United States v. Doyle Williams

In November, 1978, Doyle Williams, an executive of the Steamfitters Union (Local 342), was convicted by a federal trial jury of conspiring to attempt to use violence to intimidate Ernest Boyer from exercising his rights as a union member and of attempting to use violence to intimidate Boyer from exercising his rights to free speech guaranteed to him under federal labor laws. Williams was the business manager and chief executive officer of Local 342 of the Steamfitters Union, located in Concord, California, and had hired one Lew Dowdle to assault Boyer in retaliation for Boyer’s outspoken opposition to certain of Williams’ Union policies. Williams’ defense was a denial of the conspiracy with Dowdle to assault Boyer and a claim that Dowdle had attacked Boyer on his own. Williams was indicted by a grand jury for conspiracy to violate 29 U.S.C. § 530 , in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 371 (Count One) and with a substantive violation of 29 U.S.U § 530 (Count Two). Williams’ trial resulted in a jury verdict against appellant on both counts. He was thereafter sentenced to the custody of the Attorney General for one year and fined $1,000 on each count. The sentences of imprisonment were…