Confusion and Terror Reign Inside the Sheldon Silver Corruption Case Jury Room
The Sheldon Silver corruption case finally went to the jury this week, and at least one of the jurors would very much like to send it back. The others are busy chatting up NBC reporters, but definitely not about the case!
Silver, the despised New York Assemblyman whose full head of hair belies his 71 years, was arrested by the FBI last January on federal corruption charges alleging he hid millions of dollars in undeclared income.
It’s a high profile case, to be sure. But recently it’s the jury of Silver’s peers that have been getting the most attention: According to a recent New York Times report, they’re asking silly questions, begging for release and flirting with reporters.
Here’s a note from one juror—believed to be penned by one of eight women in the jury—sent less than two hours after deliberations began Tuesday:
“I am wondering if there is anyway I can be excused from this case, because I have a different opinion/view so far in this case and it is making me feel very, very uncomfortable. I’m feeling pressured, stressed out ... told that I’m not using my common sense, my heart is pounding and my head feels weird. I am so stressed out right now that I can’t even write normally. I don’t feel like I can be myself right now! I need to leave!”
The judge declined to grant the juror’s request—but he almost excused another juror after the man was spotted lurking around an NBC News truck.
Another of Mr. Silver’s lawyers, Joel Cohen, told the judge at a sidebar conference that a male juror on the panel had been observed talking to someone inside an NBC News truck near the courthouse.
Judge Caproni questioned the juror in the robing room, a transcript shows. The juror acknowledged having contact with a person in the truck.
“I know the one girl from the news,” the juror said. “That’s all I did, was say hello. I watch every morning from 4:30 to 7.”
“She said: ‘Really? My family doesn’t even watch me on TV.’ ”
“That was the extent of your conversation?” the judge asked.
“Yes,” the juror replied.
All amusing, but nothing that really goes to the heart of the case—except this note, sent by a third juror, which indicates it’s going to be a long deliberation.
A second note came shortly afterward, apparently from a different unidentified juror, stating that one of the jurors — the note did not specify which one — was having difficulty distinguishing whether or not giving New York State funds for “something in return is illegal.
Justice is blind, but this is just dumb.
