5 indicted for allegedly attempting to bribe juror in Feeding Our Future trial

“A chilling attack on our justice system”

Federal prosecutors charged five people in connection with the $120,000 attempted bribe of a juror during the first Feeding Our Future trial. All five were charged with conspiracy to bribe a juror, bribing a juror, and corruptly influencing a juror.

The U.S. Attorney described a “sophisticated scheme.” According to the indictment, the defendants studied and surveilled the juror — known as Juror 52 — for days. License-plate readers placed one defendant’s rental car near the juror’s home 19 times over three days, and a typed list of jurors’ names was found stuffed inside a water bottle in a defendant’s home.

The bag used to deliver the cash carried the fingerprints of a defendant recruited to fly in from Seattle. Investigators recovered text messages staking out the juror and even a video of the bribe being delivered, along with written instructions coaching the juror on how to sway others to vote not guilty — messaging that, prosecutors said, heavily played on race.

“Fortunately for all of us,” the U.S. Attorney said, “Juror 52 could not be bought.” One defendant allegedly factory-reset his phone as he handed it over in court, drawing an additional obstruction charge.

See how this fits the larger case on the Feeding Our Future investigation hub.