United States v. Wong

703 F.2d 65 (1983)

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Nature of the Case

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Facts

Wong (D) had two prior convictions for mail fraud at the time of trial on the charges at issue. Before putting D on the stand, his counsel moved to preclude use of these convictions to impeach him. The trial court ruled that the probative value of the prior convictions did not outweigh the potential for prejudice. However, because the convictions were for crimes involving dishonesty, the court found that a balancing process was not appropriate, and allowed the prosecution to introduce the convictions. D appeals his conviction, arguing that it was error for the court to admit the prior convictions without balancing their probative value against their potential for prejudice.