jr.

Each appellant was convicted in a jury trial of the crime of extortion in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1951 , and of the crime of aiding and abetting in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 2 .

FACTS

On May 12, 1972, at approximately 4:00 P.M., Armour Black, manager of a branch office of a national bank in Phoenix, received a telephone call from an unidentified caller, in which Black was told that “ . . . this is a holdup . . . .’’He was then told that his wife was being held as a hostage, and that if he did what the caller indicated, nothing would happen to her. He was then directed to place twenty, fifty and one-hundred dollar bills in a brief case, and take the case across the street to a telephone booth in the Park-Central Shopping Center. Black was convinced of the validity of the threat and forthwith placed $20,500.00 in a black cardboard box and proceeded to cross the street. As Black was crossing the street, he saw a “hippie-type” man with long hair, blue jeans, a beard, a mustache, and a T-shirt. This man was later identified'as appellant Monte.

When Black reached the phone booth, he placed the box on a ledge and put a dime in the telephone slot. At this moment, a man came…