A member of the jury involved in a $250 million charitable fraud case in Minnesota was removed from the trial on Monday due to an incident where an individual visited her home and attempted to bribe her with a bag containing $120,000 in cash in exchange for a not guilty verdict, according to USA Today.
Juror 52, a woman involved in a federal case concerning misappropriated funds intended to support underprivileged children during the COVID-19 crisis, was implicated in the bribery incident during the trial, which was revealed in a statement from the Justice Department.
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According to the Sahan Journal, the allegations of jury tampering were addressed in a courtroom discussion on Monday morning, away from the presence of the jurors. U.S. Assistant Attorney Joe Thompson informed U.S. District Judge Nancy Brasel that a woman had visited the juror’s residence the previous night and left behind a bag filled with a large amount of cash. “This is outrageous behavior. This is the stuff that happens in mob movies,” Thompson said. “It really strikes at the heart of this case.”
When the woman visited the home of the 23-year-old juror, the juror was not present, but her father-in-law was there at the time, as reported by the Sahan Journal. The woman allegedly informed the juror’s father-in-law that the cash was intended for “Juror 52.”
“Tell her there will be another bag for her if she votes to acquit,” according to Thompson.
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After discovering the incident, the juror promptly contacted the police, as per Thompson’s statement reported by the Minnesota-based outlet. The bag of money has since been secured by the FBI, the assistant attorney noted.
The defense attorneys representing the seven defendants facing a total of 41 criminal charges expressed concern over the allegations during the trial involving the misuse of funds from the nonprofit Feeding Our Future.
This particular case is one component of a larger case involving 70 defendants. To date, 18 defendants have entered guilty pleas, as stated by the Justice Department.
The juror who was approached with the bribe was absent from court proceedings on Monday morning. A spokesperson from the District of Minnesota verified via email to USA TODAY that the juror had been excused from further participation in the trial.
