United States v. Beechum
United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit
582 F.2d 898 (5th Cir. 1978)
Relevant factsFree
Mail carrier Beechum (defendant), charged with unlawfully possessing a stolen silver dollar, claimed he intended to turn it in to his supervisor, but the prosecution introduced evidence that he also possessed two stolen credit cards mailed ten months earlier to addresses on his mail route, arguing this showed his actual intent regarding the silver dollar was unlawful rather than innocent; the jury was instructed to use the credit-card evidence only for this intent purpose, and Beechum was convicted and appealed.
IssueFree
Whether evidence of a criminal defendant's extrinsic offenses can be admissible to prove the defendant's intent.