United States First Circuit

Convictions and sentence for filing false tax returns imposed on defendant, the first winner of the CBS reality TV show "Survivor," are affirmed over claims that: 1) the district court violated his Sixth Amendment rights by curtailing defendant's explanation of why he believed the show's producers had paid the taxes on his "Survivor" winnings; 2) in a variety of ways, the court improperly limited the defense's right to cross-examine; 3) the court wrongly allowed the government to use what defendant called "unqualified experts" while excluding some of the testimony of his own expert; and 4) his sentence was unreasonably harsh.

Appellate Information

• Decided 02/01/2008
• Published 02/01/2008

Judges

• CAMPBELL, Senior Circuit Judge., Before Boudin, Chief Judge, Campbell, Senior Circuit Judge, Howard, Circuit Judge.

Court

• United States First Circuit

Counsel

• For Appellant:
  
• Michael Louis Minns with whom Enid M. Williams and the Law Office of Michael Louis Minns P.L.C. was on brief for appellant., Donald C. Lockhart, Assistant United States Attorney, with whom Robert Clark Corrente, United States Attorney, Andrew J. Reich and Lee H. Vilker, Assistant United States Attorneys, were on brief for appellant.