United States v. Christensen

Defendants are Anthony Pelicano, Mark Arneson, Rayford Turner, Abner Nicherie, Kevin Kachikian, and Terry Christensen. Defendants appealed their convictions for crimes stemming from a widespread criminal enterprise offering illegal private investigation services in Southern California. Defendants raised numerous issues on appeal. The court vacated Turner’s conviction for aiding and abetting computer fraud, Arneson’s convictions for computer fraud and unauthorized computer access, and Pellicano’s convictions for aiding and abetting both computer fraud and unauthorized computer access; the court also vacated Nicherie’s conviction for aiding and abetting a wire interception; the court affirmed the remaining convictions, including the RICO convictions of Pellicano, Arneson, and Turner for operating PIA’s criminal enterprise, Christensen’s convictions based on hiring that enterprise to illegally wiretap Lisa Bonder, and Kachikian’s convictions for his role in PIA’s wiretapping; the court vacated the sentences imposed on defendants whose convictions were vacated in part-Pellicano, Arneson, and Turner-and remanded for resentencing on their remaining, affirmed convictions; and the court remanded for further proceedings on the vacated counts of conviction, including the possibility of retrial, as may be appropriate, on those charges. View "United States v. Christensen" on Justia Law