A member of the jury concerned in a $250 million charitable fraud case in Minnesota was faraway from the trial on Monday as a result of an incident the place a person visited her dwelling and tried to bribe her with a bag containing $120,000 in money in change for a not responsible verdict, in accordance with USA At this time.
Juror 52, a lady concerned in a federal case regarding misappropriated funds meant to assist underprivileged kids throughout the COVID-19 disaster, was implicated within the bribery incident throughout the trial, which was revealed in an announcement from the Justice Division.
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In accordance with the Sahan Journal, the allegations of jury tampering have been addressed in a courtroom dialogue on Monday morning, away from the presence of the jurors. U.S. Assistant Lawyer Joe Thompson knowledgeable U.S. District Decide Nancy Brasel {that a} girl had visited the juror’s residence the earlier evening and left behind a bag stuffed with a considerable amount of money. “That is outrageous habits. That is the stuff that occurs in mob films,” Thompson mentioned. “It actually strikes on the coronary heart of this case.”
When the lady visited the house of the 23-year-old juror, the juror was not current, however her father-in-law was there on the time, as reported by the Sahan Journal. The girl allegedly knowledgeable the juror’s father-in-law that the money was meant for “Juror 52.”
“Inform her there will likely be one other bag for her if she votes to acquit,” in accordance with Thompson.
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After discovering the incident, the juror promptly contacted the police, as per Thompson’s assertion reported by the Minnesota-based outlet. The bag of cash has since been secured by the FBI, the assistant legal professional famous.
The protection attorneys representing the seven defendants dealing with a complete of 41 felony prices expressed concern over the allegations throughout the trial involving the misuse of funds from the nonprofit Feeding Our Future.
This specific case is one element of a bigger case involving 70 defendants. Thus far, 18 defendants have entered responsible pleas, as acknowledged by the Justice Division.
The juror who was approached with the bribe was absent from courtroom proceedings on Monday morning. A spokesperson from the District of Minnesota verified through e mail to USA TODAY that the juror had been excused from additional participation within the trial.
