THUNDER BAY - Counsel for Mary Voss is arguing that she made no attempts to extort the alleged victim into purchasing a house for her, with the victim agreeing, believing she was misled by Keith and Marisa Hobbs.
“You don’t really believe Voss tried to extort you and tried to get a house out of you,” asked George Joseph, who is representing Voss.
“I believe she was swayed by other people, put under their spell,” the victim replied, referring to Keith and Marisa Hobbs.
The alleged victim in the extortion trial against Keith and Marisa Hobbs and Voss concluded his testimony after three days on the witness stand.
Joseph began his cross-examination Monday morning on Day 6 of the trial by questioning the victim’s memory of events and allegations he testified to last week, including an alleged assault by Voss, the drafting of a fake will, and whether or not Voss said she had given videos of the victim to police.
The victim first described having a close relationship with Voss, even crediting her with saving his life.
In earlier testimony, the victim made reference to overhearing a phone call between Voss and someone in Ghana where he claims to have heard her say: ‘I will get more money out of him.’
“In fairness, you don’t know who she was referring to in that conversation?” Joseph asked.
“No I don’t,” the victim replied. “But I certainly assume it was me.”
Joseph then asked about an alleged physical assault by Voss on the victim, where he testified he was punched twice in the face, knocked to the ground, and possibly kicked.
“Two punches, one to each side of your face, so hard it knocks down an over 200 pound man, is that right?” Joseph asked
“That is exactly right,” the victim responded.
“I’m going to suggest that never happened.”
“You can suggest all you want, but it happened.”
According to Joseph, this alleged assault never happened because the victim did not have any bruises on his face and no injuries were documented when he had another individual take photos of other injuries on his body.
Joseph also pointed to the victim still wanting to be around Voss, despite her allegedly assaulting him.
“In the throes of whatever happened, you want Mary with you, despite the fact that you said she beat you,” Joseph said.
The victim responded by referring to his heavy drinking at the time of the alleged incident, saying: “I’m not arguing that. The mood swings of alcoholics with this amount of alcohol are wild.”
Continuing in the same vein, Joseph questioned the victim several times about his memory, his alcohol and prescription drug use, and how it could have impaired his memory.
This was referenced in relation to what the victim said was a fake will, though Joseph argued that the victim was the one to draft it as a form of atonement for his actions the night before and simply doesn’t remember.
Joseph also questioned the victim on whether or not Voss was actually attempting to extort him and if she made reference to handing a USB drive to a Thunder Bay Police Service officer containing videos showing the victim acting erratically and using vulgar and offensive language, and a possible physical altercation.
According to the victim’s testimony last week, Voss made reference to giving the videos to an officer with the Thunder Bay Police Service and having control over what the officer will do with them.
“You have a vague recollection of Voss saying something I find very out of character,” Joseph said. “You said when questioned by you, is this true what the mayor is telling you, she responds: I gave them the USB with an envelope and they will not open it until I call them. Do you remember saying that?”
The victim testified that he remembered saying that and even recalled his testimony from last week when he said it was something he will never forget.
“When Keen asked you about that meeting, about what Mary Voss said about providing police the video and giving it to police, you said that is something you will never forget,” Joseph said.
“I even remember how she looked,” the victim replied.
But Joseph contended that Voss never actually said those words, pointing to the fact that the victim never mentioned it during any statements given to the OPP during the investigation and only mentioned it for the first time during the preliminary hearing held in June 2018.
“It is because Mary Voss never said those words sir,” Joseph said. “Never said anything that she had any control over any USB stick or the opportunity to go to the police.”
“My memory tells me that she said it and what I’m questioning is whether I was asked that specific question during those two days with the OPP and I don’t know that answer,” the victim said.
Joseph concluded his cross-examination by asking if he believed Voss was attempting to extort him into purchasing a house, to which the victim said no.
“You will agree with me that nowhere in the texts that you’ve seen and nowhere does Mary Voss say to you, buy me a house or I’m going to go to police?” Joseph asked.
“I think that’s fair, yes,” the victim said. “[. . .] I don’t recall her badgering me or harassing me or being relentless. It was the other two.”
Crown attorney Peter Keen did not ask any questions during the opportunity for re-examination.
