Page:United States v. Delgado (19-20697) (2021) Opinion.pdf/4

 truck was permissible and asked which judge Perez was appearing before on the matter. When Perez told Guerra that he was appearing before Delgado, Guerra informed Perez that he would call him back shortly.

Instead, Perez received a call from Delgado. Delgado asked Perez to meet him at a bar to discuss the truck. At the bar, Delgado instructed Perez to meet him the next day with the truck at Panther Motors, a dealership in town. The Government asked Perez on direct examination if he had discussed any of his clients with Delgado while at the bar, and Perez answered: “Well, it wasn’t very much on the—on the client, it was more about the truck … .”

When the two met the next day at Panther Motors, Perez handed over the title to the truck to Delgado, who went inside while Perez waited in Delgado’s car. Delgado then dropped off Perez at Perez’s house.

Delgado never paid Perez for the truck. Records listed Montano as having sold the truck to Ignacio Ruiz, a close friend of Delgado and the owner of Panther Motors, on November 4, 2008. However, Montano was not present at Panther Motors that day, and had never been to Panther Motors. He never signed the title to Panther Motors or Ruiz, and Panther Motors had no records showing they paid Montano for the truck. Title to the truck was ultimately registered to Delgado’s son.

When Perez later tried to discuss the truck with Delgado, Delgado would move the conversation to other topics. When asked by the Government on direct examination what he got in exchange for the truck, Perez stated: “I guess access to [Delgado] … I would ask for—for things and it—you know, things would be granted.” Delgado continued Montano’s probation revocation hearing numerous times over the next four years, until it was eventually dismissed by another judge upon motion by the State.