Melvin Otey

Melvin L. Otey began his legal career in the U.S. Department of Justice Attorney General’s Honors Program as a Trial Attorney in the Organized Crime & Racketeering Section. Thereafter, he went into private practice and represented targets and witnesses at all stages of the investigative and adjudicative processes in a wide range of criminal matters including, inter alia, white collar crimes, violent crimes, and narcotics offenses. He later returned to the Justice Department in the Organized Crime & Gang Section, taught courses for federal prosecutors at the National Advocacy Center, and advised prosecutors nationally on all aspects of complex organized crime, racketeering, and white collar prosecutions.

Otey joined the Faulkner Law faculty in 2014. Among other courses, he teaches Criminal Law, Constitutional Criminal Procedure, Advanced Criminal Procedure, and Federal Crimes.

Education

  • J.D., Howard University School of Law
  • M.Div., Ministerial Leadership, Amridge University
  • B.S., Ministry/Bible, Amridge University
  • B.S.B.A., Finance, St. Louis University

Law Journal Publications

  • Melvin L. Otey, Jesus’s Objections During His Preliminary Examination and Modern Notions of Due Process, 35 REGENT L. REV. 91 (2022).
  • Melvin L. Otey, Does Motive Also Follow the Bullet? Transferred Intent and Violent Crimes in Aid of Racketeering, 89 Tenn. L. Rev. ___ (2022) (forthcoming).
  • Melvin L. Otey, The Vexing Case of Venue for Violent Crimes in Aid of Racketeering, 125 Penn. St. L. Rev. 737 (2021).
  • Melvin L. Otey, A Paradigm for the Proper Use of Pre-Majority Conduct in Prosecuting Continuing Crimes, 28 Geo. Mason L. Rev. 307 (2020).
  • Melvin L. Otey, Toward Improving Policing in African American Communities, 29 J. Civ. Rts. & Econ. Dev. 67 (2016).
  • Melvin L. Otey, Why RICO’s Extraterritorial Reach Is Properly Coextensive with the Reach of Its Predicates, 14 J. Int’l Bus. & L. 33 (2015).

Professional Legal Publications

  • Melvin L. Otey, The Supreme Court Clarifies RICO’s Extraterritorial Reach, American Bar Association Section of Antitrust Law, Winter 2017, at 11.
  • Melvin L. Otey, Transnational Organized Crime, Norwich Rev. Int’l & Transnat’l Crime, 2015, at 1.
  • Melvin L. Otey, 2D Circuit’s ‘Coextensive’ Approach to RICO’s Extraterritoriality, Civil RICO Report, February 2015, 30 No. 12 Civ. RICO Rep. 1.
  • Melvin L. Otey, A Primer on the Muddle Over RICO’s Extraterritoriality, 11 Bus. Torts & RICO News 1, 4-9 (2015).
  • U.S. Dep’t of Justice, Criminal Division, Organized Crime and Racketeering Section, Criminal RICO: 18 U.S.C. §§ 1961-1968 (A Manual for Federal Prosecutors) (5th ed. 2009) (contributor)            
  • U.S. Dep’t of Justice, Criminal Division, Organized Crime and Racketeering Section, Civil RICO: A Manual for Federal Attorneys (2007) (contributor).

(Select) Legal Presentations

  • “RICO Turns 50: Its Continuing Relevance in Business and Competition Litigation.” American Bar Association Section of Antitrust Law Videoconference (May 2022)
  • “The Vexing Case of Venue for Violent Crimes in Aid of Racketeering.” Paper presented at Penn State Law Review Annual Symposium (April 2021).
  • “Violent Crimes in Aid of Racketeering (WIP).” Paper presented at J. M. Langston Writing Workshop (July 2020).
  • “Preventing #MeToo Moments: Working with the Opposite Sex.” Presentation delivered at Polishing the Pulpit Workshops (August 2019).
  • “Safety, Security, and Guns in Churches.” Lecture delivered at the Faulkner University Church & Law Seminar (March 2018).
  • “3 Things Church Leaders Should Know About Bylaws.” Presentation delivered at Polishing the Pulpit Workshops (August 2018).
  • “The Limits of Religious Liberty in the Workplace.” Lecture delivered at the Faulkner University Church & Law Seminar (March 2016).
  • “Interpreting Gang-Related Court Decisions: A National Review.” Lecture delivered at National Gang Crime Research Center (August 2015).
  • “An Introduction to International and Transnational Gang Problems.” Lecture delivered at National Gang Crime Research Center (August 2015).
  • “The JDA and Pre-Majority Conduct (WIP).” Paper presented at Southeast/Southwest People of Color Legal Scholarship Conference (March 2015).
  • “What Christians Should Know/Do About Sex Trafficking?” Presentation delivered at Polishing the Pulpit Workshops (August 2015).
  • “A Brief Primer on RICO Prosecutions and Approvals.” Presentation delivered at United States Attorney’s Office—Middle District of Alabama (December 2014).
  • “Hands Up, Don’t Shoot: Use of Force & Police Militarization.” Public discussion with former Montgomery Chief of Police at Faulkner University, Jones School of Law (September 2014).
  • “RICO Approval Process.” Lecture delivered at DOJ National Advocacy Center (May 2012).
  • “Violent Crimes in Aid of Racketeering.” Lecture delivered at DOJ National Advocacy Center (May 2012).
  • “Violent Crimes in Aid of Racketeering.” Lecture delivered at DOJ National Advocacy Center (January 2011).
  • “Violent Crimes in Aid of Racketeering.” Lecture delivered at DOJ National Advocacy Center (December 2009).

Biblical and Theological Publications

  • Melvin L. Otey, An Evaluation of Historical Efforts to Identify Jesus’s High Priestly Inquisitor in John 18, 26 Stone-Campbell Journal __ (accepted and forthcoming)
  • Melvin L. Otey, The Propriety of Exegetical Sensitivity to Multiple Meanings in Scripture, 65 Restoration Quarterly __ (accepted and forthcoming)
  • Melvin L. Otey, Reconsidering the Consensus on the Extent of the Shrewd Steward Pericope (Luke 16:1–13), __ Bibliotheca Sacra __ (accepted and forthcoming)
  • Melvin L. Otey, What Christians Need to Know About “Legalized” Marijuana, 48 Themelios __ (accepted and forthcoming)
  • Melvin L. Otey, Witness Sequestration and the Failure of Proof in Jesus’s Sanhedrin Trial (Mark 14:55–59), 65 Restoration Quarterly __ (accepted and forthcoming)
  • Glenn Colley, Ben Giselbach, Hiram Kemp, and Melvin L. Otey. It’s There in Black and White: Scriptural Answers to 37 Questions People Are Asking about Racial Tension in the Church. PlainSimpleFaith, 2020.

Book Reviews

  • Review of Reading While Black:  by Gregory R. Lanier and William A. Ross in Restoration Quarterly 64:4 (2022)
  • Review of The Septuagint: What it is and Why it Matters by Gregory R. Lanier and William A. Ross in Restoration Quarterly (forthcoming)
  • Review of Ethics Beyond Rule by Keith D. Stanglin in The Christian Chronicle (March 2022)

(Select) Biblical and Theological Studies Presentations

  • “Genesis 4 in 1 John 3:Cain and Abel as Models for Christian Division and Unity.” Christian Scholars’ Conference (June 2022)
  • “Toward Taming the Parable of the Shrewd Steward (Luke 16:1–13).” Stone-Campbell Journal Conference (April 2021)