Carbo v. United States

Sica and Carbo (defendants) were convicted of extorting control of a boxer's career from his manager and promoter; at trial, the government introduced testimony that Sica had a reputation as a violent enforcer for organized crime, offered specifically to show why the manager and promoter believed Sica would use violence if they resisted, rather than to suggest Sica's bad character made him likely to have committed extortion generally. The trial judge instructed the jury to consider the testimony only for that limited purpose over Sica's objection, and Sica appealed his conviction, challenging the admission of that testimony.