Juror Excused from Covid-19 Fraud Case After Attempted Fraud

The Justice Department has charged nearly 3,200 defendants in connection with COVID related fraud. Fraudsters are allegedly responsible for stealing more than $280 billion in relief money, or about 10% of the federal government’s $4.3 trillion spending in COVID relief.  

In one case, federal prosecutors charged 25 defendants with COVID-19 related fraud, including wire fraud and money laundering. Of the 25 defendants, 18 have pleaded guilty and the remaining 7 were awaiting trial. The government claims that the defendants engaged in a conspiracy to steal over $40 million from a program intended to provide meals to children in Minnesota. Instead, prosecutors claim that the defendants spent the money on cars, jewelry, travel, and other expense luxury items. Federal agencies claim to have recovered about $50million.  

The trial of the 7 defendants took a strange turn as the jury began deliberations. When one juror’s father-in-law answered the door, a woman handed him a gift bag with a curly ribbon and said it was a present for the juror. The woman allegedly told him to tell Juror #52 to say not guilty tomorrow and there would be more of that present the next day. When the father-in-law checked the gift bag, he saw it contained a substantial amount of cash. The gift bag carried about $120,000 in cash, which held $100, $50, and $20 in bills.  

The juror called the police and handed over the cash bag. The FBI eventually took custody of the bag and interviewed the juror. The woman who left the bag knew the juror’s first name, though the names of the jurors have not been publicly disclosed. The only people who know who the jurors are court personal, the attorneys, and the defendants themselves.  

Judge Nancy Brasel ordered all 7 defendants to surrender their cell phones for investigation and all seven defendants taken into custody.  

White Collar Crimes Should Be Prosecuted More

Fraud, like many white-collar crimes, is under prosecuted. When most people think of “crimes” they mostly image violent crimes like robbery or murder. Most white-collar crimes don’t have a “victim” that can give a tearful description of what the defendant did to them. However, this doesn’t mean that white-collar crimes are not harmful to society. In this case, thousands children were allegedly deprived of funding for food because these defendants wanted fancy trinkets. Taxpayers would also have to pay more to make up the difference in the missing funds for the relief money.  

Moreover, most white-collar crimes are capable of stealing so much more than any robbery or burglary. One person’s home or bag has a limited amount of money, but fraud can potentially loot a state or federal treasury. A robber could steal a few hundred dollars on a good day, but defendants like these are accused of stealing billions.  

It should come as no surprise than a blatant attempt to bribe a juror would arise in a fraud case like this one. The person(s) behind this stunt has access to a large sum of money and probably doesn’t see themselves as guilty because of the non-violent nature of the charges. For years now, trust in American institutions has been undermined. This attempted bribery is only the latest sigh in the erosion of trust in America’s courts and jurors. Whoever was behind this needs to be punished hard as an example to others that white-collar crime shouldn’t pay.  

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