Enron defendents offer to pay jury for extended trial

[rainbow4321]

Maybe these crooks should save their $$ and give it to the workers who lost their life savings instead of making it look like they are trying to bribe the jury.


http://www.mysanantonio.com/sharedcontent/APStories/stories/D8A73L301.html


The judge in the lengthy Enron broadband trial on Friday nixed a lawyer's proposal to have the defendants boost the jury's pay and indicated she would keep working with jurors' employers to keep their paychecks coming.

Two jurors in the fraud and conspiracy trial of five former executives from Enron Corp.'s defunct broadband unit told the judge they feared defaulting on their mortgages when they learned this week that the two-month case that began in mid-April would last another month. Defense attorney Tony Canales proposed a solution: Have the defendants supplement the pay of the people who will decide their fate — without the jurors' knowing who was making the payments.

Prosecutors responded that such a notion could be perceived as a court-sanctioned bribe. They noted that Canales made his pitch in open court outside the jury's presence rather than in a document sealed from public view, increasing the chance jurors would learn who was paying them.

"In a high-profile, white-collar case involving very wealthy defendants, permitting the defendants to compensate the jurors will inevitably taint the reputation of our justice system and is a road that should not be taken," prosecutors said in a court filing.

[tk2kewl]

1. Are you kidding me?

Let the defendant pay the jurors. I guess one of the bush judges would probably go for it.

[Horse with no Name]

2. Huh?

This is bribery. Pure and simple.
Even the fact that they suggested it taints the jury pool.
It suggests that these people care about their welfare when the county doesn't.
These fools are bucking for a mistrial.

[spindoctor]

4. No shit

Isn't there a law against that? lol

Arrogant wealthy bastards. This is the kind of stuff that triggered the French revolution and its not too late to do it again.

[rainbow4321]

6. In TX it is legal....if both sides contribute.

But it is "unheard of in federal court"

From the article:


Texas law allows litigants in civil cases to supplement juror pay if both sides consent and contribute the same amount of money. Federal jurors receive $40 per day, which can jump to $50 after the first month of a trial. Federal law doesn't address the issue of supplementing pay.

"It's been done before in state court, in civil cases," Canales said outside court. "We're just trying to solve the problem."

[napi21]

3. Sorry, that's a nono. It's bribery.

I realize the suplemental pay to jurors depends on each employer, but these jurors had the opportunity to speak of the problem during their interviews. If they really expected this trial to be a short one, we really are dealing with a bunch of idiots!

[gratuitous]

5. Geez, let's just bring the bribery out into the open!

Psssst, jurors. Worried about losing your homes because you're serving on this case? We can {wink, wink} make it worth your while, if you know what I mean. And we won't {nod, nod} ask for or expect anything in return {nudge, nudge}.

I say now who do, who do you think you're foolin'?

[Gothmog]

7. The judge has rejected the concept

http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/front/3191254

[rainbow4321]

8. They can't unring the bell

It's already "out there" that the defendents made the offer..instead of making it where the media would not know about it the defendents' lawyers made the offer in a way that it was splashed across the newswire. Guess the question is, or should be, has it swayed the jurors' view of the defendents into them being the "good guys", and will it effect the trial outcome?

[leesa]

9. Oh, how very, very, very nice of them!