Fraud trial juror reports getting bag of $120,000 and promise of more if she'll acquit
A juror was dismissed Monday after reporting that a woman dropped a bag of $120,000 in cash at her home and offered her more money if she would vote to acquit seven people charged with stealing more than $40 million from a program meant to feed children during the pandemic.
“This is completely beyond the pale,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph Thompson said in court on Monday. “This is outrageous behavior. This is stuff that happens in mob movies.”
These seven are the first of 70 defendants expected to go to trial in a conspiracy that cost taxpayers $250 million. Eighteen others have pleaded guilty, and authorities said they recovered about $50 million in one of the nation’s largest pandemic-related fraud cases. Prosecutors say just a fraction of the money went to feed low-income kids, while the rest was spent on luxury cars, jewelry, travel and property.
During the trial that began in April, defense attorneys questioned the quality of the FBI’s investigation and suggested that this might be more of a case of record-keeping problems than fraud as these defendants sought to keep up with rapidly changing rules for the food aid program.
Plot twist... There was £250k in the bag when it was dropped off.
I don’t see why she couldn’t take the money and get off the jury. It’s not like the briber is entitled to illegal money. At that point she could just make sure the money ends up where it needs to go.
I guess the fear of people with those resources coming after you.
How would she give it back tho?
That’s the implication.
She was already paid by people with the resources to do the thing, they gave her the money (whether she agreed to it or not or had any knowledge).
She can’t give it back. How could she? Handing it to the authorities sends the message she didn’t keep the payment.
If someone gave you that much money and said do this thing (commit a crime to protect other criminals) it would probably be super intimidating generally. What do you do?
I don't know. I saw similar situations recently in the Narcos series on Netflix. Innocent people were placed into situations in which they had to either (a) break the law for considerable compensation or (b) not break the law and suffer horrible consequences. I guess in that situation, the best you can do is to pack up as soon as possible and hide somewhere. There's really nothing else. If someone has the financial means and audacity to bribe a juror with $120k over a case with 70 defendants defrauding $250 million from the government, they likely have the means to order a hit on you and your family. It's a terrible situation to be in, and I would love to know how this has been handled in the past, how they are going to handle it now, and what the outcome will be.
There's no indication that this group attempting to bribe her are violent, and there was no explicit or implied violent "or else" threat, at least none mentioned in the AP and Star Tribune articles.
that's true. I might be hyper- vigilant or reactive to those kinds of things.
I think the act itself implies the threat. If they have those resources and are willing to brazenly break the law like that no actual threat is needed.
Even if they aren't violent and have no intention of being so the implication is there.
Because that money belongs to someone, presumably the party that was defrauded.
Since she dropped the money off with the police, the person who owns the money can come and claim it.
If nobody claims it within a certain period of time, then the money is officially hers to keep.
If someone does come and claim it, then they will probably get in a lot of legal trouble.
i.e. The money's about as good as the former juror's. She just needs to wait.
That's lost and found, this is criminal evidence. Police departments are very good at finding ways to keep money given to them. ;)
Good point!
She ain't getting that money back lol.
Source?
It’s needed as evidence in the attempting to bribe a juror case.
Because receiving a bribe is a crime, regardless of whether you do what you’re being bribed to do.
"I swear I only accepted it with every intention of giving it to kids who need food"
The cops put all $60k in the evidence vault
This is outrageous, allright. You steal 40 mil from the kids and try to bribe me with 120k? Go straight to prison!
America has become such a shit show that a common moral act is seen as heroism.
Coming forward about this IS heroism. That juror is in mortal danger. I am in no way exaggerating, anyone who would do this would kill to keep secrets.
She's in less danger now that she's off the case and has already told everything she knows. Killing her might send a message to other jurors to shut up and keep their money but they could just as well assume they would be killed after the trial to leave no witnesses. So it doesn't really work. It would add to her credibility and more charges against them.
So she's only in a little bit of mortal danger? That's still more than all the rest of us. Hero.
Oh she's definitely a hero. Plus she got out of jury duty!
Not sure why they dismissed the juror. She was probably the only honest one who reported it. Give her a pat on the back and let her stay on, then grill the other jurors.
She just moved from juror to witness.
Dropped it off at her home, meaning the situation could plausibly go from bribery to extortion/threats
It's because the juror is now a target for extortion/threats/etc... She's vulnerable.
Also, the fact that they gave this money can prejudice her into making a judgment not based on the facts of the case itself.
It's best if she's moved off the jury and becomes a witness instead. It ensures a fair trial.
120k is insulting.
If you steal 40mil, you’re staring down the barrel of losing 40mil plus your freedom.
Just breaking even (losing the 40mil) but keeping your freedom would be an amazing deal for you, but what’s your freedom worth?
I figure the overall payment has got to be something like 50mil to be fair. With at least a 5% down payment to show you’re serious, that’s 2.5mil.
"Promise of more". Potentially amongst many jurors. In theory it's not just $120k.
Your reasoning is solid, but I’m not sure I’d trust someone who steals and bribes to honour their word.
Shit like this is why I always demand full payment up front. It’s just a shame I have no influence to garner bribes.
Another swing of the pick-axe to chip away at judicial reliability and faith in institutions.
This is America.
This is the modern day world. That shit happens in a lot of countries (mostly in developing countries), including mine.
The numbers of convicted related to COVID money in my country are almost reached a thousand, including some top government officials (and surprise, their relatives too).
I’m glad to hear it, even if it’s sad it happens in the first place. Just can’t let people get away with it.
Buch of trump witnesses got cushy jobs and pay bumps too.
funny how it's almost laughable to think about stealing a luxury car, with its GPS tracking, remote shut-off, spy cameras, etc. yet it's equally laughablly easy to steal millions of dollars from the government in order to buy those cars
Did the bag have $$ signs on them?
The fact that they misplaced over $100k makes the whole case for them. They're obviously clumsy as shit at accounting. Not guilty!